First semi-finalist locked, Ufa’s imports impress
The Gagarin Cup second round continues and Traktor is the first team to secure its place in the semi-finals. The other three ties are all heading for game six, with Dynamo Moscow, Spartak and Lokomotiv having a narrow advantage.
Traktor advances to semi-final
The first Gagarin Cup semi-finalist of 2025 is known. Traktor defeated Dinamo Minsk in five games, wrapping up the series with a 3-1 win on home ice on Sunday. Despite losing Grigory Dronov to injury, Benoit Groulx’s team did not lack for firepower from the blue line. Young Arseny Koromyslov stepped up to replace the second most productive D-man in this year’s playoffs and contributed a goal and an assist in that victory. Vitaly Kravtsov scored twice to seal the deal for Traktor. It’s the second year in a row that Chelyabinsk has reached the final four. For Dinamo, defeat ends its best ever playoff run: previously the Belarusians never cleared the first round.
Dynamo lifts home hoodoo
The first four games of the series between Dynamo Moscow and Ak Bars all went to the away team. In Moscow, Ak Bars jumped to a 2-0 lead, only to see that pegged back in Kazan. The curse was finally lifted in game five, back in the Russian capital – but only just. Dynamo jumped to a 4-1 lead after 40 minutes, but Ak Bars hit back in the third. Dmitrij Jaskin scored a power play goal on his former club, Nic Petan made it 4-3 in the 59th minute and only the crossbar denied another former Dynamo man, Eric O’Dell a tying game. The Muscovites held on to take a 3-2 lead to Kazan for the next game.
Close contest between Loko and Hawks
It's just as tight in the other two series. Avangard kept its season alive with victory at Lokomotiv on Saturday. Guy Boucher’s team still trails 2-3 after five games but can tie it up against the regular season champ on Monday. Although the Hawks are seeded sixth in the East, and Lokomotiv first in the West, this was always likely to be a tight series. Since the new year, these two have been among the in-form teams in the KHL. Lokomotiv’s Alexander Radulov, a Gagarin Cup winner with Salavat Yulaev in 2011, played his 700th KHL game in that 2-3 game five loss.
Wilson keeps Ufa alive
Radulov’s former club in Ufa also secured a season-extending success on Saturday. Down 1-3 in its series against Spartak, Salavat Yulaev grabbed an overtime win on home ice. Scott Wilson was the star man here, opening the scoring early in the game then striking in overtime to break a 3-3 tie. The 2017 Stanley Cup winner began the season with Metallurg but was traded to Ufa after struggling to fit on Andrei Razin’s roster. With the defending champion already out, the former Pittsburgh Penguin is hoping to prove a point to his erstwhile employer.
Salavat’s foreign legion leads the way
The playoff scoring race is dominated by Ufa imports. Sheldon Rempal leads the way with 17 (7+10) points from 12 games. Scott Wilson and Josh Leivo are two points back. Spartak’s Adam Ruzicka is fourth; his 12 points include a hat-trick against Salavat Yulaev. Traktor’s Maxim Shabanov is the most productive Russian player with 12 points from 11 games.
Podyapolsky is top stopper
Dynamo Moscow goalie Vladislav Podyapolsky only recently secured the starting role ahead of Maxim Motorygin. Now, though, after five post-season games, he has the best save ratio in the playoffs with 93.7%. Lokomotiv’s Daniil Isayev has the best GAA of 1.65, while Dinamo Minsk’s Vasily Demchenko is the only goalie with two shut-outs so far.
Sibir extends Shirokov
Sergei Shirokov agreed a one-year extension with Sibir. The 39-year-old captained the team this season and helped secure a playoff spot with 43 (19+24) points from 68 games. The veteran was second in scoring behind Taylor Beck who, according to the club’s management, is unlikely to return after receiving offers from Europe.
KHLers going global
Yerevan isn’t the most likely hockey destination, but last week the Armenian capital played host to World Championship action. Armenia, back on the ice after 15 years, hosted the IIHF Division IV tournament and there were a few KHL connections involved. Uzbekistan, playing its first IIHF tournament, won gold. The team was coached by Normans Sejejs, who was GM and head coach at Dinamo Riga for many years. The team also had three players with KHL experience. Defenseman Ilya Nazarevich was the best known, with 40 games for Salavat Yulaev, Torpedo and Sochi between 2018 and 2020. Armenian forward Tigran Manukyan, who started his career with Avangard, played twice for the Hawks and had a season at Admiral in 2017/2018. He began the tournament with nine points in a 24-3 thrashing of Malaysia, but the Armenians ended up in second place.
