Dynamo Moscow dominated Avangard Omsk to record a 5-2 win on home ice and level the Gagarin Cup final series at 3-3 on Monday.
The series will now go to a deciding match in Omsk on Wednesday, with both teams competing to lift the Gagarin Cup for the first time.
An action-packed first period left Dynamo 3-1 ahead with help from two assists by Konstantin Gorovikov.
Avangard pushed hard in the third period, but the Moscow team held onto the advantage for a crucial win, sealed when Avangard’s double goalscorer Martin Skoula blundered in defense, leaving Marek Kvapil to score a simple fifth goal for the hosts.
Dynamo opened the scoring after just 53 seconds when Mikhail Anisin took advantage of an error by Avangard’s Yuri Alexandrov to set up Gorovikov, who sent the puck across the face of the goal to leave Leonid Komarov with a simple finish.
Within ten seconds of the restart, Dynamo were almost two ahead when Denis Tolpeko went one-on-one with Avangard goaltender Karri Ramo, who saved the shot.
Anisin then came close to scoring, beating three Avangard players only to be illegally hooked by Anssi Salmela when through on goal.
The Siberians struck back on nine minutes when Alexei Kalyuzhny passed for 2001 Stanley Cup winner Skoula to slot in at the far post for his first playoff goal.
Avangard then embarked on a period of dominance, but its best chance went begging when Alexander Popov failed to connect with the puck in front of an open goal.
Two goals in three minutes gave Dynamo the edge, with Denis Mosalyev scoring from a ricochet off Skoula’s skate, before Gorovikov set up Filip Novak who struck a fierce long-range shot from a yard ahead of the blue line to make the score 3-1 to the hosts.
Avangard piled on the pressure early in the second period, and only a desperate dive from Gorovikov denied Salmela when the Finn looked set to score into the open goal, before Alexander Perezhogin missed from close range.
On 32 minutes, Dynamo’s lead increased through a lucky goal for Kvapil, whose pass deflected off Georgy Puyats’ skate and through Ramo’s legs.
After nine minutes of the third period, Dynamo goaltender Alexander Yeryomenko pulled off an acrobatic save to deny Roman Cervenka, last season’s top goalscorer.
Skoula pulled one back for Avangard with a slap shot from Kirill Lyamin’s pass with just over eight minutes remaining, but it was just a consolation for the Siberians.
Dynamo’s victory was sealed when Skoula lost possession as Ramo left the goal for a final Avangard push, leaving Kvapil with an easy finish into the empty net.
