First finalist set, CSKA embroiled in another epic — the KHL week in review
It’s been a week of contrasting results in East and West, where one conference final is done while the other is tied at 2-2. And there were contrasting forwards for two top forwards, with Vadim Shipachyov grabbing two clutch goals while Nikita Gusev was scratched. Contrasts for coaches, too: Dynamo keeps faith with its staff, while Metallurg says goodbye.
Ak Bars reaches fifth final
Ak Bars wrapped up its Eastern Conference final series against Avangard in five games, and secured its place in this year’s Gagarin Cup final. The Kazan team joins CSKA on five Gagarin Cup final appearances. Unlike the Muscovites, though, Ak Bars has reached each final under the guidance of head coach Zinetula Bilyaletdinov, who now holds an outright KHL record for appearances in the decisive series. He moves ahead of Oleg Znarok, who he replaced behind the Ak Bars bench this season. Both Bilyaletdinov and Ak Bars could become the first to win four cups, while SKA and CSKA could both finish the season as joint most-titled club in the KHL era if they go on to win a third cup.
Shipachyov sends Ak Bars to the final. April 9 playoffs
CSKA on course for another game seven?
There’s no such thing as ‘too much hockey’, and especially not for CSKA. Sergei Fedorov’s team remains on course to complete its fifth successive seven-game series as the Western Conference final against SKA remains far too close to call. After four games, the teams are locked at 2-2, guaranteeing at least two more encounters before we can identify Ak Bars’ opponent in the final. Previously, the Muscovites needed game-seven wins to defeat Severstal and Torpedo this season, having ended last season’s triumphant campaign with game-seven wins over Metallurg in the final and SKA in the conference final.
Quickfire double sees SKA tie the series. April 8 playoffs
Shipachyov bags big goals
Twice in three games, Ak Bars edged Avangard in overtime. And twice in three games, Vadim Shipachyov got the vital goal. The vastly-experienced forward is no stranger to the big occasion, but the 2023 post season was, by his standards, a little underwhelming. That all changed this week as Shipachyov grabbed the goals that put this series beyond Avangard. In game three, with Eastern final series tied at 1-1, Shipachyov’s tally completed a fightback from 0-2 to claim a vital OT win in Omsk. Four days later, in Kazan, Shipachyov did it again to complete the series in five games. In 2015, Shipachyov top-scored in the playoffs to lead SKA to its first cup, beating Ak Bars in the final. In 2023, could the same player fire Ak Bars to glory, possibly in a final against SKA?
Gusev’s surprise omission
While Shipachyov made a splash in the East, another big-name forward hit turbulence in the West. Nikita Gusev – Olympic champion, Gagarin Cup winner – has never been short of clutch goals in his career. However, the 30-year-old SKA man found himself scratched from the team for game four of the series against CSKA. Despite being second in team scoring in this year’s playoffs, Gusev was used sparingly as game three wore on, before head coach Roman Rotenberg omitted him from the roster for game four on Saturday. That move paid off for the team, with SKA winning 3-1 to tie up the series. However, it remains to be seen when Gusev will return to the team.
Kudashov stays, Vorobyov goes
Alexei Kudashov is remaining behind the bench at Dynamo Moscow. The head coach signed a new contract with the Blue-and-Whites last week, putting an end to speculation about his future. Kudashov’s coaching staff remains alongside him. While Dynamo keeps faith with Kudashov for another season, Metallurg is ready for a change. The club announced last week that Ilya Vorobyov’s contract as head coach will not be renewed for next season.
Kharlamov Cup final set
The Junior Hockey League season is coming to its conclusion, and this year’s Kharlamov Cup sees a clash between Omskiye Yastreby and Chaika Nizhny Novgorod. For only the second time in the history of the competition, both finalists come from the Eastern Conference. Yastreby qualified thanks to a 3-1 victory in the semi-final against defending champion SKA-1946. All four games were tight, with the home team starting with a 1-0 win in Omsk, before taking game two in a shoot-out. In Petersburg, SKA-1946 recovered to claim an OT verdict and came within 13 seconds of winning game four. However, a late tying goal led to an overtime win for Omsk to finish the series.
The other series saw Loko, top team in the West, face Chaika. Again, the games were close, but Chaika managed a 3-0 sweep, thanks in no small part to 5 (2+3) points from Vasily Atanasov. The young forward had a successful rookie season with Torpedo in the KHL and is now looking to finish the campaign with hardware in the juniors.
