Belarusian blues

8 October 2026

Two defeats on the bounce for SKA, who were made to pay for their ill-discipline during a 2:4 loss to Dinamo in Minsk.

It was always going to be a challenge competing against the KHL's best PP outfit, but SKA didn't help themselves and ended up conceding two key goals while playing shorthanded.

Matvei Korotky had opened the scoring 16th minute, emphatically smashing the rebound home after Valentin Zykov's low effort had been stopped.

The game subsequently turned on its head in the second stanza.

Stanislav Galiyev equalised with a snappy wrister on the man advantage, before the same player whacked beyond the stranded Sergei Ivanov during a 5-on-3 opportunity.

SKA did level it up in the latter stages of the period, though, with Sergei Plotnikov turning Korotky's intelligent feed home.

The turning point arrived in just the 10th (!) second of the third stanza.

Xavier Ouellet unleashed what appeared to be a harmless effort from distance, but the puck took a wicked ricochet off Sergei Sapego which deceived Ivanov.

The outcome was well and truly decided with 10 minutes left on the clock thanks to a fourth from Daniil Sotishvili.

SKA will now prepare to face Dynamo in Moscow on Sunday. Puck-drop is scheduled for 17:00 local time.

Match protocol:

Dinamo Minsk - SKA - 4:2 (0:1, 2:1, 2:0)

Goals:

0:1 Korotky (Zykov, Knyzhov), 15.18

1:1 Galiyev (Smith, Tierney), 28.51 PPG

2:1 Galiyev (Tierney, Anas), 34.35 PPG

2:2 Plotnikov (Korotky, Goldobin), 38.05

3:2 Ouellet (Galiyev, Gardner), 40.10

4:2 Sotishvili (Kuznetsov), 49.56

Goalkeepers: Demchenko - Ivanov