Lokomotiv became the first side to reach the Gagarin Cup semifinals. On Wednesday evening, the Railwaymen edged Dynamo Riga in overtime to go through.
The Yaroslavl side battled back from two goals down to force an extra frame at 4-4. Aleksandr Kalyanin then netted the all-important goal in the fifth minute.
Consequently, Loko secured an unassailable 4-1 lead in this best-of-seven series.
Meanwhile, SKA St. Petersburg could have joined them in the semifinals. But they gave away an early lead to lose 3-1 to Atlant on home ice.
However, it’s still SKA who are better placed to progress, leading their tie 3-2.