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Fiore’s timely scoring, Barach’s reliability, Press stepping up again and Panik’s understated impact all proved key in the latest playoff matchups. KHL.ru presents the best players from each country.

Ilya Kovalchuk has been appointed President of the Shanghai Dragons, becoming a key figure in the club’s next stage of development.

KHL.ru’s weekly column goes on with Konstantin Okulov. After an exceptional performance in the Gagarin Cup playoffs’ series against his former team, CSKA, the Avangard man put on a seven-point performance, delivering when it mattered more and earning Best Forward honors for the second round.

We’re down to the last four in the race for the Gagarin Cup after wrapping up round two swiftly last week. Two teams swept into the semis, the other two series were done in five games. That sets up some mouthwatering encounters when action resumes Friday.

The Kontinental Hockey League’s commission has determined the best players of the 2026 Gagarin Cup playoffs’ second round in four categories.

An overtime victory over Torpedo saw Metallurg finish its second-round series in five games. The Steelmen progress to the semi-finals, where they will start at home to Eastern Conference rival Ak Bars on March 25. The other match-up sees Lokomotiv take on Avangard.

Torpedo kept their playoff hopes alive with an overtime escape in Game Four, battling back from a slow start, but Metallurg returns to Magnitogorsk with a chance to close out the series and avoid a sixth game.

A narrow 2-1 win over CSKA was enough for Avangard to complete a 4-1 series win. After defeating last season’s Gagarin Cup winning head coach, the Hawks advance to face the defending champion under former Avangard boss Bob Hartley.

Avangard returns to Omsk with a chance to close out the series, while CSKA looks to build on its Game Four breakthrough and extend the battle further.

Down 0-2 at the start of the third, it looked like Torpedo’s season was coming to an end. But a big fightback tied the game before Yegor Vinogradov’s power play goal sent the series back to Magnitogorsk for a fifth game on Friday.

Two goals in the last three minutes were not enough for Dinamo Minsk to save the game or the series as Ak Bars moves into the 2026 Gagarin Cup semi-finals.

Metallurg and Ak Bars stand on the brink of a sweep as both series continue on the road, with Torpedo and Dinamo Minsk facing elimination and in urgent need of a response to keep their seasons alive and force the series back to Magnitogorsk and Minsk.

The Gagarin Cup second round series between Avangard and CSKA is heading back to Omsk for game five after the Muscovites got their first win on Tuesday.

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

Lokomotiv and Avangard stand one win away from a sweep as both series stay on the road, with Salavat Yulaev and CSKA facing must-win games on home ice to keep their seasons alive and force a return to Yaroslavl and Omsk.

A first playoff shut-out for goalie Maxim Arefyev helped Ak Bars to a 4-0 win over Dinamo Minsk as this Gagarin Cup second round series moved to Kazan. The Tatars now lead the series 3-0.

A second-period blitz helped Metallurg open a 3-0 lead in its Gagarin Cup second round series against Torpedo.

The second round of Gagarin Cup playoff action has seen great goaltending in Yaroslavl, thrilling finishes in Minsk, and vital scoring streaks for Avangard and Metallurg. Along the way, Andrei Stas became the fifth man to play 1,000 KHL games. And in the juniors, the first round of the playoffs produced the JHL’s longest-ever game.

Metallurg aims to tighten its grip on the series as the action shifts to Nizhny Novgorod, with Torpedo hoping home ice can spark a response, while Ak Bars heads back to Kazan looking to build on its momentum after two dramatic wins over Dinamo Minsk as the series changes cities.

Konstantin Okulov’s overtime winner saw Avangard take a 3-2 verdict at CSKA. The Hawks now lead the Gagarin Cup second round series 3-0 and can wrap it up in Moscow on Tuesday.

Salavat Yulaev scored its first goals of this 2026 Gagarin Cup playoff second round series but could not avoid a third successive loss to Lokomotiv.

Lokomotiv rides Isayev’s remarkable shutout streak to tighten its grip on the series, leaving Salavat Yulaev searching for answers, while CSKA returns home under pressure as Avangard aims to extend its lead behind the red-hot Poturalski and Okulov.

A pulsating game in Minsk saw the teams trade goals in the last 70 seconds of regulation to tie 4-4. Dinamo had recovered from 1-3 to lead on 58:50, but allowed a late equalizer before falling to Nathan Todd in the extras.

Daniil Vovchenko scored for the third game in a row as Metallurg moved a step closer to settling its Gagarin Cup second round series against Torpedo. Saturday brought a 4-1 win on home ice, giving Magnitka a 2-0 lead in the series.

Metallurg looks to build on a narrow Game One win despite Torpedo’s fightback, while Dinamo Minsk aims to respond on home ice after dropping the opener to Ak Bars in a tightly contested series opener in front of a packed Minsk Arena.

For the second game in a row, Lokomotiv edged a shut-out verdict over Salavat Yulaev. The defending champion now leads its Gagarin Cup second round series 2-0 as the teams head to Ufa for Sunday’s game three.

Game two of this second round series saw Avangard hold on to beat CSKA 3-2. Two goals from Andrew Poturalski, plus two points from Konstantin Okulov, made the difference. The Muscovites got their first goals of the series, but it wasn’t enough.

Avangard and Lokomotiv drew first blood with disciplined, low-scoring wins, shutting out CSKA and edging Salavat Yulaev to take early control of their series, as both matchups now hinge on whether the trailing sides can break through two red-hot defenses and in-form goaltenders in Game Two.

Dinamo Minsk was the only team to enjoy a sweep in round one. But so far, the Belarusians are the only team to drop a home game in round two, falling 1-2 against Ak Bars on Wednesday evening

Torpedo recovered from 0-2 in the first period of its playoff second round opener in Magnitogorsk. But the outsider could not force an upset against the regular season champ, falling 4-3.

Fresh matchups headline the second round, as Dinamo Minsk and Ak Bars face off in the playoffs for the first time ever, while Metallurg and Torpedo renew a rivalry not seen since their lone postseason meeting back in 2009, adding a rare sense of novelty to the KHL bracket.

A tight game in Yaroslavl was decided by a single goal as the defending champion made a winning start in round two.

The start of the second round saw 19 saves from Nikita Serebryakov and two goals from Konstantin Okulov lead the Hawks to victory over CSKA.

Avangard and CSKA renew a rivalry shaped by two recent Gagarin Cup Finals, splitting those matchups with one title each, while Lokomotiv looks to build on last year’s semifinal win over Salavat Yulaev. With limited playoff history beyond that, both second-round series open balanced but with clear recent reference points.

Round 1 of the playoffs is done. From eight series, we saw one sweep and one pair go to six games. But every contest produced drama and special moments, with a sprinkling of KHL records along the way.

KHL.ru’s weekly column continues with Zach Fucale. The Canadian goalie had a strong showing in the elimination stage’s first round, helping Dinamo Minsk sweep Dynamo Moscow in the Western Conference. Next up, Dinamo Minsk will face Ak Bars.

Fucale’s consistency in goal and Press’ impact from the blue line highlight the opening round’s standout international performers, alongside other key contributors across the playoffs. KHL.ru presents the best players from each country.

The Kontinental Hockey League’s commission has determined the best players of the 2026 Gagarin Cup playoffs’ first round in four categories.

Salavat Yulaev left it late, but Evgeny Kuznetsov and Sheldon Rempal put the Ufa club into the second round of the playoffs. Kuznetsov tied the game four seconds before the hooter, then assisted on Rempal’s winner in overtime. Salavat Yulaev will now face Lokomotiv in round two, with the series starting in Yaroslavl on April 8.

The Motormen try to save the season after Game Five success in today’s lone match as the Gagarin Cup playoffs continue.