Jokerit took a step toward the final of the European Cup in the tournament, which features eight national champion teams in two groups.
Jokerit has two wins in two games and needs a draw Wednesday against late replacement Pardaugava Riga of Latvia to gain the final. Riga, which stood in for Germany's Hedos Munich, beat HC Olomouc, the champion of the Czech Republic, 2-1 Tuesday in another game.
In the second of the two groups, played in Turku, Lada Togliatti of Russia withstood fierce attacks of Swedish champion Malmo and won 3-1, with all four goals coming in powerplay. Andrei Kovalenko, of the Quebec Nordiques, scored the vital third goal at 17:44 in the last period.
Host team TPS of Turku, the European Cup title holder, swept away Slovakia's Dukla Trencin 5-0. TPS has to beat Malmo Wednesday to get a chance for a berth in the final. Togliatti is favored to gain the final as it can boost its goal difference against pointless Trencin.
In Helsinki, Selanne, the high-scoring forward for the Winnipeg Jets in the 1992/93 season, burst from the neutral zone at the left and passed for Kurri, gliding in from the right, to fire a precise low shot for a 2-0 lead against stubborn Tivali Minsk. Kurri, 34, once again performed at a high level, centering Selanne and speedy Juha Jokiharju. Kurri also masterminded the powerplay behind Jokerit's first goal at 2:39 of the same period.
Selanne has not regained his best scoring touch since a serious injury took him off the ice for six months earlier this year. Since the two-week Christmas break he has successfully teamed up with Kurri.
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