Lokomotiv Yaroslavl dug out a courageous penalty shots win over Metallurg Novokuznetsk to keep up the heat on KHL overall leader and reigning champion Dynamo Moscow.
NHL veteran Niklas Hagman scored the deciding goal after Monday's game ended 4-4 in regulation time and both teams squandered five penalty shots.
It was a third-straight win of the season for Lokomotiv, a team that was recreated after last year's plane crash wiped out its entire roster, sending it level with Dynamo on eight points at the top of the Western Conference and overall standings.
Dynamo can extend its lead against Mettalurg Magnitogorsk on Wednesday.
KHL newcomer Slovan Bratislava recorded its first win of the season, beating Spartak Moscow 2-1 on penalty shots 2-1. Spartak remains third in the West on seven points.
Further back, Rosneft-backed team CSKA Moscow outplayed Dynamo Riga 2-1 for its second victory of the campaign to stay in touch with the leaders.
Meanwhile, in the Eastern Conference, last season's Gagarin Cup runner-up Avangard Omsk needed an overtime goal from new acquisition Tomas Zaborsky to get a 4-3 victory over Barys Astana. Avangard has two wins and one defeat.
Ak Bars Kazan, the 2009 and 2010 champion, beat Vityaz Chekhov 2-1 to go top in the conference. Amur Khabarovsk kept tabs with Ak Bars courtesy of a 3-2 penalty shots victory over Torpedo Nizhniy Novgorod.
Last year's regular-season champion Traktor Chelyabinsk trounced Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg 3-0 and Salavat Yulaev Ufa, the 2011 champion, beat Dynamo Minsk 6-3.
Elsewhere, Atlant Moscow Region labored to a 3-2 victory over Sibir Novosibirsk after 18 penalty shots; Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk beat Severstal Cherepovets 2-1 in overtime; and SKA St. Petersburg stunned Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk 7-5.
CSKA Moscow outplayed Dynamo Riga 2-1, and newcomer Donbass Donetsk tasted its second defeat of the season, beaten 1-0 by Lev Praha, the Czech team that relocated from Slovakia last season.
