Game 1 of the Gagarin Cup is here!

Thanks to a thrilling Game 7 overtime victory, Avangard has knocked off the mighty Ak Bars Kazan and will now play for the cup in what is a rematch of the 2019 Gagarin Cup finals. Coming out of a series in which the road team won every game, the men from Omsk will have no problem kicking off this series in Moscow.

For CSKA, which has had a few days off to rest and work on things, the advantage of home ice and some healed bodies looks almost insurmountable for an Avangard club that has got to be worn out a bit.

Make sure your front and center to see how things are decided in Game 1 where they should be – on the ice!

18:00: CSKA vs Avangard

Series stand
0 – 0

Series history
2019: Gagarin Cup final. CSKA defeated Avangard 4-0

About the game
Johansson pitched a shutout in his last outing.
Shalunov has points in nine straight games, going 6-3-9 over that span. He leads CSKA in playoff goalscoring with 10 markers.
Okulov leads CSKA in playoff scoring with 11 assists and 16 points in 17 games.
Kaski scored two goals in Avangard’s Game 7 victory over Ak Bars, including the game-winner. He now has three goals in this year’s playoffs.
Boucher has a point in all but two playoff games this year, going 5-8-13 in the process.

Injury list
CSKA: Dmitri Samorukov
Avangard: Nail Yakupov, Maxim Chudinov, Alexei Emelin

Milestone alert
Forward Ivan Telegin is hoping to collect his 100^th career KHL point (currently at 99).
Forward Ilya Kovalchuk is hoping to collect his 400^th career KHL point (currently at 396).
Forward Ilya Kablukov is hoping to collect his 100^th career KHL assist (currently at 99).