Lokomotiv Yaroslavl took control early and never relinquished it, beating Traktor Chelyabinsk 5-1 in regulation on home ice. The hosts built a two-goal lead in the first period, then answered Traktor's only tally with three straight goals to close out the win.
Matvei Kotkov opened the scoring at 9:00, and Giovanni Fiore doubled the lead at 20:00 with the first-period horn looming. Traktor tightened the game on Andrei Svetlakov's strike at 33:00, but Maxim Shalunov restored the two-goal cushion at 38:00 before Maxim Beryozkin and Yegor Surin added early- and late-third-period markers at 41:00 and 48:00.
Maxim Beryozkin was the standout for Lokomotiv, earning a goal and an assist while factoring into two consecutive tallies across the second and third periods. Lokomotiv scored in every period and conceded just once, keeping the game firmly in hand after the opening frame.
