Not Their Night in Nizhny Novgorod: Torpedo Rolls Past the Dragons

It was a tough road outing for the Shanghai Dragons, who dropped a 7-2 decision to Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod on Wednesday night.

Earlier in the day, newly appointed head coach Mitch Love addressed the media in Saint Petersburg before traveling to Nizhny Novgorod, where he watched the game from the stands. Shanghai dressed defenseman Kalinyuk, while Alexander Burmistrov made way for Parker Foo, returning from injury. Andrei Kareyev got the start in goal.

Shorthanded damage

Torpedo pushed the pace early, but the Dragons handled the initial pressure well and even created several dangerous counterattacks, one of which ended when a broken stick spoiled a prime scoring chance. The hosts eventually capitalized on special teams, scoring twice on the power play midway through the first period. Daniil Vinogradov opened the scoring, and Denis Sokolov followed late in the frame to make it 2–0.

Late push before the horn

The second period began poorly for Shanghai as Garayev found space in the slot to extend the lead to 3–0. Torpedo continued to control play and struck again on the power play through Atanasov, making it 4–0. Just when it seemed the game was slipping away, the Dragons responded with a late surge. Ilya Kablukov scored at 36:45, and Borna Rendulic added another less than three minutes later, cutting the deficit to 4–2 heading into the intermission.

No comeback this time

Any hopes of a rally were dashed early in the third when Torpedo converted a 2-on-1 rush just seconds after the restart, with Tkachyov recording his fourth point of the night. A subsequent Torpedo goal was overturned for offside, but the hosts kept pressing and added two more goals, including another power-play tally, to put the game out of reach. Shanghai had one final man-advantage late but couldn’t convert.

The Dragons now turn their attention to Minsk, where they’ll face Dinamo on January 24.

FONBET KHL Regular Season
Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod – Shanghai Dragons 7–2 (2–0, 2–2, 3–0)

January 22 | Nizhny Novgorod, Nagorny Arena | Attendance: 5,500
Goaltenders: Kostin – Kareyev

Scoring Summary:

1–0 — Vinogradov (Nardella, Tkachyov) 10:21 PPG
2–0 — Sokolov (Tkachyov, Nardella) 17:42 PPG
3–0 — Garayev (Letunov, Goncharuk) 20:52
4–0 — Atanasov (Sokolov, Tkachyov) 30:45 PPG
4–1 — Kablukov (Rendulic) 36:45
4–2 — Rendulic (Quinney, Merkley) 39:34
5–2 — Tkachyov 40:24
6–2 — Goncharuk (Firstov, Garayev) 51:08 PPG
7–2 — Shavin (Shevchenko, Naumenkov) 56:00

Press Office, Shanghai Dragons, Nizhny Novgorod