Not Our Night in Chelyabinsk: Dragons Fall to Traktor

Shanghai Dragons opened their final November road swing in Chelyabinsk to face Traktor – a club that had recently shaken up its coaching staff and gone with a young call-up in net. Shanghai, meanwhile, iced an unchanged lineup from the previous game, with Kalynuk joining Somerby on the blue line. Rybar got the start in goal.

A Rough Beginning

From puck drop, Traktor made their intentions painfully clear: skate downhill, forecheck relentlessly, and throw pucks at the net. The Dragons barely tested 23-year-old call-up goalkeeper Sherstnev, because they rarely had the puck. Shanghai’s defensive shell held for the first few minutes and Rybar turned aside what he could, but the dam burst at 7:40 — Kadeykin finished a 2-on-1 to make it 1–0. Minutes later, Dronov blasted a shot through traffic, doubling the lead. Then, with 30 seconds left in the period, Leivo capitalized on a power play, and the Dragons headed to intermission staring at a 0–3 deficit.

A Night to Forget

Any hope of regrouping was crushed immediately after the break. Just 1:47 into the second, Gross beat Rybar from the slot to stretch it to 4–0. The arena roared, and Traktor didn’t take their foot off the gas. Under relentless pressure, Shanghai struggled to string together controlled exits, let alone create sustained offense. Even when the Dragons generated looks, they couldn’t solve Sherstnev. Traktor, meanwhile, punished every mistake. Nikonov scored, then Korshkov followed less than a minute later. Rybar was pulled at 26:45 in favor of Tikhomirov, but the onslaught continued. Before the second intermission, Kravtsov made it 7–0 shorthanded.

No Way Back

The third period didn’t bring relief. Traktor protected the middle of the ice and countered with ruthless efficiency. Svetlakov struck twice, including a power-play tap-in, inflating the score to an unbelievable 9–0. By the final horn, it was one of those nights every team in pro hockey wants to wipe from memory – the kind that fuels soul-searching and resets.

Shanghai turns the page quickly. The Dragons continue their road swing in Nizhnekamsk on November 28 against Neftekhimik.

FONBET KHL Regular Season
Traktor Chelyabinsk – Shanghai Dragons — 9–0 (3–0, 4–0, 2–0)

November 26 | Traktor Arena, Chelyabinsk | Attendance: 7,500
Goaltenders: Sherstnev — Rybar (Tikhomirov 26:45)

Scoring Summary:

1–0 Kadeykin (Korshkov, Nizameev) 07:40
2–0 Dronov (Svetlakov, Der-Arguchintsev) 13:42
3–0 Leivo (Kravtsov, Grigorenko) 19:30 PPG
4–0 Gross (Telegin, Leivo) 21:47
5–0 Nikonov (Day, Rykov) 26:45
6–0 Korshkov (Goryunov-Rolgizer, Kadeykin) 27:49
7–0 Kravtsov (Svetlakov) 38:23 SHG
8–0 Svetlakov (Glotov, Koromyslov) 42:21
9–0 Svetlakov (Leivo, Grigorenko) 51:08 5-on-3 PPG

Press Office, Shanghai Dragons, Chelyabinsk