Playoffs week 1: all to play for

One week into post season, and all 16 teams are still in the Gagarin Cup race. We’ve seen competitive, exciting hockey in every series – and we might see our first qualifiers advance later today.

Metallurg in control

The regular season champion continued where it left off. Metallurg won the first three games of its series against Sibir and can complete a sweep when the teams meet in Novosibirsk on Monday. The Tkachyov-Kantserov partnership continues to dominate: after plundering points throughout the regular season, Vladimir is leading playoff scoring with 5 (1+4) points while Roman has 4 (2+2). If Metallurg finishes the job today, it was be the first time Sibir suffered a first-round sweep since 2011.

Dynamo on the brink

Two-time Gagarin Cup winner Dynamo Moscow has never failed to win at least one game in the first round – but that proud run could come to an end today. The Muscovites are down 0-3 against Dinamo Minsk and have suffered huge problems scoring. Vyacheslav Kozlov’s team has just three goals in three games, and even taking the Belarusians to overtime on home ice could not break the sequence: regular season scoring leader Sam Anas potted the winner.

Hawks chased hard by Wolves

Second-seed Avangard faced a hiccup in its series against Neftekhimik, dropping on OT verdict on home ice against Igor Grishin’s team. Despite two goals from Nizhnekamsk native Nail Yakupov, Avangard could not close out the win; a late goal tied it up and Andrei Belozyorov potted the winner. The Hawks recovered with a 2-1 win after the series moved to Tatarstan, but the East’s seventh seed is showing some bite despite its underdog status.

Spartak tests last year’s champ

Defending champion Lokomotiv is having a similar struggle in the West. On paper, Bob Hartley’s team should have too much for Spartak. But the Red-and-Whites took an OT win in Yaroslavl in game two and then went to the extras again before falling in game three. Loko has the edge, with Alexander Radulov (2+2) prominent, but will be without Byron Froese (1+2) in game four after he picked up a suspension.

Nikitin hopes to finish the job

CSKA can complete its series against SKA when the teams return to Moscow on Tuesday. Igor Nikitin’s team is showing signs of emulating his cup-winning Lokomotiv side of 2025. It’s not flashy, but it has been effective against Igor Larionov’s more cavalier approach. Sunday’s 4-2 win, with Denis Guryanov scoring twice, has the Muscovites up 3-1; ironically, Larionov’s only win was with a Nikitin-style 1-0 scoreline in game three. SKA’s Marat Khairullin has six assists, featuring in all but one of his team’s goals so far.

Miller fires Ak Bars progress

Like CSKA, Ak Bars can finish the job on home ice tomorrow. Ilya Safonov’s 91st-minute goal on Sunday snapped a 2-2 tie to win the longest game of the playoffs so far and put Anvar Gatiyatullin’s team up 3-1 on last year’s beaten finalist. Chelyabinsk native Gatiyatulin and his coaching staff played a key role, twice successfully challenging Traktor goals to keep Ak Bars in the game. Mitch Miller (2+4) currently leads the playoff scoring – an unusual achievement for a defenseman.

Lynx rue missed opportunity

Severstal will surely believe that it should be heading tomorrow’s home game with Torpedo locked at 2-2. With two minutes to play on Sunday, Andrei Kozyrev’s team was up 2-0 in Nizhny Novgorod and seemed set to tie the series. But Torpedo had other ideas. A late surge brought drama, and goals from Andrei Belevich and Nikita Shavin tied the game. A goalless period of overtime came and went before Sergei Goncharuk won it 13 seconds after the restart. Torpedo leads 3-1.

The ‘other’ Kuznetsov

In Yekaterinburg, Salavat Yulaev and Avtomobilist managed just three goals in two games. In Ufa, they went for seven a game. But the upshot favors Salavat, which leads 3-1 thanks to a 5-2 win on Sunday. Kuznetsov is the key name – but not Evgeny. The Stanley Cup winner faced a one-game suspension during the series and has not been a dominant figure. Instead, namesake Maxim has come to the fore. He grabbed a late winner in a 4-3 verdict on Friday, then scored twice in Sunday’s 5-2 success. Can the Motormen recover when the series returns to the Urals?

Goals win games, defense wins championships

It’s an old story, but the first week of playoff action suggests there is still some truth in it. The leading goalscorer in this year’s Gagarin Cup race is Avtomobilist’s Daniel Sprong, with four in as many games. Yet his efforts have brought just one over Salavat Yulaev and defeat on home ice tomorrow would bring the Dutchman’s seasons to an end. At the other end of the chart, Dinamo Minsk goalie Zach Fucale has stopped 95.9% of the shots Dynamo Moscow has fired at him through three games. A trio of wins for the Belarusians has them on the brink of a sweep. Fucale has won 11 of his last 12 playoff games against the Muscovites, after two successful series with Traktor in the past two seasons.