CSKA and Avangard squared off for the first time this season. The Army Men entered this matchup leading the Western Conference, while Omsk is barely clinging to a playoff spot in the East. But our boys weren't buying what the standings were selling. It was clear that facing last season's semifinalist on the road would be a major test.
Avangard started the game strong, with Dmitry Gamzin making a sharp save. Gradually, the Army Men weathered the storm and pushed back into the attack. They managed to generate a few quality scoring chances, but goaltender Nikita Serebryakov was sharp. From there on, CSKA completely took over. Our boys pinned the opponent in their own zone for a few shifts, forcing them to dump the puck out and play a passive, defense-first game. The Omsk team played a tight defensive game. They cleared the crease, denying Kovalenko a shot from the slot and shutting down Nesterov's rebound. Mamin set up Kostin for an open-net tap-in, but an Avangard defender made a last-second goal-saving stop.
The hosts pushed hard in the third, drew a power play, and took over. Our team killed the penalty, but conceded at even strength. Defenseman Max Lajoie unleashed an unstoppable shot right under the crossbar. Our team has already proven they can bounce back, and they did it once again. Prokhor Poltapor – voted CSKA's player of the month for October – surprises Serebryakov with a sharp-angle shot to knot it up 1-1. The game went into overtime. Unfortunately, it was short-lived. Gulyaev broke into the zone and dished to Okulov, who buried it to win the game.
