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KHL.ru continues its club-by-club review of the 2025-2026 season. Sibir endured a difficult first half of the season but managed to turn things around and clinch a playoff spot in the closing stages of the campaign.

KHL.ru continues its club-by-club review of the 2025/2026 season. Amur remained in playoff contention until mid-March but eventually lost out to Sibir.

KHL.ru continues its club-by-club review of the 2025-2026 season with the Shanghai Dragons. Following their rebranding, the Dragons relocated to St. Petersburg, enjoyed a solid start to the season, and played games in China, but ultimately missed out on the playoffs at the end of the regular season.

KHL.ru continues its club-by-club review of the 2025/2026 season in Kazakhstan. Barys missed the playoffs for a fourth successive season, but showed some signs of progress compared with last term.

KHL.ru continues its 2025-2026 season review with a trip to the Far East. Leonids Tambiejevs spent four years at Admiral’s helm, and parting ways with him midseason inevitably came at a cost for the team.

KHL.ru continues its club-by-club review of the 2025/2026 season in Togliatti, where Lada had more players (54) than points (47) in a difficult campaign.  

KHL.ru starts its review of the 2025-2026 season for each team. It was already clear last summer that Sochi was heading into a difficult campaign. That proved to be the case, as the Black Sea club suffered 50 defeats and finished at the bottom of the standings.

A 3-2 victory in Kazan in game six seals back-to-back championships for Lokomotiv Yaroslav. Two goals from Yegor Surin and another from Maxim Shalunov secured the decisive victory for Bob Hartley’s men, settling the series against Ak Bars.

Lokomotiv arrives in Kazan with the Gagarin Cup within touching distance after a commanding Game Five victory, while Ak Bars faces a win-or-go-home showdown on home ice as it tries to extend the series and force a decisive Game Seven.

A quickfire double blast midway through the game helped Lokomotiv to victory in game five of the Gagarin Cup final. The defending champion is now up 3-2 in the series and can wrap things up in Kazan on Thursday.

After splitting the first four games, Lokomotiv and Ak Bars head into a pivotal Game Five in Yaroslavl with the Gagarin Cup Finals tied at 2-2. Ak Bars regained momentum thanks to Alexander Chmelevski’s decisive goal in Kazan, but Lokomotiv now returns home with a chance to move one win away from the trophy in front of its fans.

Alexander Chmelevski’s goal midway through the third period snapped a 1-1 tie in game four. The Ak Bars forward sends the 2026 Gagarin Cup Final series back to Yaroslavl locked at 2-2.

Gagarin Cup Final shifts into Game Four in Kazan with Ak Bars now under real pressure after Lokomotiv’s composed Game Three performance moved the defending champions to within one win of the title. With the series at 2–1 for the visitors, the home side will be aiming to respond and level things up, while Lokomotiv look to take another step toward closing out the championship.

The defending champion took the verdict as the Gagarin Cup final moved to Kazan for game three. First period goals from Maxim Beryozkin and Richard Panik paved the way for a 3-1 victory, putting Lokomotiv up 2-1 in the series.

Mitchell Miller’s hat-trick and four-point performance powered Ak Bars to a dominant Game Two victory in Yaroslavl, tying the Gagarin Cup finals at one apiece as the series now heads to Kazan, where Lokomotiv will look to regain control in a pivotal Game Three.

After two games of the 2026 Gagarin Cup final, there’s nothing between the teams. After Wednesday’s 5-1 win in Yaroslavl, Ak Bars brings Lokomotiv back to Kazan with the series locked a 1-1.

Radulov’s leadership, Beryozkin’s timely scoring and Isayev’s strong play in net helped Lokomotiv draw first blood in the Gagarin Cup finals, but Ak Bars now heads into Game Two looking for a response before the series shifts to Kazan.

The opening day of the Gagarin Cup final brought victory for Lokomotiv. Two goals in a minute early in the second period paved the way for a 3-1 success for the defending champion.

Lokomotiv enters its third consecutive Gagarin Cup finals, this time facing Ak Bars in a repeat of the first-ever finals back in 2009. The Railwaymen needed two OTs in Game Seven against Avangard to get there, while the Kazan side handed a 4-1 defeat to regular-season champions, Metallurg. Ak Bars is currently tied with CSKA and Metallurg for the most Gagarin Cup titles with three apiece, and now has the opportunity to become the competition’s outright most successful franchise with a fourth championship. Lokomotiv, meanwhile, is chasing its second title after last year’s triumph.

The defending champion is back in the Gagarin Cup final for the third year straight. Lokomotiv rallied from 1-3 in Wednesday’s game seven in Yaroslavl to win it in overtime. And that was an echo of the series, with Bob Hartley’s team recovering from 1-3 against Avangard to take a 4-3 verdict.

A last-minute collapse in Game Six denied Avangard a Finals berth, as Lokomotiv forced extra time and completed a dramatic comeback to send the series back to Yaroslavl for an exciting and winner-takes-all Game Seven

Two goals for Loko in the last minute of regulation robbed Avangard of a place in this year’s Gagarin Cup final – at least for now. The Hawks blew a 2-0 lead in game six of the series and fell in overtime, ensuring the teams return to Yaroslavl for a game seven showdown.

Lokomotiv kept its season alive with a dominant shutout victory in Yaroslavl and now heads to Omsk with renewed confidence for Game Six, while Avangard looks to quickly bounce back on home ice and avoid letting the series slip into a decisive seventh game.

Ak Bars is going back to the Gagarin Cup final for the sixth time after winning its semi-final series against Metallurg in five games. That equals the record for final appearance, first set by CSKA. Anvar Gatiyatulin’s men will face the winner of the Lokomotiv vs Avangard series when the grand final gets underway on May 11.

Ak Bars heads back to Magnitogorsk holding a commanding 3-1 lead in the series and sitting just one victory away from a return to the Gagarin Cup Final, while Metallurg faces a must-win situation on home ice after back-to-back losses in Kazan put the regular-season champion on the brink of elimination.

Two days after failing to score in Omsk, Lokomotiv blanked Avangard in Yaroslavl. Saturday’s 4-0 victory ensures this Gagarin Cup semi-final series will return to Siberia for game six with Loko still in contention at 2-3.

Avangard heads to Yaroslavl one win away from the Gagarin Cup Final after another disciplined defensive performance in Omsk, while Lokomotiv now faces a must-win situation to keep its season alive on home ice.

Ak Bars made it back-to-back 4-1 home victories over Metallurg to open a 3-1 lead in the Gagarin Cup semi-final series. Two goals in 66 seconds late in the second period opened a decisive lead for Anvar Gatiyatulin’s men.

Ak Bars seized control of the series with a convincing home victory in Game Three and now has a chance to move within one win of the final, while Metallurg looks for a much stronger response to avoid falling into a dangerous 3-1 deficit.

Avangard is one game away from ousting the defending champion. A 2-0 win at home to Lokomotiv put the Hawks up 3-1 in the series. Playoff leading scorer Konstantin Okulov moves to 20 points in post season after scoring the second goal in Omsk.

Lokomotiv climbed back into the series with a crucial road win in Omsk and now heads into Game Four with renewed belief, while Avangard looks to respond quickly and protect its advantage before the matchup shifts back to Yaroslavl.

Two goals in the first period from Dmitry Katelevsky proved to be the catalyst for an Ak Bars victory in game three of its Gagarin Cup semi-final series against Metallurg. The Tatar club moves in front 2-1 in the series against the regular season champion.

Metallurg responded to its opening loss with an impressive Game Two performance behind a three-point outing from Roman Kantserov, tying the series before the action shifts to Kazan, where Ak Bars will try to regain home-ice momentum.

Down 2-0 in the series, and 2-0 at the first intermission, Lokomotiv’s grip on the Gagarin Cup looked to be down to its fingertips. But a big fightback in game three secured a 4-2 victory in Omsk, reinvigorating Bob Hartley’s hopes of taking his team to the final.

After a fiery and penalty-filled battle in Yaroslavl, the series shifts to Omsk with Avangard in control and looking to extend their lead, while Lokomotiv face a crucial test as they try to respond and avoid falling into a deeper hole.

A 4-2 home victory saw Metallurg draw level in its 2026 Gagarin Cup semi-final series against Ak Bars. The Steelmen led 3-0 at the second intermission but the visitor clawed two goals back in the third before Nikita Mikhailis put the game out of reach late on.

Ak Bars seized the initiative with a commanding Game One road win, but with Metallurg’s goaltending under scrutiny and the regular season champions eager to respond, Game Two sets up a pivotal test as Magnitka look to level the series on home ice.

Two goals in 68 seconds midway through the second period turned around game two of this Gagarin Cup semi-final series. Vasily Ponomaryov and Damir Sharipzyanov put Avangard in front and the Hawks went on to win a fiery game in Yaroslavl.

Avangard drew first blood with an emphatic Game One win, but with Lokomotiv stung on home ice and their star netminder chased early, Game Two sets the stage for a fierce response from the Railwaymen as they look to even the series.

A powerful first period saw Ak Bars take control of the opening game of its 2026 Gagarin Cup semi-final series against Metallurg. The visitor took a 5-2 verdict at the regular season champion to enjoy an early advantage in the series.