Playoff thrills and coaching changes — the KHL week in review
A record-breaking playoff first round finished in style and the conference semi-finals are underway. Meanwhile, clubs and coaches who already finished their seasons are already looking to the future. Read on for the big news of the last seven days in the KHL.
Game seven fightbacks
The first round of playoff action was the most exciting in the KHL’s history, with more games, more goals and more overtime than any previous year. And that carried through to the very final games, with two series going to deciders last week. Both game sevens were action packed, and both saw teams recover two-goal deficits to advance. Metallurg went to Avtomobilist and rallied from 1-3 down to win in overtime. Denis Zernov and Yegor Yakovlev hauled Magnitka level, then Nikolai Goldobin grabbed the winner in the 69th minute. Then CSKA rallied from 0-2 at home to Severstal, eventually winning 5-3 to advance to the second round. Two goals from Vladislav Kamenev led the defending champion past a stubborn opponent.
Conference semis follow the formbook
There was little time to draw breath before the Conference semi-finals got underway. All four series have completed two games, and so far the seeded teams are on top. Each series is currently at 2-0 in favor of the higher-ranked team. However, in each contest there are reasons for the outsider to be hopeful as it prepares to host games three and four. Torpedo can point to a high-scoring 4-5 loss at SKA as evidence that it can score on the regular season champion, while Lokomotiv will look at its 2-0 lead over CSKA on Sunday and feel that it could convert that into a victory. In the East, Metallurg lost game one in overtime at Avangard, then battled back from 0-3 to tie it up at 3-3 before a power play goal handed Omsk the verdict in game two. Meanwhile, Ak Bars played out two one-goal games against seventh seed Admiral in the Sailors’ first ever round two appearance.
Bilyaletdinov’s playoff record
As Ak Bars eased to a 2-0 lead at the start of its Eastern Conference playoff series with Admiral, head coach Zinetula Bilyaletdinov regained a KHL post season record. Victory in game two of the conference semi-final brought up 80 playoff wins for the three-time Gagarin Cup winner. That’s a KHL record for victories in playoff hockey, overtaking Oleg Znarok’s 79. Bilyaletdinov was not expected to add to his tally after retiring from coaching duties in 2019. However, he was persuaded back to Ak Bars in the summer to work as a consultant to newly-appointed head coach Znarok. Things did not work out as planned, with the former MVD, Dynamo and SKA supremo stepping down after an unconvincing time behind the bench. Ironically, that brought Coach Bill back to the job in time to re-establish his post-season winning record.
Bilyaletdinov sets playoff win record. March 18 playoffs
Okulov leads the way for CSKA
With two assists in CSKA’s fightback victory over Lokomotiv, Konstantin Okulov moved to 283 (107+176) points for the club in the KHL. That overtook Alexander Radulov’s club record in the KHL era. Current CSKA forward Mikhail Grigorenko is third on the list with 258 (122+135).
Razin steps away from Severstal
It’s rare to see a head coach remain at a club for multiple seasons, especially without bringing home some hardware. However, Andrei Razin proved the exception to that rule (and many others besides). He spent five years in Cherepovets behind the bench of Severstal and in that time he did more than many coaches to establish a strong team identity. Razin’s pugnacious character translated well to the steel-working city, while his ability to spot an unpolished gem of a player was an ideal fit for a team with a limited budget. Results improved year-on-year, and he finished with three successive playoff appearances, the best run for a decade. However, he was unable to get beyond the first round of post season.
“I’d like to progress, both in terms of results and as a coach,” Razin said. “I’d like to get to a new level and test myself at another club. I’m starting to feel like I’m repeating myself here. It gets harder to motivate the guys. I can still come up with some new tactical ideas, but when you find yourself repeating motivational speeches, it just doesn’t work. I think this will be good for me and the guys.”
Zhamnov to Spartak
Spartak Moscow’s difficult season saw two head coaches come and go as the Red-and-Whites missed the playoffs. Now the Muscovites have reacted quickly to get a new man in place ahead of the 2023-2024 campaign. Alexei Zhamnov, who was Russia’s head coach at the 2022 Olympics, is returning to the role he filled for much of the 2018-2019 season.
“I spent a long time in discussions with the club’s director and I like the club’s development vector and strategy for the coming seasons,” Zhamnov said. “We have an advantage in that our club has a lot of young, promising players whose talents should form the basis of new success for Spartak.”
Zhamnov has been involved at Spartak in various roles since 2015. Since leading Russia to silver in Beijing, the 52-year-old has continued in charge of the national team.
Prince returns
Zhamnov’s team next season will include Shane Prince. The American-born naturalized Belarusian forward agreed a one-year contract extension. Last season the 30-year-old was second in goals (17) and points (35) for Spartak, despite missing a chunk of the action due to injury. Only Alexander Khokhlachyov was more productive than Prince.
Dynamo Neva reaches first women’s final
The Women’s Hockey League grand final is set – and it promises to be something special. Agidel Ufa, one of the most titled clubs in Russian women’s hockey, will take on Dynamo Neva, a relative newcomer to the top table. Dynamo, based in St. Petersburg, booked its place in its first ever cup final after edging Biryusa Krasnoyarsk in last week’s semi-final. The Siberians won the opening battle of the three-game series on the road, but slipped to a 0-4 loss on home ice in game two. That set up a decider, with Dynamo grabbing a 2-1 verdict thanks to Maria Pushkar’s winning goal. Agidel also needed three games to get past Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod. The Ufa club came from behind to win the series opener 3-2 before the teams traded tense 1-0 victories in Bashkortostan. Talismanic forward Olga Sosina got the vital goal in game three, while Anna Prugova made 34 saves. The final series, best of five, starts Saturday in Ufa.
