Ufa force a 7th game

Gagarin Cup Eastern Conference semifinals, day 6

Salavat Yulayev Ufa (5) - Ak Bars Kazan (1) 4-3 OT

The hosts knew they had to win to avoid being thrown out of competition and so they started aggressively and went in front already at 05:19 when Alexander Svitov used his own rebound to score from short distance after a won face off. Ufa stayed the better side and were rewarded with the 2-0 through Alexander Stepanov who was successful in a break away at 25:02. Out of the blue Kazan answered when Kirill Petrov conquered a puck behind the home team's net and scored via wrap-around in the middle of the period. Just few minutes later Jarkko Immonen finished a fast attack over the left wing by the guests with a precise shot into the right bottom corner for the equalizer.

At the start of the third period Alexander Stepanov restored the lead for Ufa when he used a rebound after a try by Igor Musatov. The hosts now failed to keep the pressure high. Instead Kazan gained more free room and answered through Dmitry Obukhov who with a nice twist from the right side to the net was able to deke out Salavat Yulayev's goalie Tarkki. Despite best chances both teams were not able to use another one so that the match went into overtime. There the playing level decreased by every minute and it was clearly visible that both teams lacked power and concentration. In the end Brent Sopel scored the game winner for Ufa late in the second overtime when his shot from the left circle found its way into the left corner at 95:54.

Game #7 will be played in Kazan on Wednesday at 16.00 CET.  

The series is tied 3-3

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