Tight 2-1 victory has given CSKA the upper hand before Game 4!

Goals are now proving hard to come by in this series. A late tally in the game’s 49^th minute by playoff top scorer Maxim Shalunov ended Avangard’s hopes of gaining an upper hand and means that the team from Omsk has now lost four home games in a row.

That doesn’t bode well for tonight’s Game 4 tilt back in Balashikha.

Can Avangard get back on track at home or will the team have to hit the road with its back against the proverbial wall?

17:00: Avangard vs CSKA

Series stand
2-1 series lead for CSKA.
Game1: A 4-1 victory for Avangard.
Game 2: A 3-0 victory for CSKA.
Game 3: A 2-1 victory for CSKA.

About the game
Shalunov scored his playoff-leading 12^th goal and had an assist in CSKA’s 2-1 victory. It proved to be the game-winner. He is currently 2^nd in playoff scoring with 18 points and tied for first with a +12 rating.
Okulov scored his 6^th goal of the playoffs and had an assist in CSKA’s 2-1 victory. He is currently 1^st in playoff scoring with 19 points and tied for first with a +12 rating.

Injury list
Avangard: Nail Yakupov, Maxim Chudinov, Alexei Emelin
CSKA: Dmitri Samorukov

Milestone alert
Forward Ilya Kovalchuk is hoping to collect his 400^th career KHL point (currently at 396).
Forward Ilya Kablukov is hoping to collect his 100^th career KHL assist (currently at 99).
Forward Sergei Tolchinsky is hoping to collect his 100^th career KHL point (currently at 99).
Forward Ivan Telegin is hoping to collect his 100^th career KHL point (currently at 99).
Forward Pavel Karnaukhov is hoping to suit up for his 200^th career KHL game (currently at 199).