Irbis Kazan won on the road in regulation, defeating Chaika Nizhny Novgorod 5-3. The decisive push came in the second period, when Irbis turned a 1-1 game after 20 minutes into a 2-5 cushion by the second intermission.
Chaika opened the scoring at 1:00, but Irbis answered at 18:00 before the first break. The second frame belonged to the visitors: Irbis scored at 21:00, 28:00, 30:00, and 35:00, while Chaika managed only a counter at 30:00. Chaika’s 45:00 goal in the third made it 3-5, but the home side never got closer.
The defining number was the middle frame: Irbis outscored Chaika 4-1 in the second period, creating a three-goal lead that proved too deep to overcome. The regulation result was settled well before the final horn, with Irbis controlling the game’s decisive stretch.