Players of the Semis: Garipov, Nakladal, Zaripov and Rykov
To mark the end of the second round of the playoff stage of the Championship – the Conference semi-finals - the Kontinental Hockey League has named the best players of the round in four categories.
– Best goaltender was Emil Garipov (Ak Bars), who recorded two shutouts and four victories as he helped the Kazan team defeat Avangard 4-2 in their semi-final series. Garipov posted a save percentage of 94.54, a goals against average of 1.62, and spent 390 minutes 11 seconds between the pipes – more ice time than any other goalie;
– Best defenseman was Jakub Nakladal (Lokomotiv), who featured in all six games of the series against CSKA, contributing 7 (3+4) points, 11 blocks and 7 hits. The Czech D-man did not receive a single negative rating in any match, earning a +1 for the series;
– Best forward was Danis Zaripov (Metallurg Magnitogorsk), who peppered the Barys net with 18 shots during the semi-final series, in which he scored 8 (7+1) points. Danis’s goals haul included two hat-tricks (to add to the one he scored in the previous round), and the Magnitka forward is now the leading scorer and goalscorer in the 2016-17 playoffs;
– Best rookie was 19-year-old SKA defenseman Yegor Rykov, who featured in all five matches of the series against Dynamo Moscow, for which his account showed 5 blocks, an efficiency rating of 0 and an average 11 minutes 10 seconds of ice time.
