Ak Bars, Lokomotiv head to Kazan tied after split in Yaroslavl

Mitchell Miller’s hat-trick and four-point performance powered Ak Bars to a dominant Game Two victory in Yaroslavl, tying the Gagarin Cup finals at one apiece as the series now heads to Kazan, where Lokomotiv will look to regain control in a pivotal Game Three.

19:00: Ak Bars (3^rd E) vs Lokomotiv (1^st W)
Series stand:
1-1 (1:3, 5:1).

About the game
After Wednesday’s 5:1 win in Yaroslavl, Ak Bars brought Lokomotiv back to Kazan with the series locked at one. Prolific blueliner Mitchell Miller netted a hat-trick from the blue line and assisted on another as Ak Bars powered to a convincing victory in game two of the series. Ilya Karpukhin and Nathan Todd also scored for Kazan, who had 33 saves from goalie Timur Bilyalov. Georgy Ivanov netted the consolation goal for the Railwaymen, who will now try to return to victory as the action shifts to the Tatarstan capital.
Ak Bars’ forward Artyom Galimov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (1+3) points over that stretch.

Milestone alert
Ak Bars’ goalie Timur Bilyalov may record his 40^th career shutout.
Lokomotiv’s goalie Alexei Melnichuk may record his 10^th KHL shutout.
Lokomotiv’s forward Pavel Kraskovsky may reach 200 league points (currently at 198).
Lokomotiv’s goalie Daniil Isayev may record his 40^th career shutout.
Lokomotiv’s forward Artur Kayumov may record his 300th career point (currently at 298).