SKA St. Petersburg vs Shanghai Dragons Prediction
📣 This Thursday, the second St. Petersburg derby of the season is set to take place as SKA host the Shanghai Dragons at the "Ice Palace." Both teams have been inconsistent recently and find themselves near the lower edge of the playoff zone in the standings. Can Igor Larionov make the necessary adjustments after his team's September debacle at the "SKA Arena"? We'll find out the answers to this and other questions very soon.
Head-to-Head
In the 2024/2025 regular season, former Kunlun and the "Army Men from the Neva" faced off four times. The Chinese side claimed victory in three of those encounters, while Rotenberg's squad managed just one win, albeit a commanding 8-0 triumph. The "Dragons" couldn't boast such blowouts, but they consistently troubled the defense of the team from the Neva banks, securing their wins through hard-fought battles. In the current regular season, the St. Petersburg teams clashed sticks in early September, delivering a true goal-fest with a combined total of 11 goals. Gerard Gallant's charges were the quicker on the draw, finding the net in every period and scoring despite taking fewer shots on goal than Goldobin and his crew.
H2H Stats Matches and Previous Teams Results
SKA St. Petersburg Team Overview
The "Army Men" currently sit ninth in the Western Conference, outside of the playoff zone. This week, they played a home game against Moscow's Dynamo, narrowly losing 2-1. The hosts excelled in special teams play, preventing the Muscovites from converting any of their four power-play opportunities while scoring once themselves in a 5-on-4 situation. Joseph Blandisi netted his fifth goal of the season, assisted by fellow import Rocco Grimaldi. The 32-year-old Grimaldi has only managed to tally nine points since the start of the season, which is certainly below expectations for the top scorer of the 2023 World Championship. The situation for SKA is further complicated by the loss of young prospect Matvey Korotky, who was injured in the clash with Lokomotiv.
Match Results: SKA St. Petersburg
Shanghai Dragons Team Overview
The Chinese team based in Saint Petersburg continues their series of away games. They recently snapped a prolonged losing streak by defeating Cherepovets' Severstal with a 6-3 victory. Kevin Labanc scored his first goal of the season and added two assists. Gerard Gallant's squad then traveled to Magnitogorsk, where they struggled against the local side Metallurg. Labanc and his North American teammates found themselves frequently penalized, which did not go unpunished. Metallurg's power-play units capitalized on two opportunities and scored three more goals at even strength. To cap it off, fourth-line forward Yegor Korobkin broke away while shorthanded, beating Andrey Tikhomirov to set the final score at 6-1. Ryan Spooner and the Fu brothers are in recovery but may return to the lineup for the upcoming match.
Match Results: Shanghai Dragons
🏒 Projected Lineups
SKA: Ivanov - Pedan, Zaitsev - Plotnikov, Blandisi, Grimaldi
Shanghai Dragons: Rybar - Clendening, Valentsov - Merkley, Quinney, Rendulic
🥅 Goalkeepers
21-year-old Sergey Ivanov shares playing time this season with his counterpart Yegor Zavragin. Ivanov delivered a stellar performance against Dynamo Moscow, stopping 34 of 36 shots from Gusev and company. It's anticipated that the coaching staff will once again grant Sergey deserved ice time against the Dragons.
Former Spartak and Dinamo Minsk goalkeeper Patrik Rybar is the primary choice for the Dragons this season. While he occasionally makes way for his colleagues Kareyev and Tikhomirov, the Slovak is expected to start against the Army Men. In his last outing against the Foxes, Patrik played only one period and conceded four goals, which adversely affected his personal stats.
Editorial Prediction
In the ice clash between two teams from Saint Petersburg, we suggest considering a bet on over 4.5 goals. This bet was successful in the September encounter between the "Dragons" and the "Army Men," and it hit in 7 of the last 8 games involving the Shanghai visitors. Recently, the coaching staff led by Igor Larionov has managed to slightly improve their defense, yet the hosts consistently concede at least two goals per game. Meanwhile, the guys from Shanghai continue to take numerous penalties, allowing opponents to capitalize on power plays. Special teams play on Thursday could be decisive. We believe that players like Labanc and Grimaldi will capitalize on their power-play opportunities.
Betting Tips: SKA St. Petersburg - Shanghai Dragons
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