Minsk Dinamo Crushes Torpedo, Shanghai Dragons Lead Western Conference

Minsk Dinamo delivered a dominant performance, scoring seven goals against Torpedo with three players netting a brace. Meanwhile, the Shanghai Dragons secured their third consecutive victory, defeating Dynamo Moscow and overtaking Lokomotiv to claim the top spot in the league standings.

Minsk Dinamo Dominates Torpedo Once Again

Dmitry Kvartalnov`s team returned home from St. Petersburg after suffering two consecutive losses to the Shanghai Dragons (2-3, 1-2). Torpedo, on the other hand, had just snapped their losing streak two days prior with a 5-3 victory over Barys. This was the second encounter between the Belarusian and Nizhny Novgorod teams in the current Fonbet KHL Championship. On September 24th, Dinamo had prevailed 3-2 at home, largely thanks to a hat-trick from Vitaly Pinchuk. For today`s game, veteran Darren Dietz rejoined the Minsk lineup, slotting into the third defensive pairing. Meanwhile, forward Shane Prince, who previously played three seasons for the Belarusian team, made his debut for Torpedo.

Today`s game was themed as a “family night,” but on the ice, neither team showed any mercy. Small skirmishes started immediately, and Minsk opened the scoring just two minutes in. Christian Henkel blasted the puck past Ivan Kulbakov, earning his first point of the season. Nizhny Novgorod responded with several good attacks but conceded again in the 10th minute: in a scramble around the crease, Sergei Kuznetsov was the quickest to react, sending the puck into the net. Torpedo`s coaching staff initiated a video review, but the challenge proved unsuccessful. The referees confirmed the goal, resulting in a penalty for the visitors, which Minsk immediately capitalized on with a power play goal from Dinamo forward Stanislav Galiev. Interestingly, shots on goal were even at 12-12 by the end of the period, yet the hosts held a commanding three-goal lead.

The second period was entirely different, with Torpedo taking control. The visitors outshot Minsk by a two-to-one margin and spent nearly eight minutes in the offensive zone, but they couldn`t beat Vasily Demchenko. Dinamo`s goaltender was extremely reliable, and luck was also on his side as the goalpost came to Dmitry Kvartalnov`s team`s rescue twice. There was also a lot of physical play, and in one collision, referee Maxim Kupriyanov narrowly avoided injury after being accidentally caught in a hit.

The third period began with Dinamo`s fourth goal, as Sam Anas converted a power play opportunity with a shot under the crossbar. However, Nizhny Novgorod did not give up: first, they hit the post again, and then, in the 49th minute, Alexei Kruchinin scored a power-play goal. Their joy was short-lived, as Anas completed his brace just 41 seconds later with a stunning shot from a very sharp angle. In the final minutes, the visitors ran out of energy, couldn`t keep up with their opponent`s attacks, and conceded two more goals, with Galiev and Kuznetsov also securing their respective braces. The match ended 7-1, marking Minsk Dinamo`s second victory over Torpedo this season.

Shanghai Dragons Secure Third Consecutive Victory

Kevin Labanc opened his KHL scoring account in his very first shift. The Shanghai Dragons newcomer reacted to Adam Klendening`s dump-in, skillfully deflecting the puck from behind the net to the crease with the backhand of his stick, where Nikita Popugaev was perfectly positioned. The Dragons` #81 rarely misses such opportunities.

After scoring his fourth goal of the season, Popugaev immediately acknowledged the quality of Labanc`s pass, which was indeed exceptional. Labanc, as planned, began his KHL career with a game against Dinamo. Initially, the plan was for him to face Minsk Dinamo, but coaches, assessing Kevin`s conditioning, decided not to rush his debut. He was evidently ready for the arrival of Dynamo Moscow.

Gerard Gallant`s coaching staff placed their new recruit on the second line, alongside Nikita Popugaev and Ryan Spooner. Labanc`s arrival meant Pavel Akolzin lost his place in the starting lineup. Meanwhile, another Dragons newcomer, Greg McKegg, was apparently not yet ready to play, as the Canadian was not included in his new team`s roster.

Gerard Gallant probably found himself, for the first time in his regular season career, facing teams with the same name four consecutive times. Last week, his Dragons twice snatched victory from Minsk Dinamo (3-2, 2-1), and this week they anticipated a “two-part” visit from Dynamo Moscow. St. Petersburg, in general, experienced an unprecedented density of KHL matches this week. Five top-level games in six days – something that had never happened in the hockey history of the Northern Capital before. However, it is also the first time that two KHL teams are based in St. Petersburg.

The arrival of Dynamo Moscow, a principal rival for SKA, did not, it must be said, resonate strongly with Shanghai Dragons fans. Only 4,710 spectators attended the SKA Arena that evening. The chilly weather, which had set in during the afternoon, clearly did not encourage people to venture out in the evening. Yet, from a tournament perspective, this match was significant. Dynamo, sitting fifth in the West, would have pushed the Dragons off third place with a win. Conversely, a victory for the St. Petersburg-based team (referring to the Dragons playing in SKA Arena) would have secured them the conference lead.

The modest support did not, however, faze the Dragons. They went into the first intermission with a 2-0 lead. Ten minutes after Popugaev`s goal, Gage Quinney effortlessly bypassed Dynamo`s defenders near the crease and, with a billiard-like shot off Vladislav Podyapolsky’s pads, found the back of the net.

Dynamo was re-energized by Labanc himself, or rather, his penalty at the end of the opening period. Moscow came out in the second period with a clear power play strategy, though Cedric Paquette`s goal, scored just thirty seconds in, could hardly be described as schematic. Rather, the unconventional actions of Jordan Weal, Nikita Gusev, and Paquette`s sheer audacity caught the Dragons` defenders and goaltender unprepared.

Elated by his fourth goal of the season, Paquette found himself in the penalty box just ninety seconds later for hooking Labanc. The Dragons took only 80 seconds to convert their power play. Borna Rendulic, with a firm stick deflection of Quinney`s shot, scored his sixth goal of the season, simultaneously extending his lead as the Dragons` top scorer. This marked the Croat`s 14th point (6 goals + 8 assists) of the season. Paquette skated off the penalty box with his head down. The path from hero to anti-hero in hockey often proves to be a short one.

The second period turned out to be the most high-scoring of the match. Towards the end of the period, Dynamo intensified the intrigue of the remaining third period to the maximum. Capital team captain Igor Ozhiganov, with contributions from Anton Slepyshev and Paquette, reduced the visitors` deficit to a minimum. Patrik Rybar, who was entrusted with guarding the Dragons` net, was caught off guard by the shot to the near post.

Midway through the third period, Ozhiganov had a magnificent opportunity to equalize, but Rybar stood firm, sprawling to block the defenseman`s shot. This moment was arguably Dynamo`s clearest chance to tie the game in that segment. Even when taking the risk of replacing their goaltender with a sixth skater during a four-on-four situation, Moscow failed to create a comparable level of threat at the home team`s net.

By securing their third consecutive victory, the Shanghai Dragons have, for the first time in their history, climbed to the top of the Western Conference standings.