Comeback Falls Short: Dragons Drop Road Finale in Ufa

The Shanghai Dragons mounted a late push but couldn’t complete the comeback, falling 5–3 to Salavat Yulaev Ufa on March 15 at Ufa Arena in the final game of their road trip.

Shanghai made only minor adjustments to the lineup. Kuznetsov joined Merkley and Quinney on the top line, while the Foo brothers were split between the third and fourth units. With Bischoff unavailable, Valentsov returned to the defense corps. Tikhomirov started in goal.

Early setback

The hosts struck quickly with a goal that didn’t necessarily reflect the flow of the opening minutes. Just 76 seconds into the game, Suchkov was sprung down the wing and beat Tikhomirov with a wrist shot to give Ufa a 1–0 lead.

The Dragons responded with several strong chances. Labanc had perhaps the best opportunity, deking both the defender and the goaltender in tight, but Vyazovoy stretched his pad just enough to deny the equalizer.

On the wide Ufa ice surface, both teams found space to skate and attack, though truly dangerous scoring chances remained limited for the rest of the period.

Missed opportunities

Shanghai began the second period with energy, forcing Vyazovoy to make a pair of solid saves. But the momentum shifted when Rempal entered the zone uncontested and fired a wrist shot past Tikhomirov to double the lead at 24:26.

The Dragons had two power-play opportunities to respond but came up empty both times. Worse still, during the second advantage Ufa generated a shorthanded breakaway, and Rodewald converted with a backhand to make it 3–0.

Late in the period, Kalinyuk and Brosseau dropped the gloves in a spirited fight that ended in a draw.

Late push

Shanghai showed resilience early in the third period. Just 1:07 after the restart, Kuznetsov cut into the deficit, driving the crease and finishing a play set up by Somerby.

Moments later, Ufa took a penalty, but the Dragons couldn’t capitalize. Still, they kept pressing, and shortly after teams returned to even strength Somerby scored to make it 3–2 — his second point of the night.

The comeback hopes were short-lived. Salavat Yulaev restored the two-goal cushion minutes later, and then added a power-play tally from Brossoit at 52:40 to make it 5–2.

Merkley answered with a perfectly placed wrist shot into the top corner at 55:55 to bring the Dragons within two again. Shanghai called a timeout with three minutes remaining, pulled the goalie and even skated with a man advantage late, but the score held.

The Dragons now return to Saint Petersburg for their final home game of the season on March 18 against Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg.

FONBET KHL Regular Season
Salavat Yulaev Ufa – Shanghai Dragons 5–3 (1–0, 2–0, 2–3)

March 15 | Ufa, Ufa Arena | Attendance: 8,459
Goaltenders: Vyazovoy – Tikhomirov (Shikin – 48:46)

Scoring Summary:

1–0 — Suchkov (Zharovsky, Kuznetsov) 01:16
2–0 — Rempal (Rodewald, Stewart) 24:26
3–0 — Rodewald 33:15 SHG
3–1 — Kuznetsov (Somerby) 41:07
3–2 — Somerby (Akolzin, Kuznetsov) 45:28
4–2 — Zharovsky (Kuznetsov, Zorkin) 46:15
5–2 — Brosseau (Rempal, Stewart) 52:40 PPG
5–3 — Merkley 55:55

Press Office, Shanghai Dragons, Ufa