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Reid Boucher produced the pre-season performance of the day with a hand in all three goals as Avtomobilist won 3-0 in Ufa. CSKA made its first appearance of the summer, but Igor Nikitin suffered a 1-4 loss at Dinamo Minsk on his return to action as the Muscovites’ head coach. Lada edged a shoot-out win over an experimental Ak Bars roster in Tuesday’s third game.

Magnitka played its first pre-season game at the Minsk Cup, and started in style with a 6-0 thrashing of Lada. Fringe players Pavel Tyutnev and Igor Nechayev led the way with two goals apiece. In Thursday’s warm-up game, Ak Bars beat Neftekhimik 4-1 in front of almost 8,000 fans in Kazan.

It was a big week for one KHL team, with a new identity and a new GM. Elsewhere, we saw our first full-on pre-season action ahead of the first tournament of the summer, starting today in Minsk.

August’s first on-ice action saw games between KHL teams and VHL opposition in Belarus and Tatarstan.

Byron Froese renew ties with Lokomotiv, Ak Bars signs two Canadian players, and Lucas Lockhart moves to the Western Conference. KHL.ru presents the top international transfers of the last week.

The on-going KHL 3x3 Championship is approaching the final stages. The six teams to go to the playoffs were confirmed at the weekend and the big showdown is coming up in Moscow next month. Elsewhere, Vityaz announced it is withdrawing from competition and a young goalie makes waves at the NHL draft.

KHL.ru keeps on reviewing the 2024-2025 season for league clubs — Ak Bars changed their head coach, initiated a roster rebuild, and reached the second round of the playoffs, ultimately falling to Moscow’s Dynamo.

Nach dem Gagarin Cup Gewinn von Lokomotiv Yaroslavl stand die 17.KHL Schlusszeremonie an, in der die besten Spieler der Saison geehrt wurden. Die USA gewinnt nach 65 Jahren wieder WM Gold.

KHL.ru presents the finalists for the Golden Stick award – the trophy for the most valuable player of the 2024-2025 KHL regular season.

Last week saw the conclusion of round two of the 2025 KHL playoffs. Now just four teams are left in the race for the Gagarin Cup. Meanwhile, after the season comes to an end, others are beginning to formalize their plans for 2025/2026.

Ruzicka and Miller crucial for their teams despite their loss, Rempal helps Salavat Yulaev moving to semifinals. KHL.ru presents the best players from each country.

Lokomotiv Yaroslavl musste im KHL Viertelfinale gegen Avangard Omsk in ein Game 7, um das Semifinale zu erreichen. Ebenfalls weiter sind Dynamo Moskau, Traktor Chelyabinsk und Salavat Yulaev.

A 6-1 win in Kazan saw Dynamo Moscow power past Ak Bars into the semi-finals of the 2025 Gagarin Cup. It’s the Blue-and-Whites’ best run since winning it all in 2013, while Anvar Gatiyatulin will take Ak Bars no further in his first season as head coach.

Ak Bars is backed into a corner, needing a win tonight to keep its playoff hopes alive. After three straight losses, the Kazan team returns home hoping to force a game seven in Moscow. Dynamo, meanwhile, rides the momentum of its first home win in the series and can clinch a semifinal spot with one more solid performance. Goalie decisions and scoring streaks could tip the balance in this thriller.

The Gagarin Cup second round continues and Traktor is the first team to secure its place in the semi-finals. The other three ties are all heading for game six, with Dynamo Moscow, Spartak and Lokomotiv having a narrow advantage.

Traktor became the first team to reach the 2025 Gagarin Cup semi-finals after wrapping up its series against Dinamo Minsk in five games. A 3-1 win in Chelyabinsk saw Benoit Groulx’s team through the final four for the second year running. In Sunday’s other action, Dynamo Moscow recorded the first home victory of its series against Ak Bars and leads 3-2 ahead of the return to Kazan on Tuesday.

Traktor and Dynamo Moscow face crucial game fives today in the 2025 Gagarin Cup playoffs. First, Traktor can close out its second-round series against Dinamo Minsk on home ice after bouncing back from a heavy defeat. Then, Dynamo returns to Moscow with momentum on its side, aiming to break the home-ice curse and take the lead in a hard-fought series against Ak Bars, which is currently tied at two.

In Minsk, Traktor edged a 3-2 verdict to go up 3-1 in the Gagarin Cup second round playoff series against Dinamo. Just two days after an 8-0 drubbing, Benoit Groulx’s team is just one win away from the semi-finals. Today’s other series is all square: Dynamo Moscow won 3-2 in Kazan despite a dominant performance from Ak Bars. The teams had back to the capital tied at 2-2.

Dinamo Minsk looks to ride momentum after an 8:0 blowout to even the series against Traktor, while Dynamo Moscow aims to build on a crucial road win and tighten their grip on Ak Bars. With both capital teams trying to capitalize on surging form and key scoring streaks, tonight’s games promise intensity, unpredictability, and perhaps another twist in two fiercely contested Gagarin Cup battles.

After four days of the second round of the KHL playoffs, all four series are at 2-1. Today, Dinamo Minsk reduced its deficit against Traktor with an emphatic 8-0 victory, while Dynamo Moscow won 3-1 in Kazan to move closer to Ak Bars.

Dinamo Minsk and Dynamo Moscow will try to cut the opposition’s advantage in game three. The Belarusians will have a chance at home, while the Blue-and-Whites travel to Tatarstan to try and revert the trend of the first couple of matches.

Traktor pulled off another comeback win to open a 2-0 lead over Dinamo Minsk in its Gagarin Cup second round series. The Belarusians led 3-0, but tied 3-3 in regulation before Grigory Dronov’s goal sent the pairing to Minsk with Traktor in control. Ak Bars also holds a 2-0 lead in its series against Dynamo Moscow. A 2-0 success in the Russian capital has Anvar Gatiyatulin’s men heading home in a strong position.

Last week brought a thrilling conclusion to the first round of the playoffs – in front of record-breaking crowds – and an exciting start to round two.

In the first game, Eastern-based Traktor and Ak Bars defeated Dinamo Minsk and Dynamo Moscow, respectively, to start the series on a positive note. Today, the Western Conference’s teams will be seeking revenge as the second games tip off, hoping to even the score and shift momentum back in their favor.

There was drama in the closing stages of both KHL playoff games on Saturday. Ak Bars saw a two-goal lead evaporate, but scored twice in the last two minutes to win at Dynamo Moscow. Traktor’s recovery was even more spectacular: down 1-2 in the last minute, it scored three times to win 4-2 against Dinamo Minsk.

The second round continues, with Traktor facing Dinamo Minsk and Dynamo Moscow hosting Ak Bars. It’s the first time that Traktor clashes with the Belarusians in the Gagarin Cup playoffs, and overall the first time for the Minsk franchise to advance past the first round. Dynamo Moscow and Ak Bars, instead, last met in the elimination stage back in 2009 – sixteen years ago, with the Kazan side claiming the final victory.

Mit Metallurg Magnitogorsk scheiterte der amtierende Gagarin Cup Champion bereits in der ersten Runde. Nur Lokomotiv war mit einem Sweep souverän.  

It took 83 minutes of the seventh game to separate two Eastern Conference foes, but Ak Bars eventually claimed the verdict over Avtomobilist. Kirill Semyonov will claim the winning goal, but it was a heartbreaking moment for home forward Alexei Byvaltsev as he pushed the puck into his own net.

Six of eight first-round playoff series are in the books. We’ve seen the defending champion deposed, a new recruit for the 250-goal club and just one series ending in a sweep. And there are a couple of game seven deciders to look out for ahead of round two.

It’s the first seventh game this season, with the Motormen seeking a home win as Ak Bars comes to Yekaterinburg after tying things up in game six. Unpredictability will be key in this match as the game – and the series – can easily go either way, sending a team in the second round and another in early vacations.

Avangard is the first Eastern Conference team to advance to round two of the KHL playoffs. The Hawks won 3-2 at home to Metallurg, withstanding a third-period fightback to wrap up the series in six games. Ak Bars thrashed Avtomobilist 5-1 in Kazan, taking that series to game seven.

The battle for a spot in the next round intensifies as Avangard, Ak Bars, and CSKA fight to stay alive in their respective series. Metallurg looks to force a seventh game against Avangard, while Avtomobilist and Dinamo Minsk aim to close things out on the road. Goalies are stealing the spotlight, with Nabokov, Alikin, and Demchenko all coming off stellar performances for the winning sides. Will they be the difference-makers again, or will the opposition teams rally to extend their seasons?

Defending champion Metallurg will not give up it title without a fight: after dropping the first three games of the series against Avangard, Magnitka is now back to 2-3 ahead of the weekend trip to Omsk. A 3-1 win in Magnitogorsk means it’s all to play for here. Today’s other Eastern series is also poised at 3-2, with Avtomobilist enjoying the upper hand following a 2-0 win over Ak Bars. The visitor scored seven in game four, but could not beat Evgeny Alikin today.

The Gagarin Cup playoffs heat up with crucial matchups across the board. Metallurg fights to stay alive at home against Avangard, looking to extend the series after avoiding a sweep. Avtomobilist and Ak Bars return to Yekaterinburg with their series tied, as both teams aim to take control. Spartak gets another chance to close out Severstal, while the Steelers hope to force a game six. Meanwhile, Dinamo Minsk and CSKA battle in a pivotal game five, with the winner gaining a crucial edge in this tightly contested series of capitals.

Defending champion Metallurg is still in the Gagarin Cup race – but Andrei Razin’s men needed two late goals to beat Avangard and escape a round-one sweep. In Kazan, Ak Bars blitzed Avtomobilist in the first period, setting up a win that ties the series after four games.

Avangard and Spartak have a chance to close out their series with commanding 4-0 sweeps as they take the ice against Metallurg and Severstal, respectively. Meanwhile, Dinamo Minsk looks to push CSKA to the edge, while Ak Bars fights to level its series against Avtomobilist after a dramatic double-OT loss. With game four underway across the board, teams facing elimination will need to dig deep to keep their playoff hopes alive. Will we see the first teams advance to the next round, or will the battles rage on?

The first few days of playoff action lived up to their billing. We’ve had goals, upsets, and fantastic individual performances. Here’s a run-down of what we’ve seen so far:

A second successive overtime winner from Vladimir Tkachyov gave Avangard a 3-0 lead over Metallurg in its first-round KHL playoff series. The Hawks can complete a sweep of the defending champion on home ice on Tuesday. Today’s other Eastern Conference action saw Avtomobilist move ahead in its series against Ak Bars. After dropping the opening game, the Motormen followed up Friday’s 4-3 verdict with an overtime victory in Kazan.

The reigning Gagarin Cup champion has its back against the wall after two defeats at home and will be forced to win if they want to have a real chance to return to cup contention. Then, the second Eastern series returns to Kazan after Avtomobilist tied things up in game two. In the Western Conference, Severstal will try to revert the trend after two Spartak wins, while CSKA will seek to at least get a first win in the series returning at home after two losses to Dinamo Minsk.

Avangard took a firm grip on its first-round playoff series, grabbing a second victory in Magnitogorsk thanks to Vladimir Tkachyov’s overtime goal. The Hawks will take a 2-0 lead to Omsk for game three at the weekend. In the other tie, it’s all square. Avtomobilist held on to beat Ak Bars 4-3, cancelling out its opening night loss.