Conference Finals’ finest: Metsola, Nesterov and Hartikainen

The Kontinental Hockey League’s commission has determined the best player of the playoffs’ third round in three categories.

- best goalie was Juha Metsola (Salavat Yulaev), who stopped 265 out of 280 shots in the six-game series against Avangard (best figures among goalies playing in the conference finals). The Ufa goalie posted a goals-against average of 2.05, with a shutout streak of 161 minutes and 40 seconds – his record and the top streak in the 2019 Gagarin Cup playoffs.

- best defenseman was Nikita Nesterov (CSKA), who posted two assists and a plus-4 rating (the best among defensemen) in the seven-game series against SKA. The blueliner also had 7 shots on goal and logged an average time on ice of 23 minutes and 17 seconds.

- best forward was Teemu Hartikainen (Salavat Yulaev), who produced 7 (2+5) points in the six-game series against Avangard (best result among forwards) with a plus-3 rating. The Ufa forward had points in five of six games, recorded 13 hits and blocked 4 shots from the opposition.

- no rookies were awarded with best rookie nomination in the Conference Finals