Four second-period goals power SKA past Sochi

27 September 2025

Largely thanks to a second-period blitz, SKA got back to winning ways in the 2025/2026 KHL regular season with an eventful 4:2 triumph at Sochi.

Following a sea of goals in the second stanza, our players did contrive to concede a couple in the closing stages, but it mattered little as they saw the game out to claim two away points.

Valentin Zykov thought that he had given SKA the lead on the powerplay in the first period. However, following a video review, the officials determined that he had scored with his glove.

Nevertheless, SKA opened up their comfortable advantrage with three goals in as many minutes midway through the second frame.

Rocco Grimaldi opened the scoring in the 30th minute, beating the goalkeeper with a rasping wrister on the counter-attack. Andrei Loktionov then thumped home when receiving a clever pass from Nikolai Goldobin, before Brennan Menell continued his impressive form in front of goal with a superb individual effort.

SKA weren't done their either, as Joseph Blandisi completed a flowing PP move with a mere 16 seconds remaining in the period.

Sochi made the decision to swap Pavel Khomchenko with Alexei Shchetilin in their net for the third period.

In truth, SKA never appeared in any kind of danger, but the hosts did ruin Yegor Zavragin's shutout hopes with Artur Tyanulin's powerplay effort with less than three minutes remaining.

Denis Vengryzhanovsky rounded off proceedings with a second for Sochi with 41 seconds left on the clock, but it was a mere consolation for the home side.

SKA will now prepare to host Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod in Saint Petersburg on Monday. Puck-drop is scheduled for 19:00 local time.

Match protocol:

Sochi - SKA - 2:4 (0:0, 0:4, 2:0)

Goals:

0:1 Grimaldi (Murphy, Vydrenkov), 29.26

0:2 Loktionov (Goldobin, Plotnikov), 30.22

0:3 Menell (Zykov, Khairullin), 32.13

0:4 Blandisi (Goldobin, Grimaldi), 39.44 PPG

1:4 Tyanulin (Boden, Popov), 57.13 PPG

2:4 Vengryzhanovsky (Khafizov), 59.19

Goalkeepers: Khomchenko/Shchetilin - Zavragin

Shots: 52 - 51