CSKA claims championship

Metallurg Magnitogorsk 1
CSKA Moscow 3

CSKA retains the Continental Cup it won last season thanks to this victory at Magnitka. The Army Men began the season by lifting the Opening Cup and now add the second trophy of the campaign to its honors board.

But there was some controversy over the game-winning goal, scored by Stephane da Costa late in the second period. Bogdan Kiselevich thumped in a shot from the blue line, but many in the home camp were convinced that the puck had cleared Magnitogorsk’s zone before he hit the puck – which would have ruled da Costa and his team-mates offside. The Frenchman deflected the shot past Vasily Koshechkin to make it 2-1; home protests were over-ruled and the league’s refereeing committee upheld the video official’s decision after reviewing the incident.

That dispute could not overshadow another great season for CSKA. Dmitry Kvartalnov’s men stretched their winning run to 12 games and now has 38 victories this time round – just one fewer than last time, with three games left to play. Victory in the next one would equal the second-best ever KHL winning streak.

The latest win came after Evgeny Timkin gave Magnitka the lead in the 30th minute. The advantage was short-lived: Denis Denisov tied it up on the power play four minutes later before da Costa’s goal in the last minute of the period.

The final stanza was a little more tense, with few chances at either end. Alexander Radulov, chasing Magnitka’s Sergei Mozyakin for the top scorer’s award, finished it off with an empty-net goal to clinch victory in the game, and the regular season.