Avangard can punch ticket to Gagarin Cup finals in Game Five

Avangard heads to Yaroslavl one win away from the Gagarin Cup Final after another disciplined defensive performance in Omsk, while Lokomotiv now faces a must-win situation to keep its season alive on home ice.

17:00: Lokomotiv (1^st W) vs Avangard (3^rd E)

Series stand
1-3 (2:5, 1:3, 4:2, 0:2).

About the game
In Game Four, a 2:0 win at home to Lokomotiv put the Hawks up 3-1 in the series. Playoff leading scorer Konstantin Okulov moved to an impressive 20 points in post season after scoring the second goal in Omsk, while Serebryakov’s shutout gave Avangard advantage in the game. Goals from Vasily Ponomaryov and Konstantin Okulov earned Avangard a hard-fought victory, while at the other end, Serebryakov celebrated his 50^th playoff appearance with a 28-save blanking of the Railwaymen, who will now return to Yaroslavl with their back against the wall trying to save the series. Avangard exhibited perfect defense, and the Guy Boucher’s team is now at just one win from the Gagarin Cup finals.
Avangard’s goalie Nikita Serebryakov is on a 78:51 shutout streak.
Avangard’s forward Konstantin Okulov is on a seven-game scoring streak, with 7 (1+6) points over that streak.

Injury list
Avangard: Ivan Igumnov.

Milestone alert
Avangard’s defenseman Semyon Chistyakov may reach 100 career assists (currently at 99).
Lokomotiv’s defenseman Alexei Bereglazov may reach 50 points in the Gagarin Cup playoffs (currently at 49).
Lokomotiv’s goalie Alexei Melnichuk may record his 10th KHL shutout.
Lokomotiv’s forward Maxim Shalunov may score his 250th career goal (currently at 248).
Lokomotiv’s forward Pavel Kraskovsky may reach 200 career points (currently at 198).
Lokomotiv’s forward Denis Alexeyev lines up for his 100^th game in the Gagarin Cup playoffs.