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CSKA season review: long road to the cup for game seven specialists
KHL.ru wraps up its club-by-club review of the 2022-2023 season at Gagarin Cup winner CSKA. The Muscovites defended their title, enduring a difficult path to the final with an uneven regular season followed by three seven-game series in the playoffs.
CSKA was not its usual self at the start of the season. The club didn’t exactly flop in the opening weeks, but the team hardly played like a defending champion. As September rolled into October, the Muscovites suffered five losses in six games. While an OT loss to SKA was hardly a cause for great concern, the same could not be said of two defeats against Kunlun Red Star.
At that time, Sergei Fedorov promised that everything would change for his team after a road trip to Siberia and the Far East. We don’t know exactly what happened on the flight to Novosibirsk, but it made a huge impact. CSKA went on an 11-game winning run and never looked back. The full season brought 43 wins and the best record of any team on the road (20 wins, 45 points from a possible 68). That secured second place in the West.
In post season, CSKA again kept the fans guessing. It took seven games to get past Severstal in the first round, then seven more to see off Lokomotiv. Then came victory over SKA in six games to reach the final. Time after time, Fedorov’s men proved deadly calm in the clutch moments, ruthlessly taking the chances that really counted. The final turned into another thriller. CSKA lost the first game, then reeled off three straight victories to put one hand on the cup. However, Ak Bars managed to drag the series to game seven, and then ...
Then CSKA got on top again, proving once and for all that this team is the master of the game seven decider. After playing 27 of a maximum 28 playoff games, the back-to-back champion set a new record for the longest playoff campaign. More importantly, though, the club could celebrate its third Gagarin Cup.
Best players
74 (34+40) points in 91 games
Even in the regular season, Grigorenko was one of CSKA’s leaders in all areas: second in goals (22), second in assists (27) and second in points (49). Then, in the playoffs, he stepped it up another notch and proved to be unstoppable. Ak Bars, of course, tried to halt him, and in the concluding games of the final series the runner-up seemed to find an answer. But only after he had scored three goals in the first three games of the final. In the end, Mikhail had 25 (12+13) points in post season to secure himself the MVP award.
74 (24+50) points in 87 games
Okulov was CSKA’s top scorer in the regular season and, like Grigorenko, looked even better in the playoffs. Like his teammates, Konstantin was ruthlessly effective throughout post season, collected 20 (6+14) points in 27 games. In particular, Okulov made SKA suffer, scoring five goals in the series including two game-winners.
58 (13+45) points in 91 games
CSKA’s captain enjoyed his most productive season to date. He was on form through the regular season and carried that into the playoffs. He set a new club record for scoring from a defenseman in the regular season (40) and is now only the fourth blue liner in KHL history to tot up 50 playoff points (52 in his career to date).
Coaching
Logic suggests that the novelty of Sergei Fedorov behind the bench should have worn off by now, with the opposition able to study his tactics and find answers to his team. But no. Once again, Fedorov raised the bar. In his two seasons as head coach, he has won every playoff series. He has won every game seven duel (and CSKA has faced five under his leadership) and won his second Gagarin Cup in as many seasons. Fedorov himself hasn’t changed. He remained unruffled behind the bench and thoughtful in his interactions with the media, but behind this lies a self-confidence that translates to the whole team.
“I can only say good things about the season,” Fedorov said. “Thanks to the guys for their commitment, effort, desire and understanding of the fundamentals that we will try to make even better next season. It was a long and difficult, but interesting season. I think we managed to keep the team in good shape through the regular season and the playoffs. Often it was hard for us, and in every series we were in danger of failing. But the guys pulled together and when we needed it most, they played at 120%.”
Best game
We could pick out any of those game seven wins here. There were good things in the win over Severstal, and in the golden game against Ak Bars. However, the players themselves said that the toughest test in the playoffs came against Lokomotiv. Thus, an emphatic 5-0 victory in the deciding game was all the more impressive. By any rational measure, this was the Muscovites’ best performance of the playoffs. Solid defense and inspired goaltending (30 saves from Adam Reideborn represents a big performance) combined with inhuman efficiency at the other end as CSKA scored five goals on 19 shots to end the Railwaymen’s journey.
Youngsters
Over the course of the season, Sergei Fedorov called on almost 20 players born in 2000 or later. Some of them played a few games, but several of them already earned a regular place in the first team. Maxim Sorkin was one. The forward only turned 23 during the playoffs, but emerged as one of the team’s leaders with 40 (15+25) points in the season. Prokhor Poltapov was another who did well. He began with a 5+20 in the Opening Cup, but finished with big goals and growing confidence as he made a real contribution to the playoff run and the final series.
Defenseman Nikolai Makarov scored a memorable debut goal in the KHL. Artyom Duda, who looks so good in the Junior Hockey League, is still waiting for his first KHL goal after injury slowed his progress. But that’s just a matter of time – we’re sure to see Artyom in the first time very soon.
Summer work
It’s been a quiet summer for CSKA’s front office. After all, why fix something that isn’t broken? The only arrival at the club so far is forward Kirill Maximov, who returns from a loan spell at Barys.
However, it’s not just a vacation for the club’s management. There is a definite need to find a new goalie. Adam Reideborn is moving on after a great performance in the playoffs, obliging CSKA to seek a new presence between the piping.
Among the skaters there are also some departures. Experienced D-man Artyom Sergeyev moves to SKA, Matvei Guskov is joining Salavat Yulaev and Vladimir Bryukvin left the club. CSKA might try to acquire replacements for them, but it’s entirely possible the club will look to promote prospects from within the organization.
