CSKA wins at last

Denis Parshin got the all-important goal as CSKA snapped an eight-game losing sequence to win 2-1 at Sibir Novosibirsk. The key moment came on 55:19, after Sergei Shirokov’s second-period opener was cancelled out by Sibir’s Vyacheslav Belov on 33:56. While victory enhances CSKA’s play-off prospects, the hosts face a frustrating end to the regular season: Wednesday’s loss was Sibir’s sixth on the bounce and the Novosibirsk club remains some way adrift of qualifying for the post-season showdown.

Simon strikes to sink Minsk
Chris Simon got his first goal for Metallurg Novokuznetsk to secure a 4-2 win over Dinamo Minsk. The former Stanley Cup winner joined the Siberian side in November, but had to wait until today to notch his first point for his new employer. But when it came on 44:09, it was a game-winning contribution and one which ended the Belarusians three-game winning sequence. Earlier Minsk had made a bright start, with Zbynek Irgl getting the opening goal. But the hosts turned the game around in the second period before Charles Linglet tied the game and Simon stepped up to settle matters. Dinamo coach Marek Sykora’s final gamble failed to pay off, and Andrei Kuzmin bagged an empty-netter in the dying seconds.