Testing start long road trip

19 February 2025

This week sees the start of a long run of road games. We won’t be back in Mytishchi for almost a month, when we face Severstal on March 18. And the Dragons could hardly have a tougher start to that 10-game expedition with trips this week to Yaroslavl and St. Petersburg.

Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (a), Feb. 20, 1900 Moscow Time

Last time out: Not many teams have enjoyed much success in Yaroslavl this season, but our guys took a point when we visited back in October. It might have been even better: Spencer Foo and Nolan Moyle had us up 2-0, but the Railwaymen tied it up before winning in overtime on a Maxim Shalunov goal.

Familiar faces: We have two players on loan from Lokomotiv this season. While defenseman Alexei Kozhevnikov has been used sparingly – last suiting up on Jan. 25 – forward Yaroslav Likhachyov has made a bigger impact since his debut for the Dragons on Dec. 1. With 9 (6+3) points in 24 games, the 23-year-old has made a handy contribution this term.

Setting the scene: For much of the season, Lokomotiv has been in imperious form. Rarely dropping games, Igor Nikitin’s team steamed to the top of the standings and has stayed there ever since, enjoying a comfortable lead over the rest.

However, an injury to goalie Daniil Isayev has undermined some of that progress. In his absence, Loko’s form has been uneven. For the first time this season the team suffered back-to-back losses and a run of one win in five represented the worst slump of the campaign. Nonetheless, this was the first club to secure a playoff place – booking its ticket even before the All-Star break. Nikitin’s style is disciplined and hard-working. Lokomotiv rarely blows teams away, but once it gets in front in a game, there is almost no way back.

SKA St. Petersburg (a), Feb. 22, 1700 Moscow Time

Last time out: Our last visit to the Northern Capital was spectacular. Our guys powered to a 5-1 lead with both Foo brothers on target and Adam Clendening potting his first for the club. SKA came roaring back late on, and closed the gap to 4-5 before the hooter sounded.  In addition, we had a 2-1 overtime verdict on home ice at the start of November with Rourke Chartier getting the winner. Let’s not talk about the other game, though.

Familiar faces: Former SKA man Yury Pautov has established himself on our D this season. He didn’t spend long in Petersburg, but played 16 games for the club in 2021/22 before joining Sochi. In addition, 20-year-old forward Semyon Sinyatikin is with us on loan from SKA. Unfortunately, injuries have hampered his progress in the Dragons lair and he hasn’t played since November.

Setting the scene: In theory, this SKA team should be a dominant force in the 2024/25 season. It has an offense like no other, and was the first (so far only) team to score 200 goals this term. Evgeny Kuznetsov brings genuine star quality, the likes of Mikhail Grigorenko, Sergei Tolchinsky and Sergei Plotnikov all have experience of winning at the highest level and there are plenty of talented youngsters, even if the on-going absence of injured Arseny Gritsyuk is a blow.

Defensively, though, this has been the worst ever season for SKA in the KHL. Head coach Roman Rotenberg likes to talk about the need to entertain – often contrasting his team’s roller-coaster games with the cautious, low-scoring victories that Lokomotiv celebrates. But that doesn’t really justify the unwillingness to back a goaltender, nor explain the improbable Tony DeAngelo experiment – taking an unstable D core and adding a player whose offensive potential far outstrips his defensive reliability. As a result, SKA has been inconsistent all year. It could come together perfectly in the playoffs and power to glory; it could just as easily end in ignominy.