Zykov hat-trick ensures SKA end regular season on high note!

20 March 2026

Valentin Zykov stole the show on Friday evening, scoring an impressive hat-trick on the powerplay to fire SKA to a routine 5:1 home win against Shanghai.

Furthermore, as a consequence of this victory in the concluding match of the 2025/2026 KHL regular season, SKA have moved up to fifth spot of the Western Conference and will face CSKA Moscow in the first round of the upcoming Gagarin Cup playoffs.

Shanghai did initially open the scoring through Austin Wagner in the seventh minute, but Nikita Nedopyokin conjured up a quick response when completing a flowing play.

Rocco Grimaldi then gave SKA their maiden lead moments later, before Zykov lashed an unstoppable wrister high into the left corner on the PP.

In fine form, Zykov subsequently grabbed two more clever markers on the man advantage in the second and third frames respectively to seal a comfortable couple of points.

Game one against CSKA will be staged in Moscow on Monday. Puck-drop is scheduled for 19:30 local time.

Match protocol:

SKA - Shanghai - 5:1 (3:1, 1:0, 1:0)

Goals:

0:1 Wagner (Sutter, Clendening), 06.35

1:1 Nedopyokin (Dishkovsky, Romanov), 08.08

2:1 Grimaldi (Korotky, Galenyuk), 10.08

3:1 Zykov (Sapego, Khairullin), 13.30 PPG

4:1 Zykov (Khairullin, Plotnikov), 26.34 PPG

5:1 Zykov (Khairullin, Vorobyov), 57.21 PPG

Goalkeepers: Pleshkov - Shikin

Shots: 66 - 42