Gagarin on a knife-edge, Kharlamov sees record attendance
It’s cup final time, and in KHL and Junior Hockey League alike, there’s plenty to get excited about. Loko is up 2-1 on Traktor in a Gagarin Cup final that promises to have many more twists and turns before someone lifts the cup. And among the juniors, we’ve seen record crowds in St. Petersburg as SKA-1946 takes on SKA.
Advantage Loko after three
The 2025 Gagarin Cup final is shaping up to be a close affair. Traktor travelled to Yaroslavl and took game one – continuing Lokomotiv’s unhappy record of dropping series openers this year. Maxim Shabanov had two points as Benoit Groulx’s team began with a 2-1 victory.
But Loko hit back. After falling behind in game two, the Railwaymen rallied for a 4-1 victory to square the series. Then, in Chelyabinsk, Igor Nikitin’s men secured a sixth win in seven post-season road games. The 5-2 verdict means it’s 2-1 for Lokomotiv ahead of Monday’s fourth meeting.
Highest-scoring KHL playoff ever
Lokomotiv’s fourth goal in game two, scored by Nikita Kiryanov into an empty net, was the 461st of this year’s playoffs. That set a new KHL record, beating the 460 goals in 2010/2011. That coincidence may be of particular interest to Kiryanov’s team-mate Alexander Radulov, who won his only Gagarin Cup to date in 2011 with Salavat Yulaev.
750 points for Radulov
The same day also saw Radulov assist on Georgy Ivanov’s game-winner in the second period. That feed brought up 750 points in the KHL for the charismatic forward. Currently he has 751 (270+481) points in 710 games for Salavat Yulaev, CSKA, Ak Bars and now Lokomotiv. Uniquely, he has played in the Gagarin Cup final with all four of the teams he has represented. Radulov remains third in all-time KHL scoring behind Sergei Mozyakin (928) and Vadim Shipachyov (980).
First nominees announced
The KHL’s Closing Ceremony is scheduled for May 29 and the first nominees were announced last week. The Golden Stick, awarded to the regular season MVP, has three candidates. Josh Leivo of Salavat Yulaev led the league in scoring with 80 (49+31) points in the regular season. Along the way, he beat Sergei Mozyakin’s record for goals in a single campaign. Artyom Galimov led the scoring for Ak Bars with 59 points, and his 35 goals set a new club record. And Traktor’s Maxim Shabanov set two club records – for points (67) and assists (44).
The three nominees for the Alexei Cherepanov Rookie of the Year award are SKA forward Ivan Demidov, who had 54 points last season, Salavat Yulaev goalie Semyon Vyazovoi, who was first choice for much of the campaign, and Loko’s Yegor Surin, who is making a big impression in this year’s playoffs.
Dragons to stay in Mytishchi
Kunlun Red Star is due to continue in Mytishchi for a least another season. The club, founded in Beijing, China, moved to Moscow Region in 2020 during the pandemic. Despite plans to return, it has remained at Arena Mytishchi – once home to Atlant in the KHL – ever since and last week gave notice that it will remain there for the upcoming 2025/2026 season. Last term, Red Star finished ninth in the Western Conference, winning 28 out of 68 games.
Juniors attract record crowds
The Junior Hockey League final is also underway – and the series between Spartak and SKA-1946 has set two attendance records. On Friday, just over 11,000 fans saw Spartak win 3-1 at St. Petersburg’s Ice Palace, the highest attendance for a Kharlamov Cup game. The record lasted just two days before 12,010 spectators saw SKA blow a 3-0 lead before grabbing a late winner. Spartak is up 3-1 in the best-of-seven series and can win it all when the action returns to Moscow on Tuesday.
Kazakhstan in peril at Worlds
With one game left in the Group Stage at the 2025 IIHF World Championship, Kazakhstan is in the thick of a relegation battle. A shock defeat to newly-promoted Hungary last week means Oleg Bolyakin’s team is in a three-way race to escape last place and demotion to Division IA. Kazakhstan could be saved before it plays again, but will need Hungary to avoid defeat in regulation time against Norway on Monday afternoon. If the Norwegians win, the Kazakhs will need at least a point from a tough match-up with Switzerland. The Swiss won 10-0 against Hungary in their most recent game on Sunday evening.
