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The first week of June is the first week of player trading in the close season – and we have a big new coaching appointment plus a host of imports on the move. The KHL also announced the host city for the 2027 Fonbet KHL All-Star Game.

In the first week of signings, several international players found themselves a new home, with CSKA claiming two newcomers.

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 second round of the Gagarin Cup playoffs.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

CSKA and Torpedo joined Dinamo Minsk in the second round of this year’s playoffs after completing their series in five games. Denis Guryanov again starred for the Muscovites with a hat-trick in a 6-2 win over SKA. Sixth seed Torpedo upset the rankings with a 4-3 win at third seed Severstal, making playoff progress for the first time since 2023.

Elimination pressure builds across the slate, with Salavat Yulaev, Ak Bars and CSKA all holding 3–1 leads over Avtomobilist, Traktor and SKA respectively, each with a chance to close out the series. Meanwhile, Torpedo also sits one win away at 3–1 against Severstal, who must respond on home ice to keep their playoff hopes alive.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

Sibir clinched the 16th and final playoff spot with a 3-2 victory over CSKA in Monday’s early game. The Siberians cannot finish higher than eighth in the East, meaning the first playoff pairing is also confirmed: regular season champ Metallurg, a 4-3 winner over Avtomobilist today, will start against Sibir. Neither SKA nor Torpedo were able to close on fourth-placed CSKA in the West. Traktor won 2-1 at home to SKA, Torpedo fell 3-6 to Neftekhimik. An entertaining Moscow derby ended in a shoot-out win for Dynamo at Spartak. Severstal beat Ak Bars 4-2 in Monday’s other action.

A seven-game KHL matchday features key clashes across both conferences. Sibir hosts CSKA in a game with playoff implications, while league leaders Metallurg welcome Avtomobilist. Traktor faces SKA as the Chelyabinsk side marks its 1,200th KHL game, and Barys meets Admiral in Kazakhstan. In Nizhny Novgorod, Torpedo takes on Neftekhimik. The Moscow derby sees Spartak battle Dynamo, while the day concludes with Severstal hosting Ak Bars in a cross-conference showdown.

Saturday’s solitary KHL game brought a road win for CSKA, halting Avtomobilist’s seven-game winning streak.

After yesterday’s emotions with an action-packed matchday, only one game is scheduled for today, with Avtomobilist hosting CSKA.

An overtime victory in Ufa, coupled with Lokomotiv’s defeat against Avtomobilist, means Metallurg will finish top of this season’s regular season standings. It’s the first time Magnitka has claimed top spot: in 2021/2022 the Steelmen topped the standings for points and ppg, but the regular season was not played to a finish after the Olympic break and the trophy was not awarded. Wednesday’s other action brought wins for Avangard, Severstal, CSKA, Dynamo Moscow and SKA.

Seven games are scheduled in the KHL today, with three matchups involving Eastern Conference teams and four in the West. Avangard hosts Torpedo, while Salavat Yulaev welcomes conference leader Metallurg in Ufa. Avtomobilist also entertains Lokomotiv in Yekaterinburg. Later, the Western Conference takes center stage as Lada receives Severstal in Togliatti. HC Sochi meets CSKA to recover the Feb. 23 game, Dynamo Moscow hosts the Shanghai Dragons, and SKA faces Dinamo Minsk in St. Petersburg to close the matchday.

Fifteen out of 16 playoff spaces are now full. Amur’s loss at home to Barys in Tuesday’s opening game was enough to confirm Traktor’s post-season spot despite the Chelyabinsk team’s loss to Neftekhimik later in the day. Meanwhile, Neftekhimik’s victory means that Igor Grishin has steered the Wolves to the playoffs in his first full season as a KHL head coach. Elsewhere, Ak Bars eased to victory at home to Spartak, while CSKA moved to fourth in the West with a win over Sochi.

Four games are on the schedule as the KHL regular season winds down. Amur welcomes Barys in a crucial playoff race clash in Khabarovsk, while Neftekhimik plays host to Traktor in Nizhnekamsk. In Moscow, CSKA takes on HC Sochi in a six-game homestand finale. The match day closes with Ak Bars squaring off against Spartak in Kazan.

The top two in the Eastern Conference both suffered 3-1 losses. Leader Metallurg fell at home to Avtomobilist, while second-placed Avangard fell to a surprise defeat in Sochi. CSKA edged a 1-0 win over Traktor, preventing the Chelyabinsk club from securing its playoff spot this week.

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.

Magnitogorsk hosts the opening clash as high-scoring Metallurg seeks revenge against defensively solid Avtomobilist. Avangard looks to extend its streak in Sochi, while CSKA attempts to break a worrying scoring drought against Traktor.