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Western playoff qualifiers locked after thriller at CSKA. February 27 round-up
The West is done. All eight playoff spots in the Western Conference are now filled. CSKA’s high-scoring win over Shanghai Dragons confirms Spartak as the eighth and final qualifier. At the top of the Western Conference, Dinamo Minsk tightened its grip on second with a 3-2 win at Sochi while third-placed Severstal fell at home to Torpedo. In the east, Avangard edged Metallurg in overtime, while Avtomobilist defeated Ak Bars in a shoot-out.
Busy Friday touching both conferences; five games on tap
A busy matchday features five games across the league, touching both conferences. The action opens in Omsk with a classic Eastern showdown between Avangard and Metallurg, before moving to the Urals for Avtomobilist vs Ak Bars. In the West, HC Sochi hosts Dinamo Minsk, Severstal faces Torpedo in a key battle for positioning, and the day concludes in Moscow with CSKA taking on the Shanghai Dragons.
Dynamo clinches playoffs, Filin hits hat-trick. February 26 round-up
Seven out of eight playoff places in the West are now full after Dynamo Moscow won 4-1 at SKA to secure its post-season spot. The remaining gap is almost certainly Spartak’s: Yegor Filin’s hat-trick led the Red-and-Whites to victory over Admiral, and the gap to ninth-placed Shanghai is now 17 points. In the East, Salavat Yulaev defeated Traktor in a shoot-out, remaining clear of its visitor in fifth place.
Dynamo Moscow seeks playoff qualification; three games on tap today
It’s a three-game matchday, with one game in the Eastern Conference and two in the West. Earlier, Salavat Yulaev hosts Traktor. Then, Spartak welcomes Admiral, while Dynamo Moscow travels to St. Petersburg to face SKA and try to punch its postseason ticket as the team currently lies in seventh place in the Western Conference’s standings.
Day of contrasts. February 25 round-up
There were three contrasting games on Wednesday’s KHL card. The most exciting clash came in Kazan, where Lada rallied from 0-3 to beat Ak Bars in a shoot-out. The highest-scoring was in Sochi, as Dinamo Minsk won 7-2 over the Leopards. And the most complete defensive performance saw CSKA take a 2-0 verdict at home to Neftekhimik.
CSKA faces Neftekhimik, Ak Bars hosts Lada, Dinamo Minsk travels to Sochi
Three games are on tap today, two in the West and one in the East. In Moscow, CSKA welcomes Neftekhimik trying to bounce back after two consecutive losses and the called off games in Sochi. The Black Sea franchise will host Dinamo Minsk, and in the East, Ak Bars faces Lada.
Urals triple-header leads into key battles in the West
Five games headline a packed KHL matchday, starting in the Urals with three intriguing clashes. League-leading Metallurg aims to extend its winning streak, Salavat Yulaev and Sibir look to halt recent slides, and Avtomobilist hosts Avangard in a key Eastern Conference battle. The action then shifts West, where Lokomotiv welcomes Dynamo Moscow in a high-stakes rivalry, before SKA hosts struggling Admiral in St. Petersburg.
Avto clinches playoffs, Amur closes on Sibir. February 23 round-up
A 4-3 win at Torpedo lifted Dinamo Minsk to second place in the West, with KHL scoring leader Sam Anas collecting two more points to move to 76 (28+48) points. Traktor scored two late goals to beat Lada in Chelyabinsk. Sochi’s game at home to CSKA was abandoned for safety reasons.
Traktor faces Lada, Torpedo hosts Dinamo Minsk, CSKA travels to Sochi
A new KHL week kicks off today with a three-game show. In the Eastern Conference, Traktor faces Lada. Then, in the West, Torpedo tries to defeat Dinamo Minsk for the first time this season, then HC Sochi hosts CSKA, who punched their postseason ticket yesterday.
Avto clinches playoffs, Amur closes on Sibir. February 22 round-up
Sunday was all about the Eastern Conference playoffs. Avtomobilist booked its place thanks to a 4-1 win over Shanghai Dragons – a result that leaves the Chinese franchise close to elimination. Amur’s win at Avangard, coupled with a 0-1 loss for Sibir at Neftekhimik, closes the gap to six points between eighth and ninth. Elsewhere, Spartak won an entertaining game at Salavat Yulaev, Severstal and Metallurg earned overtime wins over Barys and Admiral respectively.
Eastern Conference hosts six games on today’s KHL schedule
Six games are on the KHL schedule today, starting with Avangard hosting Amur, followed by Salavat Yulaev facing Spartak and Metallurg taking on Admiral. Avtomobilist meets the Shanghai Dragons in Yekaterinburg, while Barys hosts Severstal in Astana. The matchday concludes with Neftekhimik welcoming Sibir, as conference positioning, playoff races, and key streaks remain at the center of attention.
Radulov reaches 800-point mark. February 21 round-up
Alexander Radulov became only the third man in history to score 800 points in the KHL. He had two assists in Lokomotiv’s 5-4 SO win over Dinamo Minsk to achieve that landmark. Team-mate Rushan Rafikov became Loko’s all-time most productive defenseman in the same game. There was another shoot-out at Torpedo, where Ak Bars blew a 2-0 lead and lost. Saturday’s other game saw SKA beat CSKA 3-0.
Leivo back on target, Merkley sets club record. February 20 round-up
Josh Leivo scored his first goal in 11 games to help Traktor to a 5-2 win over Severstal. Fellow Canadian Nick Merkley also had a big day, picking up two assists as Shanghai Dragons won in OT at Barys. That sees Merkley overtake Brandon Yip’s club record 42 points in a KHL season. Avtomobilist failed to secure its playoff spot on Friday, crashing at home to Admiral. Sibir could not close out a win at Avangard, but a shoot-out loss still saw Yaroslav Lyuznekov move a point further away from Amur, beaten 1-3 at Metallurg. Neftekhimik wrapped up the day’s play with a 2-0 win at home to Spartak.
Six games in a packed Eastern match day
KHL matchday features six games all hosted in the Eastern Conference. Avangard hosts Sibir in the third game of their season series and Sibir’s six-game road trip. Then, Traktor faces Severstal, Avtomobilist hosts Admiral, and Metallurg plays Amur. Barys meets Shanghai Dragons, and finally Neftekhimik welcomes Spartak.
Western strugglers beaten again. February 19 round-up
Thursday’s KHL action saw the Western Conference basement duo in action – and both lost out once again. Lada, already eliminated from playoff contention, fell 2-4 at home to Ak Bars, although the struggling Motormen kept this game tied until late on. Sochi, rooted to the foot of the Western Conference, could not lay a glove on Dynamo as the Muscovites won 4-0.
Kuznetsov enjoys Chelyabinsk return, Torpedo books playoff spot. February 18 round-up
Evgeny Kuznetsov had never mustered a point on Traktor, his hometown team, until today. Now he has 4 (1+3) after leading Salavat Yulaev to a 6-0 win in Chelyabinsk. There was late drama in the West as Shanghai Dragons struck with six seconds to play at Torpedo, forcing a 3-3 tie. However, Vladimir Tkachyov won it for the host in overtime, securing a playoff spot. SKA tied Severstal at 2-2 with 15 seconds to play, but fell to the second-placed team in the West in a shoot-out. The big game in the East also went to overtime before Amur defeated Sibir to keep its hopes of a top-eight finish alive. And there was another six-goal show as Dinamo Minsk thumped Spartak 6-1, helped by four power play goals.
Man of the Week: Andrew Poturalski
KHL.ru’s weekly column returns with Andrew Poturalski. The American forward is one of Avangard’s top scorers, and is currently on an impressive thirteen-game scoring streak, a clear sign of being one of the hottest players in the league and fully adapted to his new reality in Omsk.
Do-or-die for Amur, five games on tap today.
The KHL matchday begins early in Novosibirsk, where Sibir Novosibirsk hosts Amur Khabarovsk in a do-or-die game for the Tigers’ playoff hopes. Action then moves to Chelyabinsk for Traktor vs Salavat Yulaev, before shifting west with Dinamo Minsk facing Spartak. Torpedo welcomes the Shanghai Dragons in Nizhny Novgorod, while the nightcap features SKA against Severstal, with crucial Gagarin Cup implications across the board.
CSKA misses chance to secure playoffs, Poturalski maintains streak. February 17 round-up
Lada’s 2-1 win at home to CSKA was the surprise of the day – and the defeat prevented the Muscovites from clinching their playoff place today. Andrew Poturalski stretched his hot streak to 13 games, but could not prevent Avangard from falling 2-5 at home to Ak Bars. Lokomotiv edged a 1-0 win over Neftekhimik to move seven clear at the top of the West, while Eastern leader Metallurg responded to Sunday’s 1-8 thrashing with an overtime win at Barys. Avtomobilist, which scored eight on the league leader, followed up with a 4-1 success at home to Sochi.
Avangard — Ak Bars clash headlines a five-game matchday
Five games are on tap across the league in a packed matchday that spans both conferences. The action opens with a classic Eastern rivalry as Avangard hosts Ak Bars, followed by Avtomobilist taking on HC Sochi. Later, Barys welcomes Metallurg, Lada faces CSKA, and the night closes in Yaroslavl with Lokomotiv against Neftekhimik.
SKA stretches winning streak, Admiral loses sixth straight at home. February 16 round-up
After three weeks on the road, SKA returned to St. Petersburg and enjoyed a 4-0 win at home to Salavat Yulaev. Monday’s other game was Amur win 3-0 at Admiral, with the Sailors losing on home ice for the sixth time in a row.
Far East derby between Admiral and Amur; SKA eyes fifth straight win against Salavat Yulaev
It’s a light KHL Monday with just two games on tap. First, Admiral and Amur dispute the sixth Far East derby of the season in Vladivostok, then, in St. Petersburg, SKA seeks a fifth consecutive victory in a home game against Salavat Yulaev.
Two more book playoff spots. February 15 round-up
Severstal and Dinamo Minsk are the latest teams to confirm their playoff spots. The Lynx won 3-1 at home to Neftekhimik, securing a top-eight finish on their own merits. Dinamo fell to a 3-4 loss at Spartak, but Shanghai’s OT loss to CSKA means the Belarusians can also start preparing for post season. Elsewhere, Avtomobilist produced the performance of the day with an 8-1 thrashing of league leader Metallurg. Avangard enjoyed a 6-2 win over Traktor, and Dynamo won on the road at Torpedo.
Six games across the league on an exciting matchday
A six-game slate headlines a busy KHL matchday, opening in Omsk with Avangard hosting Traktor, before Urals rivals Avtomobilist and Metallurg clash. In the West, Severstal faces Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk, Torpedo welcomes Dynamo Moscow, Spartak meets Dinamo Minsk, and the night closes with the Shangai Dragons facing CSKA. Today’s games may hand some playoffs verdicts.
Lada loses playoff hope, Loko wins in OT. February 14 round-up
The first team to be eliminated from playoff contention is Lada. The Motormen had to get something from today’s game at Barys to retain a mathematical possibility of making the top eight, but lost 3-5. Sochi then took a point from its OT loss at home to Lokomotiv, sending Lada back to the foot of the Western Conference standings.
Leader slips up in Ufa, Dynamo wins again. February 13 round-up
Metallurg saw its five-game hot streak ended in a shoot-out loss at Salavat Yulaev. The home team extended its winning run to six games. Dynamo Moscow celebrated back-to-back wins for the first time since December, edging a 2-1 verdict at Avtomobilist. There were also road wins in the Far East: Avangard scored six on Amur, Traktor proved clinical in a 3-2 result in Vladivostok.