First four reach Eastern playoffs — the KHL week in review
The battle for position in the KHL’s Eastern Conference is still tight at both ends of the table. However, there is greater clarity after a week that saw four teams secure their playoff places. Elsewhere, last week saw one of this season’s most productive players take his first steps into coaching.
Metallurg make 31st consecutive playoff
Nine of this year’s 16 playoff contenders are known. The first four guaranteed qualifiers in the Eastern Conference were confirmed this week. Ak Bars, Sibir, Avtomobilist and Metallurg are the awesome foursome. For two of these teams, Ak Bars and Metallurg, this year’s success continues a 100% record of reaching KHL playoffs. Indeed, for Metallurg, it extends a 31-year streak of making post season. Sibir is in the playoffs for the third season in four and is looking to win a series for the first time since the COVID-curtailed 2020 campaign. Avtomobilist bounces back after last season’s failure snapped a four-year run of post season competition.
Metallurg secures playoff spot, CSKA wins derby. February 12 round-up
Coach Kruchinin
Last week, we talked about Alexei Kruchinin’s unexpected push to be the KHL’s leading scorer. Since then, the Torpedo forward picked up an injury – and a career change. After he was hurt in Torpedo’s shoot-out loss at Salavat Yulaev, the club captain switched to a role on the bench. The 31-year-old, who has ambitions of continuing as a coach after reaching the end of his playing career, admitted to some nerves as he took on a new role, but helped Igor Larionov and his team to a 4-3 victory over Spartak.
“All the guys were delighted when we got the green light and Kruch was allowed to join the coaching staff,” Larionov said after the game.
SKA duo lead scoring race
With Kruchinin injured, the scoring race has changed shape once again. Now, two SKA players are out in front. Dmitrij Jaskin and Marat Khairullin are tied on 54 points, with the latter ending his recent drought in the Petersburg team’s 4-5 loss at Avangard. Sibir’s Taylor Beck is third with 53 points, while Stephane Da Costa of Avtomobilist joins Kruchinin on 52 points.
Strict discipline
When CSKA’s Vitaly Abramov took a minor penalty in his team’s game at Dynamo, it brought to an end a run of 203 minutes, 16 seconds without a penalty for the Muscovites. That established a new KHL record, beating Avangard’s penalty-free run of 184:51 in the 2018-2019 campaign. Abramov’s penalty cost his team a goal, scored on the power play by Dmitry Rashevsky. However, CSKA went on to win the game in a shoot-out.
Veterans leave Sochi
Basement club HC Sochi is starting to cut costs by releasing several senior players. Experienced defensemen Nikita Pivtsakin and Joe Morrow were among the first to go. However, their absence did not prevent the club from recording its biggest win of the season, defeating Kunlun Red Star 7-2.
Bilyaletdinov joins the 600 club
When Ak Bars played Amur on Feb. 9, Zinetula Bilyaletdinov took charge of his 600th game in the KHL. He became the fifth coach to reach that milestone, and the first to do so entirely with one club. Coach Bill would, of course, have added many more games to his collection had it not been for the time he spent exclusively as head coach of Team Russia in the seasons leading up to the 2014 Sochi Olympics. Fittingly, the landmark game ended in a 4-2 victory for Bilyaletdinov’s team, taking him to 374 wins as a KHL head coach. That moves him ahead of Vladimir Krikunov into third place for wins. Meanwhile, his record of three Gagarin Cup wins remains unsurpassed – although he might add a fourth this season.
Coming up
This week should see Avangard and Salavat Yulaev secure their playoff places. Both teams need one more victory, or for Neftekhimik to drop another point. Admiral can join them if it wins three of its four upcoming games, and may also get there if Neftekhimik drops points in its games against Vityaz, Metallurg and Avangard.
Women embrace expanded playoffs
The Women’s Hockey League directors unanimously voted in favor of a change to the post-season arrangements. Now, the top eight teams from the regular season will go to the playoffs, which will comprise three rounds. As a result, defending champion KRS Shenzhen, last year’s beaten finalist Tornado Dmitrov, plus Belye Medveditsy and 7.62 will all qualify for post season. The quarter finals will start on March 2, with the teams playing a best of three series. The semi finals, also played as a best of three series, will take place between March 13 and March 18. The final series, a best-of-five battle, starts on March 25 and, if needed, will culminate in a game five decider on April 2.
