Double defending champions Ak Bars survived in the Gagarin Cup quarterfinals, while regular season champions Avangard clinched an overtime win against Metallurg in what turned out to be the longest thriller in league history.
The men from Kazan came out 4-0 winners at previously unbeaten Salavat Yulaev.
The hosts could have become the first side to make the semifinals, but four different players scored for Ak Bars in a surprisingly lopsided match.
Meanwhile, it’s all square in the other contest. Top-seed Avangard tied up that series at two-all courtesy of a hard-fought 3-2 win over Metallurg.
Andrey Pervyshin netted the winner for Avangard deep into overtime, 109 minutes and 11 seconds into the game, making it the longest game in KHL history.