Avangard Omsk took a 2-1 series lead in its KHL Eastern Conference final against Traktor Chelyabinsk, with Sergei Kalinin's second-period slap shot the only goal of the night.
Avangard dominated Monday's game, registering 39 shots on goal to Traktor's meager 19, but could find a way past former Atlanta Thrashers goaltender Michael Garnett only once.
Kalinin struck in the 22nd minute, connecting sweetly with Igor Volkov's pass from the left.
The goal came just moments after Avangard's Latvian defenseman Georgijs Pujacs hit the pipe with a shot from the neutral zone.
"In the play-offs everyone tries to play out of defense because the result is often decided by a single goal," said Avangard defenseman Martin Skoula. "That's what happened today. We knew that Traktor would turn the pressure up in the last ten minutes, ... but we protected our goaltender well today."
Avangard went 1-0 down in the series but won the last two to take a series lead. The fourth match is in Omsk on Wednesday.
The Western Conference final resumes Tuesday, meanwhile, with Dynamo Moscow one win away from a place in the Gagarin Cup final, 3-1 up in its series against pre-playoff favorite SKA St. Petersburg.
