SKA-VMF St. Petersburg vs Barys Astana

Surayev's equaliser with 13 seconds left in the second period was the decisive moment. Had Barys carried a 1-0 lead into the second intermission, they could have parked the bus and invited pressure with a structured PK. Instead, SKA-VMF entered the break level, stole psychological momentum, and grew into the game. Barys, who had played the previous evening against SKA's KHL squad in another shootout loss, visibly faded in the third period.

Gleb Saranchuk (SKA-VMF) — The goaltender stopped 11 of 12 shots in regulation and overtime, per match reports, and was solid in the shootout. His save on a dangerous Barys chance in the third period kept the scores level.

Nikita Surayev (SKA-VMF) — Scored the equaliser at a critical moment — 39:47 of the second period — to drag his side back into the contest. It was his first goal of the tournament.

Kirill Lyapunov (Barys) — Opened the scoring on the power play at 28:50 with a well-timed deflection. Lyapunov's goal was Barys' only tally of the game and showcased the new-look power-play unit featuring imports Tyce Thompson and Logan Day.

Andrei Shutov (Barys) — The Barys netminder kept his team in the game with several saves, but could not stop the decisive shootout attempts.

The match was a tight, low-event affair typical of pre-season hockey. Barys generated the better chances in the first period but could not convert. The power-play marker from Lyapunov showed early signs of chemistry among the new import recruits, but Barys' inability to score at even strength exposed a side still gelling. SKA-VMF, playing their second game in 24 hours after a 2-1 loss to Admiral on 27 August, showed defensive discipline and grew into the game as it wore on.

SKA-VMF picked up their first point of the tournament after losing 2-1 to Admiral on 27 August. Barys, meanwhile, lost both of their opening two matches in shootouts — 1-1 (2-0 SO) to SKA's KHL team on 27 August, and now this result. They sit without a regulation win at the tournament with one match remaining, against Admiral on 30 August.

SKA-VMF play in the VHL (Russia's second tier) while Barys compete in the KHL. The gap in league status did not show on the scoreboard. Both sides continue using these pre-season friendlies to finalise rosters ahead of the KHL regular season, which begins in early September.

Next fixtures: SKA-VMF will face Admiral on a date TBC within the tournament schedule. Barys play Admiral on 30 August 2026.

A textbook pre-season shootout: neither side wanted injury risks in a glorified friendly, but both found value in practising high-leverage moments. Barys will worry more about their five-on-five creation, while SKA-VMF can take genuine belief from matching a KHL opponent for 65 minutes.