The Gagarin Cup kicks things off with Game 1 in Moscow! Preview April 13

Gagarin Cup action takes flight tonight as the KHL’s top regular season team CSKA comes in off the tails of a seven game series to face an unexpected upstart finalist in Avangard Omsk.

17:00 CSKA (1st in the West) vs. Avangard (4th in the East)

Series history

These two combatants are facing each other for the Gagarin Cup for the first time in KHL playoff history!

Injured

Avangard: Karri Ramo

About the game

- In KHL history, the team that has won the first game of the Gagarin Cup final has ended up winning 6 of the 10 Gagarin Cups to date.

- CSKA has both won and lost the first game of a Gagarin Cup final, but has never yet won the Gagarin Cup.

- Marchenko is hoping to suit up for his 50th career KHL playoff game.

- Okulov is hoping to collect his 50th career KHL assist.

- Blazhievsky is hoping to collect his 50th career KHL point.

- Slepyshev is looking to suit up for his 50th career KHL playoff game.

- Avangard has indeed won the first game of a Gagarin Cup final, but has never won the Gagarin Cup itself.

- Petrov is looking to collect his 250th career KHL point. He currently has 248.

- Shirokov’s next goal will be his 150th career goal in the KHL.

- Bobkov has played 109:18 straight minutes without allowing a goal against.