MOSCOW (Interstat) — In a stunning reversal of fortune, SKA Saint Petersburg erased a three-goal third-period deficit to secure a 4-4 tie against CSKA Moscow in a Kontinental Hockey League matchup on Monday, a result that felt more like a victory for the visiting squad.

The game, played before a home crowd at CSKA Ice Palace, was a tale of two halves, with CSKA dominating the early stages before a dramatic SKA comeback forced a draw.

CSKA established control early, capitalizing on a quick power play. Just nine seconds into the game, SKA was awarded a man advantage after CSKA’s Pavel Karnaukhov was called for tripping. The early pressure set the tone, though the first goal would come at even strength later in the period.

The home side extended its lead in the second period, finding the back of the net twice to take a commanding 3-0 lead. CSKA’s offense was relentless, testing SKA goaltender Alexander Samonov repeatedly. Samonov, however, kept his team in the game with a series of key saves, facing a total of 22 shots.

The momentum shifted decisively in the final frame. SKA’s rally began with Marat Khairullin scoring his fourth goal of the season at the 25:40 mark of the second period, assisted by Mikhail Vorobyov. The comeback gained serious traction when Roссo Grimaldi netted his seventh of the year at 34:46, with helpers from Yegor Savikov and Joseph Blandisi, cutting the deficit to a single goal.

CSKA briefly stalled SKA’s momentum with a power-play goal from Denis Guryanov, his eighth, at 54:13 of the third period. The goal, assisted by Daniel Sprong and Jeremy Roy, restored CSKA’s two-goal cushion.

Undaunted, SKA responded just over two minutes later. Khairullin struck again for his second of the afternoon, making it 4-3 with assists from Trevor Murphy and Vorobyov, who earned his second helper of the contest.

The tying goal came with just 90 seconds remaining in regulation. Brendan Leipsic scored his first goal of the season, completing the comeback off a setup from Joseph Blandisi, who recorded his second assist, and Roссo Grimaldi.

The result defied the pregame projection from Interstat, whose game simulator had predicted a 3-2 victory for CSKA. Their ELO system, however, had given SKA a slight edge with a 52 percent probability to win.

The tie leaves SKA Saint Petersburg with a record of 9 wins and 11 losses across all competitions this season. CSKA Moscow’s record moves to 12 wins and 17 losses. The two army club rivals last met on Oct. 22, a game that saw CSKA secure a 4-3 victory in Saint Petersburg.

SKA continues its schedule on the road against Severstal Cherepovets on Wednesday. CSKA’s next matchup is at home against Lada Togliatti on Thursday.