Loko steams back into series

Down 2-0 in the series, and 2-0 at the first intermission, Lokomotiv’s grip on the Gagarin Cup looked to be down to its fingertips. But a big fightback in game three secured a 4-2 victory in Omsk, reinvigorating Bob Hartley’s hopes of taking his team to the final.

Second-period fightback transforms semi-final

Avangard Omsk 2 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 4 (2-0, 0-3, 0-1)
Avangard leads the series 2-1

A vital victory for Lokomotiv brings this 2026 Gagarin Cup semi-final series back to the boil. After two wins in Yaroslavl, Avangard could take a huge step towards booking its ticket to the final with a win on home ice Tuesday.

But defending champion Lokomotiv hit back, clawing back a 0-2 deficit to grab its first win of the series. With the score back to 1-2, the picture looks very different now.

Although Avangard took the lead in the first period, it would be wrong to say that Lokomotiv was off its game. The visitor seized the initiative from the start, peppering Nikita Serebryakov’s net with shots. Yegor Surin tested the home goalie, then Alexander Radulov hit the post. But there was no end product and midway through the opening frame, the Hawks began to get their game together.

In the 13th minute, Avangard opened the scoring. After an attacking face-off, Dmitry Rashevsky sent a pass behind the net where Nikolai Prokhorkin was waiting. He instinctively moved the puck to the slot, and Igor Martynov rifled home.

Lokomotiv continued to press, but Serebryakov continued to save. And when Richard Panik took an interference call late in the first, Andrew Poturalski’s good work behind the net laid the foundations for Damir Sharipzyanov to double the lead.

Boosted by that success, Avangard made a brighter start to the second period. However, like Lokomotiv in the first, the home team could not turn possession into goals. For a long time, the play was more congested than in the opening frame – something that suited the Hawks fine as they protected their lead.

But midway through the session, Lokomotiv made a breakthrough. Nail Yakupov was assessed a slashing major and Rushan Rafikov’s wrister found the top corner to convert the power play. An ill-advised bench challenge left Avangard to play two minutes with three skaters, but Lokomotiv could not add another power play goal.

Undaunted, the Railwaymen continued to attack at equal strength and tied the scores after 35 minutes when Alexander Polunin got the better of the defensemen on the slot to make it 2-2. Late in the frame, Avangard iced the puck three times in quick succession, and the build-up of pressure ended with Radulov tipping home the go-ahead goal. Lokomotiv completely turned the game around in less than nine minutes.

In the third period, Lokomotiv defended sensibly, depriving Avangard of the chance to unleash the waves of offense it wanted. Whether at equal strength or on the power play, the Hawks struggled to find a path to Daniil Isayev’s net.

In the closing stages, Avangard almost managed to save the game. In the 58th minute, Isayev blocked another piledriver from Sharipzyanov but the puck went to Poturalski. The home forward seemed certain to score, but Martin Gernat got back to make a big block and preserve Lokomotiv’s lead.

Then the Hawks called Serebryakov to the bench and launched a final surge. However, it soon turned into a case of “Panik over” for any Lokomotiv nerves: Richard Panik scored into the empty net to clinch a win that brings the series back to life.