KHL press office KHL press office exclusive for khl.ru

The 2025 Gagarin Cup finals are here!

Preview
Lokomotiv enters the finals with confidence, having defeated Traktor twice during the regular season—5:3 in Chelyabinsk and 4:2 at home. The Yaroslavl side also swept Traktor in last year’s semifinals, setting the stage for a heated rematch. Both teams dropped just one game in their respective semifinal series, showing strong form at the right time. With neither team having ever lifted the Gagarin Cup, this season will crown a first-time champion—adding even more weight to every shift, save, and goal.

19:00: Lokomotiv vs Traktor

Series stand
0-0

Series history
2024. Semifinals matchup. Lokomotiv defeated Traktor 4-0.

About the game
In the regular season, Lokomotiv defeated Traktor twice, 5:3 in Chelyabinsk, and 4:2 at home in Yaroslavl.
In the first round, Western Conference’s top seed Lokomotiv swept eighth-placed Torpedo, while Traktor needed six games to get the best over Admiral in another first-against-eighth matchup.
Then, in the second round, Lokomotiv defeated Avangard in the seventh game, while Traktor needed five games to get rid of Dinamo Minsk.
In the semifinals, both teams won their series with a 4-1 score, with Lokomotiv downing Salavat Yulaev and Traktor defeating Dynamo Moscow.
Traktor’s forward Maxim Shabanov enters the Gagarin Cup finals on a five-game scoring streak, with 6 (3+3) points over that span.

Injury list
Lokomotiv: Stepan Nikulin

Milestone alert
Lokomotiv’s forward Alexander Radulov may score his 750th point in the KHL (currently at 748).
Lokomotiv’s forward Maxim Shalunov may reach 400 league points (currently at 398).
Lokomotiv’s forward Alexander Polunin may record his 100th assist in the KHL (currently at 99).
Lokomotiv’s forward Pavel Kraskovsky may line up for his 100th appearance in the Gagarin Cup playoffs.
Traktor’s forward Andrei Svetlakov may line up for his 600th league match.
Traktor’s forward Vitaly Kravtsov may reach 200 KHL points (currently at 198).
Traktor’s forward Alexander Kadeikin may record his 200th KHL assist (currently at 199).