Lokomotiv sweeps into semis

Daniil Isayev’s third shut-out in four games helped Loko steam into the 2026 Gagarin Cup semi-finals.

Ufa offense blunted once again

Salavat Yulaev Ufa 0 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 4 (0-1, 0-1, 0-2)
Lokomotiv wins the series 4-0

4-0 in the game and 4-0 in the series. Defending champion Lokomotiv became the first team to reach the 2026 Gagarin Cup semi-finals after easing past Salavat Yulaev.

Against an opponent with a dangerous offense, the Railwaymen had three shut-outs in four games, allowing just two goals in total. Last season’s championship win was built on a solid defense under Igor Nikitin, and Bob Hartley has continued in similar vein this season as Loko chases back-to-back glory.

For Salavat Yulaev, a forward line rejuvenated by the mid-season additions of the likes of Sheldon Rempal and Evgeny Kuznetsov faltered. Kuznetsov, injury-hit, was a peripheral figure in post season and missed today’s game; Rempal impressed with seven points in round one against Avtomobilist but managed just one assist against Lokomotiv.

Kuznetsov wasn’t the only notable home absentee: defenseman Dean Stewart was also injured. Viktor Kozlov reshuffled his lines in the hope that his forwards could build on the two goals they scored in the previous game. Lokomotiv continued unchanged.

And the visitor started strongly. Home goalie Semyon Vyazvoi had to be alert in the second minute when Richard Panik’s pass released Byron Froese. Early pressure broght penalties for Salavat Yulaev, reduced to three skaters for 18 seconds. As the power play continued in five-on-four mode, Panik’s wrister found a way past Vyazovoi to open the scoring in the sixth minute.

In response, Salavat struggled to stretch the visiting defense. The most threatening moment came on the penalty kill, but Vladislav Yefremov lacked the pace to capitalize on a breakaway chance and Daniil Isayev remained largely untested in the opening frame.

In the second period, Lokomotiv continued to dominate. Panik again tested Vyazovoi early on and the visitor went on to outshot its host 16-7. Salavat’s forwards tried to establish a position in the offensive third but were frequently railroaded out of the play by smart defense. The next goal went to Loko in the 35th minute when Maxim Shalunov’s face-off win set up Artur Kayumov for a fiery shot to double the lead.

With nothing to lose, Salavat Yulaev went out in the third determined to at least give the home fans something to cheer. However, the efforts of Rempal & Co were silenced by some rock solid defense. Lokomotiv players got their bodies in front of the puck and ensured that few attempts made it to Isayev’s net. Those that did were largely straightforward for the goalie, who finished the game with 24 saves for his third shut-out of the series. Over the four games he stopped 98.1% of shots for a GAA of just 0.5.

A 2-0 lead can be hard to defend, but Lokomotiv’s tactics were spot on. With a couple of minutes to play, Kozlov called Vyazovoi to the bench and went for broke – but it was his own hopes that were broken. Alexander Radulov found the empty net, then assisted an Alexei Bereglazov power play goal to put the final stamp on Loko’s passage to the final four.