KAZAN, Russia (Interstat) — Yegor Surin scored twice in the first period and Maxim Shalunov added the go-ahead goal in the third as Lokomotiv Yaroslavl defeated Ak Bars Kazan 3-2 on Thursday to win the Kontinental Hockey League playoff series 4-2.

The victory before 8,789 at TatNeft Arena sent Lokomotiv into the next round of the postseason. The team improved its season record across all competitions to 60 wins and 27 losses, while Ak Bars fell to 56-30.

Surin opened the scoring at 4:05 of the first period, converting a pass from Nikita V. Kiryanov with Pavel Kraskovsky also assisting. He struck again at 13:55, again with assists from Kraskovsky and Kiryanov, giving Lokomotiv a 2-0 lead after the opening frame.

Ak Bars pushed back in the third period. Nathan Todd scored at 54:27, with Nikita Lyamkin and Alexander Barabanov setting up the play. Lyamkin then tied the game at 57:08 on a feed from Barabanov and Mitchell Miller.

But Lokomotiv had grabbed the lead earlier in the period. Shalunov scored at 52:30, his eighth goal of the playoffs, to make it 3-2 before Ak Bars’ rally.

Daniil Isayev earned the win in net for Lokomotiv, making 26 saves on 28 shots. He was credited with the victory.

Ak Bars goaltender was not specified but faced 3 goals on the night.

The game featured several penalties. Ilya Safonov of Ak Bars served a two-minute minor for throwing the puck outside the playing area at 5:03 of the first period. Nikita Dynyak also took a cross-checking penalty at 16:32 of the first.

Lokomotiv’s Byron Froese was called for slashing at 17:47 of the first and for tripping at 22:50 of the second. Alexei Bereglazov was penalized for cross-checking at 39:48 of the second.

In the third, Kirill Semyonov of Ak Bars and Martin Gernat of Lokomotiv each received two-minute minors for roughing and cross-checking respectively at 47:23.

Surin led Lokomotiv with two goals, two shots on goal and two hits. Shalunov added a goal, two shots and two hits. Pavel Kraskovsky recorded two assists and two shots. Maxim Beryozkin had four shots and two hits. Bereglazov finished with two penalty minutes.

For Ak Bars, Todd had one goal, two shots and one hit. Lyamkin contributed one goal, one assist, three shots and one hit. Artyom Galimov had four shots. Safonov had two penalty minutes and three hits.

The series had been tightly contested. Lokomotiv won the opener 3-1 at home May 11, then lost 5-1 at home May 13 before winning 4-1 on the road May 15. Ak Bars bounced back with a 2-1 home victory May 17, but Lokomotiv closed out the series with a 4-1 home win May 19 and Thursday’s triumph.

Lokomotiv advanced after eliminating Ak Bars in six games, having previously dispatched Salavat Yulaev Ufa, Spartak Moscow and Avangard Omsk in earlier playoff rounds.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Ak Bars 5, Lokomotiv 2. Interstatl’s ELO system gave Lokomotiv a 55.40 percent probability to win.