CSKA are back on winning form in the KHL. The Armymen thrashed Neftekhimik 4-1 on home ice to claim their fourth consecutive victory and boost their chances of a play-off spot.

The stakes were high on Tuesday. CSKA are gearing up to secure a play-off spot in the Western Conference, while Neftekhimik are battling it out in the East.

Their first clash this season was in October, with the Petrochemists proving to be stronger, 3-2. Tuesday night in the Russian capital saw the Muscovites fight back in style.

Just four minutes into the game, Petr Čáslava fired his gun to give the Armymen the lead as the home side kept on building up the pressure.

Neftekhimik sought their chances on counter-attacks, keeping the hosts' goalie Rastislav Stana busy showing off his skills. However, it was CSKA who scored again. Sergey Shirokov cashed in seconds after the first intermission to make it 2-0!

Stana kept shining, saving one shot after another, while his teammates kept on scoring. Even playing one man down, Niklas Persson broke away and netted the third goal in style.

And when it came to the Armymen on a powerplay, they promptly took advantage of it. Aleksey Yashin wrapped up the scoring eight minutes from the final whistle.

The visitors didn't give up the fight and managed to score a conciliation goal, but it didn't affect the outcome.

CSKA claimed their fourth consecutive win, although on Thursday the Armymen will face a much tougher challenge – the two-time Gagarin Cup winners, Ak Bars.