Hardware for Magnitka, one playoff spot left

Going into the final week of the KHL regular season, we have a two-way battle for the last remaining playoff spot. The two conference winners, and the regular season champion, are confirmed – and there’s a possible regular season scoring record up for grabs.

First trophy for Metallurg

Victory over Salavat Yulaev on Wednesday secured the Continental Cup for Metallurg. It’s the first time the Steelmen have topped the regular season standings: in 2021/2022, Magnitka led the way in total points and ppg when the season was suspended following the Olympics, but the trophy was not awarded. Metallurg’s winner against Salavat Yulaev was scored by Daniil Vovchenko, who also scored the golden goal as Andrei Razin’s team won the 2024 Gagarin Cup.

Sibir close to final playoff berth

Sibir can clinch the last remaining playoff spot with victory at home to CSKA today. Yaroslav Lyuzenkov’s team is three points clear of Amur, and the Tigers have just two games left. Earlier in the week, Traktor and Neftekhimik secured their spots on the same day. A Barys win at Amur in the early game was good enough to book Traktor’s place, then the Chelyabinsk club lost in OT at Nizhnekamsk as the Wolves punched their post season ticket.

Lokomotiv tops the West

Two days before Metallurg secured the regular season championship, Lokomotiv guaranteed first place in the Western Conference. This year’s defending champion got over the line after an entertaining OT victory over Severstal. The Railwaymen blew a 2-0 lead, Maxim Shalunov saved the game 30 seconds from time then Georgy Ivanov won it in the extras. That result, coupled with a 4-6 loss for Dinamo Minsk at Dynamo Moscow, ensured first place for Bob Hartley’s team.

Anas sets one record, chases another

American forward Sam Anas had two points in that high-scoring Dynamo game, moving to 82 (29+52) for the season. That makes him the highest-scoring import in KHL history, overtaking the 80-point haul Josh Leivo achieved with Salavat Yulaev last season. And Anas still has a chance of beating Nikita Gusev’s all-time record haul for a regular season. Gusev compiled 89 points in 2023/2024; with two games left, Anas has 86 points.

200 goals for Jaskin

Czech forward Dmitrij Jaskin scored his 200th KHL in last week’s 2-0 win over Sochi. He is the 16th player to reach that landmark. Since he joined the league in Sep. 2019, he has led the KHL in goals with 200. His closest rivals in that time are Reid Boucher (187) and Brooks Macek (161). Jaskin is currently fourth for goals among imports behind Nigel Dawes (293), Stephane da Costa (216) and Geoff Platt (202).

Sharipzyanov ties Chris Lee’s record

Avangard captain Damir Sharipzyanov’s assist in his team’s 6-1 win over Shanghai Dragons took him to 65 points for the season. That ties Chris Lee’s record-breaking haul for Metallurg in 2016. Lee’s success was enough to earn him a call-up for Team Canada at that year’s IIHF World Championship in Moscow – a rare achievement for a player outside the NHL.

Club record for Shalunov …

Maxim Shalunov is in form at the moment and his hat-trick against Lada brought up 30 goals for the season. That’s his best ever return, and also improves on his own club record for Lokomotiv.

… and for Sulak …

The same day, Czech defenseman Libor Sulak extended his productive streak to 10 games. Over that time, he has 14 (4+10) points for Admiral. In the process, he overtook the nine-game streaks posted by Robert Sabolic (2016/2017) and Daniil Gutik (2024/2025).

… and also for Merkley

Sunday brought yet another club record, this time for Shanghai Dragons’ Nick Merkley. He scored his 24th goal of the season in a 3-5 loss at Salavat Yulaev. That took him past Devin Brosseau’s 23 goals in 2023/2024. Ironically, Brosseau, now playing in Ufa, was also on target in the game.

The longest intermission

A game that started on Feb. 23 finished on March 11 – 1,360 km away. Sochi’s home game with CSKA had to be halted after a goalless first period due to the risk of drone attacks in the Sochi area. With the Leopards scheduled to play at CSKA on March 10, the game was rescheduled for the following day in Moscow – and began at the start of the second period. The long wait ended in a 2-1 win for CSKA, helping Igor Nikitin’s team into the top four in the West.