News

The first week of June is the first week of player trading in the close season – and we have a big new coaching appointment plus a host of imports on the move. The KHL also announced the host city for the 2027 Fonbet KHL All-Star Game.

In the first week of signings, several international players found themselves a new home, with CSKA claiming two newcomers.

Commentator for KHL TV channels and expert at KHL.ru, Anton Vasyatin, presents the top ten most prominent young players (U23) in the league based on their performance in the second round of the Gagarin Cup playoffs.

We’re down to the last four in the race for the Gagarin Cup after wrapping up round two swiftly last week. Two teams swept into the semis, the other two series were done in five games. That sets up some mouthwatering encounters when action resumes Friday.

An overtime victory over Torpedo saw Metallurg finish its second-round series in five games. The Steelmen progress to the semi-finals, where they will start at home to Eastern Conference rival Ak Bars on March 25. The other match-up sees Lokomotiv take on Avangard.

Torpedo kept their playoff hopes alive with an overtime escape in Game Four, battling back from a slow start, but Metallurg returns to Magnitogorsk with a chance to close out the series and avoid a sixth game.

Down 0-2 at the start of the third, it looked like Torpedo’s season was coming to an end. But a big fightback tied the game before Yegor Vinogradov’s power play goal sent the series back to Magnitogorsk for a fifth game on Friday.

Metallurg and Ak Bars stand on the brink of a sweep as both series continue on the road, with Torpedo and Dinamo Minsk facing elimination and in urgent need of a response to keep their seasons alive and force the series back to Magnitogorsk and Minsk.

Metallurg aims to tighten its grip on the series as the action shifts to Nizhny Novgorod, with Torpedo hoping home ice can spark a response, while Ak Bars heads back to Kazan looking to build on its momentum after two dramatic wins over Dinamo Minsk as the series changes cities.

Metallurg looks to build on a narrow Game One win despite Torpedo’s fightback, while Dinamo Minsk aims to respond on home ice after dropping the opener to Ak Bars in a tightly contested series opener in front of a packed Minsk Arena.

Torpedo recovered from 0-2 in the first period of its playoff second round opener in Magnitogorsk. But the outsider could not force an upset against the regular season champ, falling 4-3.

Fresh matchups headline the second round, as Dinamo Minsk and Ak Bars face off in the playoffs for the first time ever, while Metallurg and Torpedo renew a rivalry not seen since their lone postseason meeting back in 2009, adding a rare sense of novelty to the KHL bracket.

Round 1 of the playoffs is done. From eight series, we saw one sweep and one pair go to six games. But every contest produced drama and special moments, with a sprinkling of KHL records along the way.

CSKA and Torpedo joined Dinamo Minsk in the second round of this year’s playoffs after completing their series in five games. Denis Guryanov again starred for the Muscovites with a hat-trick in a 6-2 win over SKA. Sixth seed Torpedo upset the rankings with a 4-3 win at third seed Severstal, making playoff progress for the first time since 2023.

Elimination pressure builds across the slate, with Salavat Yulaev, Ak Bars and CSKA all holding 3–1 leads over Avtomobilist, Traktor and SKA respectively, each with a chance to close out the series. Meanwhile, Torpedo also sits one win away at 3–1 against Severstal, who must respond on home ice to keep their playoff hopes alive.

Sunday’s Western Conference action brought drama in Nizhny Novgorod. Torpedo scored twice in the last two minutes to force overtime before Sergei Goncharuk sunk Severstal and gave his team a 3-1 lead in the series. The other game saw Denis Guryanov fire CSKA to victory at SKA, putting the Muscovites up 3-1 before the series returns to the capital.

Home teams made their move in Game Three, with Salavat Yulaev and Torpedo taking a 2–1 lead over Avtomobilist and Severstal respectively, while Traktor and SKA cut the gap to 2–1 against Ak Bars and CSKA, setting up a crucial Game Four across all four series.

Sergei Ivanov marked his playoff debut with a shut-out to secure a 1-0 victory for SKA. The Petersburg club still trails its series against CSKA, but is now down 1-2. Torpedo edged ahead of Severstal thanks to a 3-1 victory in Nizhny Novgorod, with Amir Garayev claiming the winning goal.

The Eastern matchups are already diverging, with Salavat Yulaev and Avtomobilist tied 1–1 after two tight, low-scoring games, while Ak Bars seized a 2–0 lead over Traktor. In the West, Severstal responded emphatically to level the series 1–1 against Torpedo, whereas CSKA took full control with a 2–0 edge over SKA as the action shifts venue.

Despite allowing a second-minute goal to SKA, CSKA recovered to win 4-2 in Moscow and open a 2-0 lead in its first-round KHL playoff series. In Cherepovets, Severstal bounced back from Monday’s loss to Torpedo, winning 4-0 to tie the series before the action moves to Nizhny Novgorod.

In the East, Avtomobilist and Ak Bars hold a 1–0 edge after taking the opening games, while in the West CSKA also leads its series 1–0 following a marathon win. Torpedo produced the only road upset so far, stealing Game 1 against Severstal to take the early advantage, as Salavat Yulaev, Traktor, Spartak and SKA all look to respond and level their respective series.

There was a surprise on day one in the West as sixth-seed Torpedo won 4-1 at Severstal in its playoff opener. CSKA and SKA needed two periods of overtime to separate them, but Nikita Nesterov’s strike gave the Muscovites the early edge in that first round series.

Commentator for KHL TV channels and expert at KHL.ru, Anton Vasyatin, presents the top ten most prominent young players (U23) in the league based on their performance in the third month of the regular season.

Four pairs open today, with eight teams beginning their chase for the Gagarin Cup. In the East, Avtomobilist faces Salavat Yulaev, while Ak Bars meets Traktor. In the West, Severstal and Torpedo clash for the first time in playoff history. The classic series between CSKA and SKA reaches its 10th edition, with CSKA leading the all-time playoff record 6–3, in a heavyweight opening slate across the KHL playoffs tonight.

The penultimate day of the regular season saw two games, and confirmed the top four in the Western Conference. Severstal’s loss at home to Avangard means it will finish third and Dinamo Minsk second. Lokomotiv was already assured of top spot, with CSKA locked into fourth. Thursday’s other action brought a 5-3 win for Torpedo at home to Amur.

Two inter-conference games highlight the action in the regular season’s penultimate matchday, with Torpedo welcoming Amur and Severstal clashing with Avangard.

Sibir clinched the 16th and final playoff spot with a 3-2 victory over CSKA in Monday’s early game. The Siberians cannot finish higher than eighth in the East, meaning the first playoff pairing is also confirmed: regular season champ Metallurg, a 4-3 winner over Avtomobilist today, will start against Sibir. Neither SKA nor Torpedo were able to close on fourth-placed CSKA in the West. Traktor won 2-1 at home to SKA, Torpedo fell 3-6 to Neftekhimik. An entertaining Moscow derby ended in a shoot-out win for Dynamo at Spartak. Severstal beat Ak Bars 4-2 in Monday’s other action.

A seven-game KHL matchday features key clashes across both conferences. Sibir hosts CSKA in a game with playoff implications, while league leaders Metallurg welcome Avtomobilist. Traktor faces SKA as the Chelyabinsk side marks its 1,200th KHL game, and Barys meets Admiral in Kazakhstan. In Nizhny Novgorod, Torpedo takes on Neftekhimik. The Moscow derby sees Spartak battle Dynamo, while the day concludes with Severstal hosting Ak Bars in a cross-conference showdown.

With nine games on Friday’s card, this was the most action-packed day of the KHL season. The focus was on the Eastern Conference, where Sibir and Amur are fighting for the last remaining playoff spot. And the outcome was inconclusive as both teams suffered overtime losses. Sibir fell at home to Metallurg, while Amur stumbled at Spartak. There were big victories for Avangard (6-1 vs Dragons), SKA (5-0 vs Severstal) and Admiral (6-2 vs Barys). Traktor came from behind to beat Torpedo in overtime, Dynamo recovered twice before winning a shoot-out in Ufa. Maxim Shalunov potted a hat-trick as Lokomotiv won 4-2 at Lada and Dmitrij Jaskin’s 200th KHL goal helped Ak Bars to a 2-0 win over Sochi.

A nine-game KHL matchday features crucial battles across both conferences. Barys seeks a fourth straight win in Vladivostok, while Sibir eyes a potential playoff-clinching result against regular-season champion Metallurg. Avangard hosts the struggling Shanghai Dragons, and Traktor looks to halt a skid versus Torpedo. Salavat Yulaev meets Dynamo Moscow in a tight cross-conference clash, as Lokomotiv visits Lada. Later, Ak Bars targets a perfect homestand against Sochi, Spartak faces desperate Amur, and SKA hosts Severstal.

An overtime victory in Ufa, coupled with Lokomotiv’s defeat against Avtomobilist, means Metallurg will finish top of this season’s regular season standings. It’s the first time Magnitka has claimed top spot: in 2021/2022 the Steelmen topped the standings for points and ppg, but the regular season was not played to a finish after the Olympic break and the trophy was not awarded. Wednesday’s other action brought wins for Avangard, Severstal, CSKA, Dynamo Moscow and SKA.

Seven games are scheduled in the KHL today, with three matchups involving Eastern Conference teams and four in the West. Avangard hosts Torpedo, while Salavat Yulaev welcomes conference leader Metallurg in Ufa. Avtomobilist also entertains Lokomotiv in Yekaterinburg. Later, the Western Conference takes center stage as Lada receives Severstal in Togliatti. HC Sochi meets CSKA to recover the Feb. 23 game, Dynamo Moscow hosts the Shanghai Dragons, and SKA faces Dinamo Minsk in St. Petersburg to close the matchday.

Sunday’s three KHL games began in Magnitogorsk, where Traktor blew a 2-0 lead against Metallurg and, with it, the chance to confirm its playoff place. Spartak won 5-2 on the road at Lada and Torpedo took a 4-3 verdict at home to Sochi.

In the Eastern Conference, Metallurg hosts Traktor in another Southern Urals derby, while in the West, Lada hosts Spartak for a revenge match and Torpedo seeks a return to victory in a home game against HC Sochi.

Wednesday’s KHL action brought four wins out of four for road teams – three of them with shut-outs. However, one of today’s winners, Lokomotiv, was playing in its own arena after its game at HC Sochi was moved to Yaroslavl. The Leopards battled hard but fell to a 51st-minute goal. Elsewhere, Josh Leivo picked up four points as Traktor won 5-0 at Torpedo, Avtomobilist took a 4-0 verdict at Dynamo and Avangard beat CSKA 2-0.

An action-packed all-Western matchday features crucial battles in Nizhny Novgorod, Yaroslavl, and Moscow, with playoff positioning and personal milestones on the line. Torpedo hosts Traktor, while league leaders Lokomotiv face HC Sochi. In Moscow, CSKA meets Avangard, and Dynamo takes on Avtomobilist in a clash of in-form contenders.

Sunday’s action was all about the race for the Eastern playoffs. Amur moved to within five points of eighth-placed Sibir with a 3-2 win over Neftekhimik. Admiral defeated Salavat Yulaev 4-2, meaning the Ufa men must wait a little longer to clinch their place. At the other end of the standings, Eastern Conference leader Metallurg suffered a third straight loss, falling 1-4 at Dynamo. Third-placed Ak Bars took a 1-0 verdict from Chelyabinsk. In the West, Sochi thumped Torpedo 5-1 in a game disrupted by the threat of a drone attack, and Shanghai Dragons edged Lada 2-1.

The last month of regular season action starts with five matches across both conferences. In the Far East, Amur hosts Neftekhimik and Admiral welcomes Salavat Yulaev. Then, Traktor hosts Ak Bars. In the Western Conference, HC Sochi faces Torpedo and Dynamo Moscow clashes with Metallurg as the Steelers seek revenge after an early win by the Blue-and-Whites in September.

A busy matchday features five games across the league, touching both conferences. The action opens in Omsk with a classic Eastern showdown between Avangard and Metallurg, before moving to the Urals for Avtomobilist vs Ak Bars. In the West, HC Sochi hosts Dinamo Minsk, Severstal faces Torpedo in a key battle for positioning, and the day concludes in Moscow with CSKA taking on the Shanghai Dragons.

A 4-3 win at Torpedo lifted Dinamo Minsk to second place in the West, with KHL scoring leader Sam Anas collecting two more points to move to 76 (28+48) points. Traktor scored two late goals to beat Lada in Chelyabinsk. Sochi’s game at home to CSKA was abandoned for safety reasons.