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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.

Elimination looms in two series, with Metallurg and Dinamo Minsk holding commanding 3–0 leads over Sibir and Dynamo Moscow respectively. Elsewhere, Avangard and Lokomotiv are ahead 2–1 against Neftekhimik and Spartak, with Game Four offering a chance to either push to the brink or bring the series back to level terms.

Sunday’s Western Conference action brought drama in Nizhny Novgorod. Torpedo scored twice in the last two minutes to force overtime before Sergei Goncharuk sunk Severstal and gave his team a 3-1 lead in the series. The other game saw Denis Guryanov fire CSKA to victory at SKA, putting the Muscovites up 3-1 before the series returns to the capital.

Salavat Yulaev and Ak Bars are both one game away from advancing to the second round of the 2026 Gagarin Cup playoffs after victories on Sunday. Salavat enjoyed a 5-2 win at home to Avtomobilist, while Ak Bars needed a second period of overtime to see off Traktor in Chelyabinsk. Anvar Gatiyatulin’s team can finish the series on home ice on Tuesday, while Avtomobilist returns home to try to save its series on the same day.

Home teams made their move in Game Three, with Salavat Yulaev and Torpedo taking a 2–1 lead over Avtomobilist and Severstal respectively, while Traktor and SKA cut the gap to 2–1 against Ak Bars and CSKA, setting up a crucial Game Four across all four series.

Both of Saturday’s Western Conference playoffs went to overtime, and both ended with the away team victorious. Sam Anas struck after three minutes of the extras to put Dinamo Minsk up 3-0 on Dynamo Moscow after a 1-1 tie in the Russian capital. Across town, Spartak’s Ivan Morozov grabbed a late tying goal against Lokomotiv, but the Railwaymen rebounded to win it on Artur Kayumov’s redirect. The defending champ is up 2-1 in that series.

Two late goals from Dmitry Rashevsky could have a huge impact on the outcome of Avangard’s series against Neftekhimik. He turned a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 victory in Nizhnekamsk, putting the Hawks up 2-1 after three games. In Novosibirsk, Metallurg recorded a third straight win over Sibir and is just one game away from progressing to round two.

The higher seeds are already asserting control in parts of the bracket, with Metallurg and Dinamo Minsk holding commanding 2–0 leads over Sibir and Dynamo Moscow respectively. Elsewhere, the series remain wide open, as Avangard and Neftekhimik, along with Lokomotiv and Spartak, are tied 1–1 heading into a pivotal Game Three as the action shifts venues.

Sergei Ivanov marked his playoff debut with a shut-out to secure a 1-0 victory for SKA. The Petersburg club still trails its series against CSKA, but is now down 1-2. Torpedo edged ahead of Severstal thanks to a 3-1 victory in Nizhny Novgorod, with Amir Garayev claiming the winning goal.

Maxim Kuznetsov scored a late winner for Salavat Yulaev as the forwards found their range at last in the series against Avtomobilist. A 4-3 verdict in Ufa put the host up 2-1. And the Ak Bars vs Traktor series is also 2-1 after Traktor won 3-2 in Chelyabinsk to claim its first victory of post season.

The Eastern matchups are already diverging, with Salavat Yulaev and Avtomobilist tied 1–1 after two tight, low-scoring games, while Ak Bars seized a 2–0 lead over Traktor. In the West, Severstal responded emphatically to level the series 1–1 against Torpedo, whereas CSKA took full control with a 2–0 edge over SKA as the action shifts venue.

Spartak Moscow delivered the first big shock of this year’s playoffs, grabbing an overtime win at defending champion Lokomotiv. The Red-and-Whites were second best for long spells of Thursday’s game, but opportunistic goals from Ivan Morozov and Daniil Pivchulin secured a 2-1 verdict. In Minsk, Dinamo had little trouble opening a 2-0 lead in its series against Dynamo Moscow. The visiting offense was again off-color and the home team cruised to a 4-1 win.

There was drama in Omsk as second seed Avangard allowed a late equalizer before falling in OT to seventh-ranked Neftekhimik. That ties their Gagarin Cup playoff series at 1-1 before the teams head to Nizhnekamsk. Top seed Metallurg had no such problems, though. Robin Press scored twice in a 5-1 win over Sibir as Andrei Razin’s team opened a 2-0 lead in the series.

All today’s pairs made their home ice count in Game One, with Avangard defeating Neftekhimik, Metallurg downing Sibir, Lokomotiv overcoming Spartak, and Dinamo Minsk beating Dynamo Moscow to take a 1–0 lead in their respective series, putting early pressure on the lower seeds to respond in Game Two.

Despite allowing a second-minute goal to SKA, CSKA recovered to win 4-2 in Moscow and open a 2-0 lead in its first-round KHL playoff series. In Cherepovets, Severstal bounced back from Monday’s loss to Torpedo, winning 4-0 to tie the series before the action moves to Nizhny Novgorod.

Day three of the Eastern playoffs saw a 1-0 win for Salavat Yulaev square its series against Avtomobilist. The teams head to Ufa locked at 1-1. Then Ak Bars won 4-2 at home to Traktor, claiming a 2-0 advantage in the series.

Anas’ elite production, Sprong’s domination, Da Costa’s experience and Leivo’s consistency. KHL.ru presents the best players from each country.

In the East, Avtomobilist and Ak Bars hold a 1–0 edge after taking the opening games, while in the West CSKA also leads its series 1–0 following a marathon win. Torpedo produced the only road upset so far, stealing Game 1 against Severstal to take the early advantage, as Salavat Yulaev, Traktor, Spartak and SKA all look to respond and level their respective series.

Defending champion Lokomotiv took its 2026 playoff bow – and found itself down by two in barely 10 minutes. A fightback secured Bob Hartley’s men a 5-3 but Spartak will take consolation from a competitive performance in Yaroslavl. In Minsk, Dinamo justified pre-playoff expectation with an impressively solid 3-1 win over Dynamo Moscow.

Day two of the playoffs brought the Eastern Conference heavyweights into the fray. Both made winning starts, but while Metallurg eased past Sibir, second seed Avangard needed goals in the last five to see off seventh-ranked Neftekhimik.

KHL.ru’s weekly column returns with Damir Sharipzyanov. The Avangard defenseman just set a KHL record for the most single-season points from the blue line, surpassing Chris Lee’s 2016-2017 campaign.

Four more pairs hit the ice today, as eight teams continue their quest for the Gagarin Cup. In the East, Avangard takes on Neftekhimik, while Metallurg faces Sibir. In the West, reigning champions Lokomotiv meets Spartak Moscow after a dominant regular-season sweep, while Dinamo Minsk go up against Dynamo Moscow in a matchup that flips 2024 playoff script, rounding out another packed slate of postseason action.

There was a surprise on day one in the West as sixth-seed Torpedo won 4-1 at Severstal in its playoff opener. CSKA and SKA needed two periods of overtime to separate them, but Nikita Nesterov’s strike gave the Muscovites the early edge in that first round series.

Day one of the 2026 KHL Playoffs began with Daniel Sprong firing Avtomobilist to victory over Salavat Yulaev. And the other Eastern Conference action saw Ak Bars edge past Traktor in overtime.

Commentator for KHL TV channels and expert at KHL.ru, Anton Vasyatin, presents the top ten most prominent young players (U23) in the league based on their performance in the third month of the regular season.

The final week of the regular season brought a major scoring achievement, a quirky record that stood since 2009 and, of course, confirmation of the full playoff schedule. Read on to look back and look forward.

Four pairs open today, with eight teams beginning their chase for the Gagarin Cup. In the East, Avtomobilist faces Salavat Yulaev, while Ak Bars meets Traktor. In the West, Severstal and Torpedo clash for the first time in playoff history. The classic series between CSKA and SKA reaches its 10th edition, with CSKA leading the all-time playoff record 6–3, in a heavyweight opening slate across the KHL playoffs tonight.

The Kontinental Hockey League’s commission has determined the best players of the Regular Season’s seventh month in four categories.

The Kontinental Hockey League’s commission has determined the best players of the 2025-2026 Regular Season’s twenty-seventh week in four categories.

KHL.ru reviews the attendance figures for the Fonbet KHL regular season.

The last day of the regular season saw Sam Anas tie Nikita Gusev’s record 89-point haul in a regular season campaign. He scored twice in Dinamo Minsk’s 8-2 win over Avtomobilist, but could not find a third point to set a new mark. Sibir did set a new record, beating a mark established in the KHL’s inaugural season. Today’s shoot-out win over Sochi was its 12th of the season, beating Metallurg’s 11 from 2008/2009.
Elsewhere, the big issue was resolving the Western playoff pairings. With the season complete, Lokomotiv faces Spartak in round one, Dinamo Minsk will take on Dynamo Moscow, Severstal is up against Torpedo and CSKA faces SKA.

An eight-game KHL matchday closes the regular season with action across both conferences. Salavat Yulaev hosts HC Sochi, Sibir faces Barys, and Traktor takes on Admiral. In the West, Dinamo Minsk welcomes Avtomobilist, while SKA meets the Shanghai Dragons. Two Moscow games see Dynamo play Ak Bars and Spartak face Neftekhimik. The day concludes in Yaroslavl, where Lokomotiv clashes with Metallurg in a matchup between the regular season’s conference leaders.

The penultimate day of the regular season saw two games, and confirmed the top four in the Western Conference. Severstal’s loss at home to Avangard means it will finish third and Dinamo Minsk second. Lokomotiv was already assured of top spot, with CSKA locked into fourth. Thursday’s other action brought a 5-3 win for Torpedo at home to Amur.

It has been mostly a quiet week for the league’s international players, but some stood out anyways, with Fiore netting his second KHL hat-trick and Anas continuing his strong pace. KHL.ru presents the best players from each country.

Two inter-conference games highlight the action in the regular season’s penultimate matchday, with Torpedo welcoming Amur and Severstal clashing with Avangard.

The playoff pairs for the Eastern Conference are set after Wednesday’s play. The top four places were confirmed ahead of today’s action, and wins for Salavat Yulaev over Neftekhimik (3-0) and Traktor over Metallurg (6-2) sealed places five through eight. Those first-round pairings will be: Metallurg vs Sibir; Avangard vs Neftekhimik; Ak Bars vs Traktor; Avtomobilist vs Salavat Yulaev. In the Western Conference, CSKA secured fourth place thanks to a shoot-out win over Spartak. Fifth-placed Dynamo fell 1-2 at home to Admiral.

A seven-game KHL matchday opens in Novosibirsk with Sibir hosting SKA as the regular season nears its conclusion. Salavat Yulaev faces in-form Neftekhimik, while Traktor and Metallurg renew the Southern Urals derby. Action then shifts west with HC Sochi welcoming Ak Bars and a Moscow doubleheader featuring Spartak against CSKA and Dynamo taking on Admiral. The evening closes in China, where the struggling Shanghai Dragons host Avtomobilist. Several teams still have positioning to play for before the playoffs.

Damir Sharipzyanov rewrote the KHL record books. His assist in Avangard’s overtime victory at Dinamo Minsk gives him the most productive season for a defenseman in the KHL. His 66 points this term beat Chris Lee’s 65 for Metallurg in 2016/2017. Earlier in the day, Lada came from 0-2 to beat Amur.

KHL.ru goes on with the weekly column that features the top 12 teams in the League. These are the results of the Week 26.