Five in battle for last two spots — the KHL week in review
It’s the final week of the regular season, and the playoff race is nearing its climax. Two places remain, one in each conference, with five teams still in contention. Meanwhile, the KHL scoring race is even tighter, with six candidates for first place separated by just two points.
SKA triumphant in regular season
SKA secured top spot in the KHL regular season standings for the third time the club’s history. The Petersburg club previously lifted the Continental Cup in 2013 and 2018. SKA secured this year’s title on Feb. 15 following CSKA’s loss at Lokomotiv. The following day, Roman Rotenberg’s players underlined their credentials with a tight victory over Eastern Conference high-flyer Sibir. The next challenge for the team is to beat the club’s record tally of 103 points (under the current two points for a win system). At present, SKA has 101 with two games to play.
SKA celebrates top spot, Spartak grabs vital win. February 16 round-up
Bilyaletdinov leads Ak Bars to top spot in the East
First place in the Eastern Conference is also secure – and it goes to Ak Bars. At the start of the season, few would have been surprised by that prediction, but come the fall Kazan found itself outside the playoff places. However, since Zinetula Bilyaletdinov’s return as head coach in late December, Ak Bars has been on a tear. After a 2-4 loss to Metallurg on Dec. 28, Bilyaletdinov has won 19 of 22 games and suffered just one loss in regulation. Sunday’s 4-0 win at Amur confirmed first place in the conference standings.
Admiral seals playoff place, Ak Bars finishes top in the East. February 19
Five more clinch playoff spots
Five more teams secured their playoff places. In the East, Avangard and Salavat Yulaev booked their tickets for another post season on Monday. For both clubs, the playoffs are familiar territory. However, for Admiral, the third team to guarantee itself playoff hockey in the East last week, this will be a first post season campaign since 2017. The Sailors have never won a playoff series.
In the West, Severstal and Vityaz secured their playoff places. Under Andrei Razin, Severstal has become a regular in post season. This is the third successive year the Steelmen have made the playoffs, matching the club’s most successful spell from 2011-2013. Vityaz makes the playoffs for the fourth time after two years away. So far, the team has yet to win a single game in post season.
Severstal clinches playoff spot. February 18 round-up
Two places left
There is now just one playoff place left in each conference – and five teams still in the fight for those spots. In the West, we’re down to two contenders. Dinamo Minsk has the edge, three points clear of Spartak Moscow. However, the Red-and-Whites have a game in hand. Spartak’s remaining games are against Metallurg (Feb. 20), CSKA (Feb. 22) and Dynamo (Feb. 26). Dinamo Minsk entertains Traktor tomorrow before travelling to Vityaz on Feb. 25.
In the East it’s a three-way battle. Neftekhimik is currently in eighth place, one point ahead of Amur and two clear of Traktor. Neftekhimik’s remaining games are at home to Sochi (Feb. 20), Metallurg (Feb. 22) and Kunlun (Feb. 24). Amur has two games left, against Admiral on Feb. 23 and 25. Traktor travels to Minsk on Feb. 21, then goes to Avtomobilist (Feb. 24) before finishing at home to Torpedo on Feb. 26.
Scoring race goes down to the wire
With one week to play, just two points separate the top six players in the KHL scoring race. SKA’s Dmitrij Jaskin leads the way on 56 (36+20). He’s level on points with Avtomobilist’s Stephane Da Costa, but the Frenchman has fewer goals. It’s worth noting that Da Costa missed part of the season through injury and his 51 games is far fewer than his rivals. Two more players, Alexander Radulov (Ak Bars) and Taylor Beck (Sibir) are on 55 points. Next comes SKA’s Marat Khairullin and Avangard’s Vladimir Tkachyov, both on 54. Any of these players could make it to the top in the final games of the season.
Hockey family rallies around Rodion Amirov
It’s almost exactly a year since former Salavat Yulaev forward and current Maple Leafs prospect Rodion Amirov went public with news of his brain tumor. Since then, the 21-year-old remains very much in the thoughts of Russia’s hockey community. Last week, several teams took a moment to show their support for the young player as he continues his recovery. Salavat Yulaev’s game at Avangard saw both teams wear special #27 jerseys (Amirov plays under #27) in the warm-up, while the visiting fans from Ufa displayed a banner in support of their man in the Avangard fan sector. Elsewhere, SKA also joined in the gesture of support ahead of its game against Sibir.
Final week of women’s regular season
It’s the final week of the regular season, and most of the big issues are already resolved. Eight teams will proceed to the playoffs, with only SKSO missing out. Agidel is certain to finish top of the table and will play 7.62 in the opening round of the playoffs. Biryusa is in second and Dynamo Neva can secure third with victory over seventh-placed Belye Medveditsy on Monday. Medveditsy, meanwhile, still has hopes of overtaking KRS Shenzhen and finishing sixth in the standings before all the playoff pairings are determined.
