Dinamo Minsk vs Magnitogorsk

The opening period ended goalless, with both sides feeling each other out in pre-season rhythm. Dinamo goalkeeper Vasily Demchenko and Magnitogorsk's Alexander Smolin each faced six shots in a tight first frame.

Dinamo broke the deadlock early in the second period. Rhett Gardner opened the scoring on the powerplay at 23:48, finishing after a feed from Pavel Voronov and Chris Tierney. Five minutes later, Bogdan Belkin doubled the advantage at 28:08, converting a Stanislav Galiev pass at even strength.

Trailing 2-0, Magnitogorsk responded before the second intermission. Valentin Demchenko pulled one back at 36:33, and Nikita Mikhaylis levelled the scores at 38:20 — both goals coming at even strength within 1:47 of each other.

Magnitogorsk seized control early in the third period. At 41:02, with Dinamo's Rhett Gardner and Pavel Voronov both in the penalty box giving Metallurg a two-man advantage, Nathan Todd fired past Demchenko to make it 3-2. That 5-on-3 powerplay goal swung the momentum decisively.

Dinamo briefly equalised through Nikolai Salygo at 44:15, but Magnitogorsk replied almost immediately. Dmitry Silantyev restored the lead at 54:01, Stepan Starkov made it 5-3 at 56:28, and Nathan Todd completed his brace with an empty-net goal at 57:52 after Dinamo pulled Demchenko for an extra skater.

• Nathan Todd (Magnitogorsk) — ⭐ Player of the Match. The forward scored the pivotal 5-on-3 powerplay goal to put his side ahead and added an empty-netter to seal the win, finishing with two goals.
• Dmitry Silantyev (Magnitogorsk) — One goal and two assists, including the go-ahead goal at 54:01 and the primary assist on Todd's empty-netter.
• Vladimir Tkachyov (Magnitogorsk) — Three primary assists, involved in all three third-period goals.
• Rhett Gardner (Dinamo Minsk) — Opened the scoring with a powerplay goal and was active before being part of the two penalties that led to Magnitogorsk's 5-on-3 game-winner.

Total shots were virtually even at 50-56 (28-28 on target), but the shot quality told a different story. Magnitogorsk scored on four of their third-period shots on goal (from 11 attempts), compared to Dinamo's one from 10. The visitors also dominated the faceoff circle 28-21 and outhit Dinamo 10-13. Dinamo's 12 penalty minutes proved costly — the two overlapping minors in the third period gifted Magnitogorsk the decisive 5-on-3 window.

The loss eliminates Dinamo Minsk from Minsk Cup final contention. They will play for third place on Monday, 17 August at 15:00 local time against an opponent yet to be determined. Magnitogorsk advance to the final of the six-team tournament, which also features Sibir Novosibirsk, Sochi, and Shanghai Dragons across two groups. For Dinamo, the pre-season continues under new head coach Sergey Brylin, who is still integrating young players into the lineup.

Dinamo Minsk dominated the first 30 minutes but could not sustain their structure once Magnitogorsk found their rhythm. Brylin's assessment was candid: "If I had to guess, three of the goals we gave ourselves." Magnitogorsk's composure and depth told in the third period — a warning to opponents for the KHL season ahead.