First round’s finest: Pasquale, Sergeyev, Goldobin, and Protas

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

— Best goalie was Edward Pasquale (Lokomotiv), who won four games of four in the series against Jokerit, including two shutouts. The Canadian netminder faced 121 shots, or 30.2 per night, posting a saves percentage of 97.52% and a goals-against average of 0.70. Pasquale was the third Lokomotiv goalie to be awarded Best goalie honors for a playoffs round after Curtis Sanford and Georgy Gelashvili.

— Best defenseman was Andrei Sergeyev (Dynamo Moscow), who scored 7 (4+3) points in the five-game series against Severstal. The D-man had a hat-trick in game-4, becoming the second all-time blueliner to net three goals in a single match. Sergeyev had 13 shots on goal, recorded four hits, blocked three shots, and earned three powerplays for his team. Moreover, he was the third Dynamo defenseman the be awarded Best defenseman honors for a playoffs round after Dominik Granak and Ilya Gorokhov.

— Best forward was Nikolai Goldobin (Metallurg), who scored 8 (5+3) points in the six-game series against Barys and became the first round’s top scorer. Goldobin logged an average time on ice of 14 minutes and 38 seconds, recorded three hits, blocked three shots, and earned three powerplays for his team. Goldobin was the sixth Metallurg forward to be awarded Best forward honors for a playoffs round after Sergei Mozyakin, Danis Zaripov, Alexander Semin, Sergei Fedorov, and Igor Mirnov.

— Best rookie was forward Alexei Protas (Dinamo Minsk), who scored 5 (1+4) points in the five-game series against SKA. Protas logged an average time on ice of 17 minutes and 12 seconds, recorded three hits, and blocked two shots. Protas was the first player in 13 seasons to be awarded Best rookie honors for a playoffs round.