Spartak had dropped their last two games, while the Army Men, had just snapped a six game losing streak, in their last outing against SKA St. Petersburg.

Neither side showed anything close to playing fluid hockey early on, as chances were at a premium, while nerves were plentiful.

If the first period was a drab affair, the second followed suit. Both CSKA and Spartak failed to generate any attack, as Dominik Hasek, and his opposite number, Sergey Gaiduchenko, were virtual spectators, even on the few occasions the teams had an extra man advantage on the powerplay.

The third period did see both teams try to raise their game a little. But the visitors would find a way past the Dominator minutes later. With 12 minutes to go, Jan Shtyastny finally broke the deadlock.

That paved the way for what was without doubt the most interesting passage of the game, as Spartak pushed in search of an equalizer, but their inability to score cost them dearly, as CSKA held on to claim victory.