Conference semifinals start tonight!

Two second-round series commence, with Ak Bars hosting Admiral and SKA welcoming Torpedo.

After a dramatic first round, with plenty of emotions and two series ended in game seven, including Metallurg moving on following an OT win over Avtomobilist, the playoffs move on with the Conference semifinals. First will go Ak Bars and Admiral. The Sailors surprised Salavat Yulaev in the first round, achieving a well-deserved 4-2 win with a strong performance by Nikita Serebryakov between the piping – he was awarded best goalie honors. On the other hand, Ak Bars rallied back after giving the first game to Neftekhimik, with its big names on the headlines, with Alex Radulov and Dmitry Kagarlitsky in the top-ten league-wide for scoring – expect a battle in game one in Kazan. 

Then, SKA hosts Torpedo. Igor Larionov’s young guns had the upper hand over Dynamo Moscow in six games, with the last two wins achieved in OT. Similarly, SKA needed six games to eliminate Dinamo Minsk. Both teams looked good in the first round, thus entertaining hockey is to be expected, as both sides like to play offensively. If both teams manage to score, the game, and ultimately the series, can go either way. However, Torpedo may struggle more if SKA can impose its presence with their larger players in the offensive zone.

19:30: Ak Bars vs Admiral

Series stand
0-0

Series History
It’s the first time the two sides meet in the elimination stage.  

About the game

Ak Bars achieved four wins in the regular season over Admiral, as the Sailors failed to defeat Kazan this season (2:1 OT, 2:1 SO, 3:2, 3:0).

Ak Bars’ forward Dmitry Kagarlitsky is on a four-game scoring streak, with 5 (2+3) points over that span.

Ak Bars’ forward Stanislav Galiyev is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (2+2) points.

Injury list

Admiral: Yegor Rykov, Gleb Zyryanov.

Milestone alert

Ak Bars’ forward Alexander Radulov may reach two milestones, as he’s close to get to 650 KHL points (currently at 646), with 100 scored in the playoffs (currently at 97).

Admiral’s forward Gleb Zyryanov and defenseman Leonid Metalnikov may line up for their 200^th KHL game. 

19:30: SKA vs Torpedo

Series stand
0-0

Series History
2015. First round meet-up. SKA defeated Torpedo 4:1.

About the game

SKA has defeated Torpedo thrice this year, with the Nizhny Novgorod side taking one game (3:0, 6:2, 6:2, 1:2 SO)

SKA’s forward Marat Khairullin is on a three-game scoring streak, with 5 (3+2) points over that span.

Injury list

SKA: Danila Moiseyev, Artyom Shvets-Rogovoi.

Torpedo: Igor Larionov, Georgy Misharin, Kirill Urakov.