Thrilling start to 2025 playoffs
The first few days of playoff action lived up to their billing. We’ve had goals, upsets, and fantastic individual performances. Here’s a run-down of what we’ve seen so far:
Ufa gets hot
After back-to-back first-round exits, this post season is a big on for Salavat Yulaev and head coach Viktor Kozlov. Another strong regular season demands playoff progress. And, so far, the players have responded in fine style. Not only is Salavat up 2-0 on Sibir after the opening games, it’s blasted a might 15 goals in the process. An import-powered offense is doing its thing to devastating effect and, at the time writing, the top five places in the playoff scoring race are occupied by Ufa-based North Americans. Scott Wilson, who potted the club’s first ever KHL playoff hat-trick, leads the way with 7 (3+4) – six of them in Saturday’s 8-2 win. Record-breaker Josh Leivo has seven assists, with Nathan Todd (2+3), Alexander Chmelevski (3+1) and Sheldon Rempal (2+2) in close attendance.
Tkachyov the OT king
Avangard is up 3-0 in its series against defending champion Metallurg. But that stat doesn’t tell the full story of a hard-fought battle between two of the East’s big hitters. Two of the Hawks’ trio of victories came in OT and on both occasions Vladimir Tkachyov got the winning goal. The former LA King is making the most of his return to action after serious injury limited him to just four regular-season appearances. In the past two seasons, Tkachyov, 29, was second in post season scoring for Avangard behind Reid Boucher. With that partnership back in place this year, could the Hawks fly to another cup win?
Admiral tests Traktor
Few gave Admiral much of a chance against Eastern Conference top dog Traktor. The Sailors ended the regular season in stormy waters, losing five on the spin and culminating with a 2-7 loss at eliminated Neftekhimik. Yet Leonids Tambijev’s team went to Chelyabinsk and more than matched its fancied opponent. Admiral won the opener 5-4 and forced overtime in game two before falling to an Artyom Blazhievsky goal. The action returns to Vladivostok this week and it’s clear that it won’t be plain sailing for Traktor.
The longest game
All the indicators said that Avtomobilist’s series against Ak Bars would be a tight one – and that’s how it’s turning out. The Motormen are up 2-1 and will hope to gain a decisive advantage from game four in Kazan on Tuesday. But there’s not been much between the teams. The opener saw Ak Bars win 4-1 in the first playoff game at the new UGMK Arena in Yekaterinburg, but Avto responded with a 4-3 victory two days later. Then, in Kazan, the teams produced the longest game of the playoffs to date. Ak Bars scored twice in a minute in the third period to force a 2-2 tie, but Maxim Osipov’s 93rd-minute tally secured Nikolai Zavarukhin’s 200th win as a head coach in the KHL.
Zagidulin stems goal flow
In four regular season meetings, they shared 33 goals. In the first two playoff encounters, Spartak and Severstal produced another 15. Then came Artyom Zagidulin. The Spartak goalie, who has a solitary appearance for the Flames on his resume, hasn’t really established himself in the KHL, playing 107 games for four teams through 10 seasons. But his first playoff action of the year showed him at his best: 40 saves, a shut-out and a 1-0 victory for Spartak in Cherepovets to go up 3-0 in the series.
And the last shall be first ...
When Dinamo Minsk meets CSKA, nobody is looking for a fast start. In all three games so far, the team scoring the opening goal has gone on to lose. CSKA set the tone in the first game: up 2-0 in just a few minutes, it fell to a 2-5 loss. Learning from that, the Muscovites played a goalless opening frame in game two but, after getting in front in the second they allowed two quick goals and eventually fell 3-5. In Moscow, the roles were reversed. Dinamo grabbed the early goal, but CSKA recovered and eased to a 4-1 verdict with three unanswered goals in the third. Who will be brave enough to strike first in tomorrow’s game four?
Lokomotiv doing Lokomotiv things
Sometimes, a series goes almost exactly as you’d expect. That’s the Lokomotiv – Torpedo pairing this year. The Railwaymen dominated in regular season by virtue of hugely disciplined defense. Teams simply couldn’t find ways to score on Daniil Isayev, building a strong foundation for success. And, in the playoffs, the story continues. Loko has allowed just one goal in two games, winning 3-1 and 2-0 on home ice to take control of the series.
Gusev targets former club
Dynamo and SKA have a history of big playoff clashes dating back to the Muscovites’ semi-final wins in 2012 and 2013. It’s early days for this series, but it feels like it could turn into another classic encounter. True, Dynamo is up 2-0 and – on paper – seems to be in control. But neither game has been straightforward for the Blue-and-Whites. The opener, a 3-1 home win, was a full-on battle determined in no small part by the special teams. And the second went to overtime before Nikita Gusev shot down his former club. Gusev is closing on 250 goals in the KHL – he can reach the landmark this week with another goal against SKA.
