KHL - 2017-18 Review - CSKA Moscow

Igor Nikitin's team underwent an impressive consolidation during the preseason, with a number of Russian internationals and soon-to-be Russian internationals joining an already strong roster. No surprise, then, that CSKA immediately found itself ranked among the favorites for the title, and only a final series defeat at the hands of a typically disciplined Ak Bars prevented those predictions from coming true.



The story of the season
Not everything went smoothly for the Army Men over the first half of the campaign. This was Nikitin's first full season as head coach of a KHL club, and he was rotating the team in search of the best combinations. There was little doubt, however, about the last line of defense – Ilya Sorokin was the main goalie, and enjoyed 37 outings in the regular season, while understudy Lars Johansson played in 21 games.
The new-look CSKA faced a stern test in the very first match, in Saint Petersburg to contest the Opening Cup against reigning champion SKA. In the end, the Muscovites lost 2-4 to Oleg Znarok's team, but put in a decent performance nonetheless. The next match was on the road against the Railwaymen, and the Army Men left Yaroslavl with their first victory of 2017-18, winning a closely fought game against Lokomotiv 2-1 after a shootout. This success began a nine-game winning streak, eventually snapped by successive losses to Amur and Jokerit, although in CSKA's defense, flying out to Khabarovsk on the Pacific and then straight to Helsinki on the Baltic is hardly the ideal preparation.



There followed another nine-game winning run, which ended, curiously enough, with an overtime loss inflicted by Lokomotiv under ex-CSKA boss Dmitry Kvartalnov, and then came another Army Club Derby against SKA. This time the Petersburg Men won 5-2, and were to hold on to top spot in the Conference for the remainder of the season, although, on the bright side for the Moscow Men, they were to hold off the threat from Lokomotiv and thus secured second place in the West. In the first round of the knockout stage, CSKA encountered fierce crosstown rival Spartak, but managed to sweep the Red-and-Whites 4-0 while allowing just a solitary goal. Then the Army Men faced Jokerit, the team they eliminated 4-0 the previous year, but this time around the Helsinki Men, celebrating the club's 50^th anniversary, proved to be a much tougher opponent. The series stretched to six games, one of which set a record as the longest match in KHL history: it lasted 126 minutes and 14 seconds and resulted in a win for the Finns, yet CSKA still emerged victorious, 4-2, in the series.
The Western Conference final between CSKA and its fellow Army Men from Petersburg was a delight for the neutral and also - eventually - for fans of the Muscovites. Both teams produced positive, entertaining hockey, but with Johansson in superlative form between the pipes and young Kirill Kaprizov in ruthless mood in offense, CSKA clinched victory in overtime of Game 6. However, the Gagarin Cup final was a step too far. CSKA managed to win only once against Ak Bars, and the most coveted bit of silverware in the KHL was on its way to Kazan.

Coach

As we already mentioned, above, Igor Nikitin was in his first full season at the helm of a KHL team. With the departure last year of Dmitry Kvartalnov, the CSKA management placed their trust in his longtime assistant and were rewarded with an appearance in the Gagarin Cup final.

Nikitin tackled a wealth of problems before the start of the new season. He had to experiment with known players and new arrivals, all of them ambitious and hungry for ice time. He also tried to give youth a chance, and this policy paid off handsomely with the performances from Russia's Olympic hero Kirill Kaprizov. And Nikitin had to do much of this tinkering and fine-tuning over the course of the Championship. The coach himself, in an interview KHL.ru, said he would continue his work at CSKA.

Best match

On the 29^th of March, 2018, began the final of the Western Conference. The Gagarin Cup holder, SKA, welcomed CSKA to the Northern Capital and the two rivals produced a feast of hockey. Here we must give due credit to the opposition, as SKA's star-studded offense was in swashbuckling mood, but the Muscovites matched them blow for blow. Kaprizov produced an unforgettable and miraculous pass for Mikhail Grigorenko, and Andrei Kuzmenko hit a hat-trick, which included the golden goal in overtime which sealed a 5-4 win. CSKA had proved it could hold its own with the reigning champion.

Worst match
In September of last year, CSKA headed off to the Finnish capital to face Jokerit, a future opponent in the 2018 playoffs, and the hosts hit four unanswered goals – Matt Gilroy, Olli Palola, Niklas Jensen and John Norman inflicting the damage. For Nikitin's team, the defeat to the Finns was the first time this season that the Army Men had failed to trouble the scoreboard operator.

Discovery
It is stretching the meaning of the word, discovery, to use it for a player who ended the 2016-17 season with 42 points from 49 matches, but nonetheless, you have doubtless guessed that we are talking about Kirill Kaprizov. Bearing in mind his tender age, and that he had uprooted himself and moved from Ufa to the capital, facing a weight of expectation, we must laud the lad's success. He managed to stay just as dangerous to opposition defenses, recording 40 points in 46 games, he manfully shrugged off a dry spell and returned to his scoring ways, and he showed his coolness under pressure when he struck the winning goal in Game 5 of the Western Conference final against SKA. Last, but certainly not least, he performed heroically for his country in the Olympics.

Kirill Kaprizov

Disappointments
The team was formidable throughout the regular championship and stormed through the playoffs to the Gagarin Cup final, so it would be harsh to put a minus before the performances of any of the players. However, there was one man of whom much more was expected: Roman Lyubimov returned from North America to CSKA, played 40 matches in the regular season and scored 11 points. Coach Nikitin could not always find a place for the forward, and there was no call-up from Team Russia to represent his country at the Olympics.


Top scorer
Regular season: Maxim Shalunov – 40 (20+20), Sergei Shumakov – 40 (17+23), Kirill Kaprizov – 40 (15+25)
Playoffs: Mikhail Grigorenko – 13 (9+4), Alexander Popov – 13 (2+11), Kirill Petrov – 10 (4+6), Kirill Kaprizov – 10 (2+8)

KHL - 2017-18 Review - Ak Bars Kazan

Before the big anniversary Championship of the KHL got underway, most of the fans, and certainly, many of the experts, predicted that when spring came around the Cup would be held aloft by either SKA or CSKA. On paper, the rosters of the Petersburg and Moscow Army Men did indeed look impressive, and their battle for supremacy in the Western Conference resembled a skirmish on the eve of a war, but of course, hockey is played on ice, not on paper, and on Sunday, the 22nd of April, 2018, Ak Bars Kazan became the first three-time winner of the Gagarin Cup. How did the team from Tatarstan do it?



The story of the season The consolidation of the Kazan roster during the summer of 2017 caused many to ponder whether the glass was half-full or half-empty. On the optimists' side, the experience of Andrei Markov would be invaluable, but pessimists simply noted that he was not getting any younger. Yes, Stanislav Galiyev was undoubtedly a talented player, but the forward had made little impact in North America. Another plus point was the arrival of fresh talent departing Novokuznetsk, but few of them were tried and tested at the top level. Finally, the return of Danis Zaripov delighted all in Kazan, but his homecoming was marred by a positive drug test and the resulting suspension.
The regular season began, and the team lived up to the Jekyll-and-Hyde nature of the preseason predictions, stringing together four regulation time wins in the first four games before suffering a 0-5 hammering at home to HC Sochi. There were more slips and pitfalls to follow – a convincing defeat by Lokomotiv, shutout losses against CSKA and Neftekhimik, surprise reverses against Sibir and Severstal, and even some bad patches: five defeats in six matches in November, then four from five in December, but the discerning observer could see that Bilyaletdinov and his staff were sculpting and honing a team with its predatory eyes on the knockout stage.


With each passing game, local boy Emil Garipov grew in confidence and this spread to the skaters in front of him. Stanislav Galiyev gradually grew accustomed to the larger rink and forged an understanding with one of the best centers in the League – Vladimir Tkachyov. The Foreign Legionnaires – Jiri Sekac and new arrival Anton Lander – justified the club's faith in them. An exonerated Danis Zaripov returned to the ice, and despite an injury-and-Olympics-enforced absence totalling two months, Justin Azevedo was back and hungry for goals. All these factors came together and propelled Ak Bars to first place in the Eastern Conference. In the opening round of the playoffs, the Kazan team faced the tigers of Amur, who had sharpened their claws during the fierce battle for qualification. The Khabarovsk Men proved to be worthy opposition, but Ak Bars progressed unscathed and then conquered an even greater danger: Sergei Mozyakin and the men from Magnitogorsk. However, by this time the White Leopards had gained momentum, and after losing only one game to the men from Steel City, Ak Bars charged into the Conference final and swept Traktor aside in four games.


By this time, Azevedo had already secured for himself the title of playoff MVP, Garipov seemed invincible between the pipes, Galiyev, Tkachyov and Zaripov were combining like a Swiss timepiece, the defense was highly disciplined and captain Alexander Svitov was holding everything together. The final and most formidable hurdle, CSKA, was defeated with ruthless efficiency, and the club which had captured the first and second Gagarin Cups celebrated victory in the tenth jubilee Championship.
Coach
The coaching wizardry of Zinetula Bilyaletdinov seems to know no bounds. No-one can win every time, all the time – that, at least, is something on which most sports fans can agree – but to keep a team so fiercely competitive, to the extent that it has been a near-permanent contender every single year, and for a decade, is a truly remarkable feat of coaching. His only break from his labor as Ak Bars boss came when he was asked to coach the national team, but he soon returned and his trophy cabinet now displays three Gagarin Cups – a record matched by Oleg Znarok, admittedly, but the Ak Bars boss won all his silverware with just the one club.
Best match Curiously, over the whole of the Kazan team's victorious playoff campaign, the opposition was only kept off the scoreboard twice – in the very first and the very last, decisive game, and we are bound to name the latter as the champion's finest match of the season. Another curiosity – on both previous occasions when Ak Bars won the Gagarin Cup, the series was settled by a shutout victory. This time around we were treated to a truly epic battle, with the Army Men throwing everything at the Kazan defense, only for Canada's Rob Klinkhammer to strike the killer blow at the other end in the 42nd minute.



Worst match This category is particularly hard to fill, as Ak Bars produced such relentlessly powerful and disciplined hockey in the playoffs. For a truly awful night, we have to go back to early September, and that shock 0-5 thrashing on home ice at the hands of HC Sochi, which included a torrid final 14 minutes in which the men from the Black Sea struck four unanswered goals. Garipov, by the way, kept his place between the pipes, and was on the receiving end of all five goals.



Discovery In the regular season, 26-year-old forward Stanislav Galiyev tallied 12 goals in 52 games, and in the playoffs he scored 10 in 19 outings, thus becoming the top sniper of the knockout stage for the spring. Galiyev fully justified his decision to return to Russia, a step he took last summer after 10 years in North America, where he was unable to claim a regular first-team place with the Washington Capitals. Before the season got underway, he told KHL.ru: “I want to win the Gagarin Cup in my first season, and why shouldn't it happen?” Why indeed. Stanislav certainly chose the right team.
As for the top scorer and MVP of the playoffs, Justin Azevedo was already an established star, as was Danis Zaripov, who claimed a record fifth Gagarin Cup.


Disappointment
This category is even harder to fill than the “worst match” nomination, given the success of the Ak Bars collective and a coach known for instilling disciplined team play. In an interview given after the end of the playoffs, Zinetula Bilyaletdinov himself confirmed this: “I have always and will always defend all of my guys. They're my players, in my team. People who give their all to hockey. I cannot work any other way.” And this is strongly the case when everyone, without exception, played his part in the team's stunning success.


Top scorers
Regular season: Jiri Sekac – 42 (16 + 26), Vladimir Tkachyov – 36 (22+14), Anton Lander – 36 (9+27), Andrei Markov – 33 (5+28), Justin Azevedo – 28 (15+13)
Playoffs: Justin Azevedo – 24 (9+15), Stanislav Galiyev – 15 (10+5), Anton Lander – 13 (8+5), Jiri Sekac – 13 (4+9), Danis Zaripov – 11 (2+9)

KHL - Round Up - May 01-07, 2018

On the ice, it’s all about Russia’s bid to back up its Olympic triumph with victory at the World Championship. Off the ice, the transfer market is warming up nicely. Here’s what you need to know this week.


On top at the Worlds
Only one nation has ever won the Olympics and the World Championship in the same season. Russia is out to match Sweden’s 2006 double – and Ilya Vorobyov’s team is off to a flying start in Copenhagen. Back-to-back 7-0 victories sent a powerful message to the rest of the competition and young CSKA forward Kirill Kaprizov is leading the team’s scoring with 2+3 points after games against France and Austria. The youngster is clearly enjoying playing alongside Pavel Datsyuk – witness the disbelieving grin when the Magic Man conjured up another highlight reel assist for Kaprizov’s goal against Austria. “Pavel’s pass was something else,” enthused Kaprisov after the game. “And in the first period, especially, it felt like we had chances in every shift. We just need to be more clinical with them.”


Russia’s major rival might prove to be Finland. Like the Russians, the Finns have enjoyed back-to-back victories – 8-1 this time, against Korea and Latvia. Sebastian Aho’s 10 points in two games grabbed the headlines, but Veli-Matti Savinainen, recently signed by Kunlun Red Star, has chipped in with two goals and two assists of his own. Savinainen’s new clubmate, Magnus Hellberg, is enjoying his first test of major tournament action with Sweden. After blanking Belarus in his opening game, he helped the Tre Kronor to a 3-2 win over the Czechs on Sunday.
For two other KHL-heavy teams, though, life is not going so well. Latvia’s drubbing against Finland was so upsetting for one fan that he threw his shoes on to the ice in protest at his team’s performance. Head coach Bob Hartley commented after the game that he felt sorry for goalie Kristers Gudlevskis. “We left him exposed too often,” he said. “Several of our players should have done better.”
And Belarus, Russia’s opponent on Monday, began with a 0-5 loss against Sweden and followed up with a 2-6 reverse against France. For Dave Lewis and his team, the problem has been scoring goals. Against France, Belarus topped the shot count 40-30 but was undone by clinical French finishing; against Sweden, in the words of Dinamo Minsk’s Dmitry Korobov, they only managed to compete for the first 10 minutes of play.

Avto strengthens, Barys loses forwards Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg made a statement of intent on the transfer market, inking deals with three renowned forwards. Stephane Da Costa, currently captaining France at this year’s World Championship, was the first to sign up. The Frenchman returns to the KHL, where he spent three seasons with CSKA before going to play in Switzerland last year. Dan Sexton, who represented Team USA at the 2015 Worlds, joins from Neftekhimik. But the bigger coup came at the weekend when the team confirmed the capture of Nigel Dawes. The 33-year-old is perhaps the most impressive import of the KHL era, with 376 (217+159) points in 417 games for Barys since 2011.
Barys also lost another forward when Linden Vey signed up for CSKA. The 26-year-old Canadian made 36 assists last season playing alongside Dawes and won a bronze medal at the Winter Olympics.


Praise for Keenan From the outside, Kunlun Red Star’s experiment with head coach Mike Keenan might look like a flop. The Canadian was replaced partway through the season as the team fell short of a playoff spot. But GM Raitis Pilsetnieks believes that Iron Mike’s contribution will have a lasting impact far beyond his few months behind the bench.
“I can instantly say that appointing Mike was not a mistake in any way,” Pilsetnieks said in an exclusive interview with KHL.ru. “The problem was that he faced too many different tasks. We didn’t ask Keenan to simply be head coach of a KHL team, we invited him to share his vast experience of hockey structures.
“As a result, sometimes he didn’t get the chance to do as much as he’d like with the first team. But Keenan managed to establish several important processes that will further develop our club. And Mike himself remains with Red Star in a consulting role: as before, he is on our international coordinating council and his experience there is highly valued.”

IIHF - World Championships 2018

Preview
The 2018 Worlds will be held in Denmark from the 4th to the 20th of May, and there will be KHL players representing Russia, Sweden, Finland, the Czech Republic, Belarus, Latvia, Slovakia, and the host nation, Denmark. The rosters, as always, are subject to last-minute changes, and the biggest KHL delegation will be Team Russia, naturally, with 20 of the League's players in the roster. In the group stage, Russia will face the Swedes, Czechs, Swiss, Belarusians, Slovaks, French and Austrians. The other group will be contested by Canada, the USA, Finland, Germany, Norway, Latvia, Denmark and South Korea.
Russia

The reigning Olympic champion, under the guidance of new boss Ilya Vorobyov, will have Metallurg's Vasily Koshechkin as number one goalie, backed up by Ilya Sorokin (CSKA) and Igor Shestyorkin (SKA).
In defense, the new boss has chosen a pairing which shone at last year's World Championships, Bogdan Kiselevich (CSKA) and Vladislav Gavrikov (SKA), and it will also be interesting to see the progress of Avtomobilist's young star, Nikita Tryamkin. Eyebrows were raised at the absence of Stanislav Galiyev and Vladimir Tkachyov, but the new coach merely decided that all the Ak Bars guys had a long and tough season and should rest their weary limbs. Centering the first offensive line will be Pavel Datsyuk (SKA), who, in all likelihood, will still be partnered by Nikita Gusev (SKA) and Kirill Kaprizov (CSKA). given the success of that fearsome threesome at the Olympics. There will be some new faces – for example, Alexei Byvaltsev, who only this week moved from Amur to SKA, and Ilya Mikheyev of Avangard.

Sweden

The Swedes' have a troika of high-profile KHL men – one goalie: Magnus Hellberg (Kunlun Red Star), and two forwards: Dennis Everberg (Neftekhimik) and John Norman (Jokerit) – and all will be eager to play a part in helping the Three Crowns defend their World Champions' crown.
Norman has proved a highly accomplished attacker, whether battling out by the boards, piling the pressure on defensemen or beating his opponent with guile, while Everberg was in superb form at the recent Eurotour and shows no sign of easing up after a punishing season in the KHL.
However, Hellberg is probably the most impressive of the three. The Kunlun goalie is big, but mobile, with sharp reflexes and a cool temperament. Who could ask for anything more? He may well be the main goalie for the Swedes in this tournament, and indeed, he should be if his excellent displays at the Eurotour are taken into account.
Finland
There are half-a-dozen hockey players from the KHL representing Finland at the World Championships, plus a couple of surprising absentees from the goaltending department - neither Mikko Koskinen, so solid for SKA, nor Juha Metsola, whose frequently spectacular form was behind this week's move from Amur to Salavat Yulaev, made the cut.
In defense, we will doubtless see quite a lot of Tommi Kivisto (Jokerit). He scored a goal during the recent Eurotour games and overall looked very reliable and consistent. He is one of five players from the Helsinki team to merit selection. The others, all forwards, are Olli Palola, Pekka Jormakka, Mika Niemi and Marko Anttila.
However, the stand-out name in the offense among Finland's KHL legion at the Eurotour was a Ugra man, Veli-Matti Savinainen, who was providing assist after assist as well as scoring crucial shootout goals. If he repeats his Eurotour form in Denmark, he may well be the Finns' main danger man.

Czech Republic

Pavel Francouz (Traktor) will probably be the number one goalie for the Czech Republic at these World Championships. and whether or not that turns out to be the case, the Chelyabinsk man has certainly won many admirers over the last twelve months. He was impressive in the regular season, phenomenal in the playoffs, and he was also in fine form at the Olympics.
Others from the KHL (six in all) include defenseman Adam Polasek, who this week departed HC Sochi for Neftekhimik, and fellow defenseman Michal Jordan of Amur, who could add a bit of solidity to the Czechs' rearguard.
At the sharp end, Andrej Nestrasil and Robin Hanzl (both – Neftekhimik) will be a threat to defenses if they can repeat their impressive performances in the recent Eurotour stage.
Latvia
Bob Hartley's roster boasts 13 players from the KHL, and as you might expect, the lion's share are drawn from the Dinamo Riga ranks. The star name in the Latvia line-up is undoubtedly forward Miks Indrasis and he should shine at these World Championships, particularly when partnered by Mikelis Redlihs, as the pair are often in the same line, and to good effect, at Dinamo Riga.
Injury has sadly ruled out Torpedo forward Kaspars Daugavins, which is a big loss for Hartley, but he can console himself with the improving form and rapid maturity of young defensive pair Uvis Janis Balinskis and Kristaps Zīle (both – Dinamo Riga), who might surprise a few opponents.


Belarus Dinamo Minsk forms the nucleus of the Belarus national team, supplying no fewer than eight of the names on head coach Dave Lewis's roster. Many expect great things from forward Yegor Sharangovich, who does not even reach his 20th birthday until Sunday, but who earned valuable experience and sincere plaudits during the season and this is sure to help him at the World Championships.
Another player worth watching is Pavel Vorobei (Kunlun Red Star). The defenseman was one of the plus points in a disappointing season for the Chinese club, who failed to push for a playoff place. Pavel is a useful man in the power play unit and possesses a mighty shot.
The roster also includes Gagarin Cup finalist Geoff Platt (CSKA), who has maintained a healthy scoring record for almost all his long career, and his presence is bound to be talismanic for Team Belarus.



Denmark
There are only a handful of KHL players in the hosts' roster, but they are nonetheless worth watching. Peter Regin, Oliver Lauridsen, Jesper Jensen and Niklas Jensen were all part of Jokerit's impressive season, and we can expect Regin to shine for his country at the World Championships as he does for his club.
Finally, the Slovakia roster includes Avtomobilist defenseman Michal Cajkovsky.








Game 1 - May 4
Russia 7 France 0 (3-0, 1-0, 3-0) - Kaprizov stars in Russian romp Two goals and an assist from CSKA’s Kirill Kaprizov led the way as Russia got off to a flying start at the 2018 World Championship in Copenhagen. But the man of the moment was not eager to celebrate despite marking his debut in this competition with a big win.
“It was an OK game, we made some mistakes as well,” he said. “We’ll need to keep improving from game to game. We allowed a few turnovers, the coaches are telling us all about it. Even so, it’s good to start with a big win.”
An early triple salvo set Russia on the road in Copenhagen. Evgeny Dadonov and Kaprizov quickly found French cuisine to their liking, feasting on the opportunities afforded by the Gallic defense as this year’s IIHF jamboree got underway in Denmark.
Dadonov was the first to show, enjoying the freedom of French zone to circle around a static back line and feed a dish to Kaprizov in front of Florian Hardy’s net in the eighth minute. 1-0, and the Red Machine was still warming up. It didn’t take long for Russia to add a second. This time, the holes in the French defense were partly explained by a penalty on Damien Raux, but Pavel Buchnevich still had an astonishing amount of time and space on the doorstep to put away the rebound from Mikhail Grigorenko’s slap shot. And two minutes later, Kaprizov returned the favor for Dadonov to smack home a third. Game over, and barely 10 minutes on the clock.
Vasily Koshechkin was a virtual spectator in the Russian net until a French power play late in the opening frame – former CSKA forward Stephane Da Costa hooked back by Pavel Datsyuk to earn his team the advantage. The PP was not hugely dangerous, but Koshechkin did well to hang on as Sacha Treille looked to get on the end of an Anthony Rech slap shot. The second period brought a noticeable drop in the intensity of the game: it’s a long tournament, and with game one under control the key thing for Russia was keeping the door closed on any French revival, rather than busting a gut to pile up the scoring. A fourth goal did arrive late in the frame when Datsyuk’s defense-splitting pass found Kaprizov and he shot through Hardy’s five-hole.
Hardy did not return for the final stanza, with Ronan Quemener taking over between the piping. He was soon beaten by Alexander Barabanov on a play that combined the sublime and the ridiculous. The SKA forward’s stick-handling to get around Nicolas Ritz was superb; the outrageous deflection off Florian Chakiachvili’s backside was faintly comic. Maxim Shalunov’s laser of a wrister to the top corner a couple of minutes later, converting a Datsyuk feed, was a more satisfying spectacle all round. Artyom Anisimov wrapped up the scoring with the seventh goal late in the game, leaving French head coach Dave Henderson admitting that his team had been mauled by a better side.
“Russia was too strong,” he said. “We seemed a little timid out there in the first period and we were down 3-0. We left guys open in the slot for two goals then another on the power play. We didn’t have the leg that we need to play a good game against that team today. We have to regroup and come back tomorrow.
“We have to learn from it. We made some mistakes and we have to look at the tape and talk to the players about where we made the mistakes and rectify them. We can’t sit on that, we have to take a couple of hours to settle down, look at the game critically and see where we went wrong.”
Russia’s preparations for the tournament have been hampered by an injury to SKA’s Nikita Gusev, one of the key men in February’s Olympic triumph. Captain Pavel Datsyuk said: “Gusev is a skilled player, it was obvious that we missed him. We’ll wait for him [to recover] and then see where we are.”
Russia’s next game is on Sunday against newly-promoted Austria.

Round Up - May 5

Gusev flies in No game for Russia today, and the hot topic at the lunchtime practice – apart from the unusually cold practice rink – was the fate of Nikita Gusev. The SKA forward, expected to lead Russia’s offense here, could not come to Denmark with the rest of the squad on Wednesday due to injury but flew into Copenhagen yesterday and joined the team in the hotel. In town, but not in training. Gusev wasn’t present in Saturday’s session. Alexei Zhamnov, one of Ilya Vorobyov’s assistant coaches, told reporters that the player’s fitness was being closely monitored in the hopes that he could be added to the roster in the coming days. Russia’s next game is against Austria early on Sunday.
Belarus in peril
A 0-5 loss to defending champion Sweden was rough, but perhaps not critical to Belarusian prospects in this year’s tournament. However, today’s 2-6 reverse against France is a different story. From hoping for a quarter-final spot, Belarus is now anxiously looking at a relegation battle. It’s survival chances were hardly helped by newly-promoted Austria picking up an unexpected point from its opening game against Switzerland, while Dave Lewis’ team looks desperately short of a cutting edge at one end and a solid goalie at the other.
For France, former CSKA man Stephane Da Costa led the way with a goal and two assists as his team bounced back from its 0-7 loss against Russia yesterday. He was understandably happy to put the record straight, but the Belarusian team was clearly worried about its start here.
“The game against France was really important for us but look at the scoreline,” said Vladimir Denisov. The vastly experienced Dynamo Minsk man continued: “I guess a few players didn’t really get how significant this game was, it’s embarrassing. We needed to do more to help our young goalies.
“In this championship we should be beating our immediate rivals and putting up a real fight against the favorites.”
Winning starts for Latvia and Finland
Belarus hit trouble but there was better news for Latvia as it began its campaign with an overtime victory over Norway. Bob Hartley’s men trailed 0-2 in the first period but recovered to tie it up thanks to goals from Rudolfs Bacers and Rodrigo Abols before Bacers got his second of the game early in overtime to win it for the Latvians.

Game 2 - May 6 - Russia v Austria 7-0
Another romp for Russia For the second game running, Russia powered to a 7-0 victory. This time, Austria was the victim, battered by two goals from Mikhail Grigorenko, tormented by a moment of magic from Pavel Datsyuk and hit by first-ever World Championship markers for Avangard’s Ilya Mikheyev and ex-CSKA man Maxim Mamin. As well as the Russian attack snarling with menace, the defense also looks solid. In two games, Ilya Vorobyov’s team has allowed just 21 shots. Igor Shestyorkin, taking his World Championship bow when he replaced Vasily Koshechkin in the third period, faced just four as he made a flawless start to life at this level. But there’s a note of caution attached to these wins. Impressive as Russia has been, neither France nor Austria are expected to do much more than scrap against relegation here. In both cases, the opposition acknowledged that, under normal circumstances, it could expect little from a game against Russia. Austria’s Brian Lebler summed it up: “It’s exciting for us to play against guys of that caliber and see what it takes to be the best in the world. Obviously, we’d like to keep it a little bit closer but it was fun out there and I think we learned a little bit too.”
For the Russians, the message is clear – nobody can afford to get carried away. “I hope we won’t ease off after games like these, and that it will be good for the team,” said Evgeny Dadonov. “We’ll keep trying to get better, we need to tighten up some of our systems.”
“It felt like playing Austria was harder than the game against the French, but any team here can cause problems,” added the former SKA forward.

Savinainen impresses for Finland

Veli-Matti Savinainen was on form for Finland as the Leijonat made it two wins from two. Kunlun Red Star’s new signing had a goal and an assist in the first period to put his country in control against Latvia in Group B. He got another goal in the second as Finland eased to a 8-1 victory. Sebastian Aho led the scoring with 2+4 while Dinamo Riga’s Roberts Bukarts got the consolation goal for the Latvians. Like Russia, Finland has recorded back-to-back victories by the same seven-goal margin.
Earlier in the day, Norway edged Germany 5-4 in a shoot-out. The Germans have now suffered back-to-back losses in their first tournament since that Olympic sensation in Korea.



Game 3 - May 7 - Russia v Belarus 6-0

Datsyuk double paces Russia to victory
Russia’s perfect start to the 2018 World Championship continued with a comfortable 6-0 victory over Belarus. After three games in Copenhagen, Ilya Vorobyov’s team has scored 20 and conceded zero. Sure, the opposition may not be the most intimidating, but teams can only beat the opponent in front of them and Russia has been convincing in its first games here.
Monday’s match-up with Belarus was as one-sided as the games that preceded it. At times it felt like something of a practice session as Russia was able to move the puck around almost at will. Pavel Datsyuk led the scoring with two goals and an assist and warned of stiffer tasks ahead.
“Our biggest tests are still to come,” he said. “I'm sure the game against the Czechs will be a better indication of where we are. From game to game we've been trying to cut out the silly mistakes and we need to keep on with that. I thought we had fewer errors today but the main thing was getting the result.
“Right now our line is coming together nicely but it will be interesting to see how we can play against stronger opposition.”
Datsyuk’s line also combined for Russia’s sixth goal, scored by Kirill Kaprizov. After the game he joked that the team still needed to add something after failing to match the 7-0 margins of the first two games. In a more serious vein, the CSKA youngster added: “That first period was probably the toughest we’ve had in this tournament. Belarus played well, pressed hard and even hit the post. The good thing is that we had another shut-out and we kept scoring our goals, but we all know our biggest games are still to come.” Maxim Shalunov, Maxim Mamin and Ilya Kablukov were also on the scoresheet for Russia while Igor Shestyorkin marked his first World Championship start with a shut out. For Belarus, goalie Vitaly Trus – subject to inevitable headlines punning on the popular Soviet hockey song ‘Trus ne igraet v khokkei’ (Cowards don’t play hockey) – blamed defensive lapses for his team’s loss. “In the first period we did well but in the second we twice left their players all alone on the slot. It was like something from kindergarten,” he said.

Ilya Vorobyov and his team now have two free days before returning to the ice on Thursday against the Czechs. Belarus, rooted to the foot of Group A after three heavy losses, has one day to regroup before facing Switzerland on Wednesday.
Update - May 8
Russia has filled three more slots on its roster – and won’t be inviting any more players from the NHL to this year’s tournament. SKA forward Nikita Gusev proved his fitness in today’s practice and joins Ilya Vorobyov’s team, while CSKA goalie Ilya Sorokin and Nikita Soshnikov (St. Louis) also take their place on the team. Meanwhile, Wednesday’s evening results mean that Russia and Sweden are the only teams in the tournament to retain 100% records. The Swedes cruised to a 7-0 victory over Austria, with Rickard Rakell collecting 2+1, while Denmark produced the shock of the tournament so far when it downed Finland 3-2 in Herning.




Game 4 - May 11 - Russia v Czech Republic 3-4 OT - Pastrnak, Krejci sink Russia
After three convincing wins against tournament outsiders, Russia got a rude awakening when it went up against a Czech team reinforced with David Krejci and David Pastrnak. Despite flying into Denmark early the morning, the Boston Bruins pair combined for seven points as the Czechs snatched a dramatic 4-3 overtime victory. Pastrnak wrapped it up with the game-winner, collecting his own rebound behind the net and shooting off the legs of Yegor Yakovlev to end a pulsating game.
Captain Pavel Datsyuk paid tribute to the impact the two new Czechs made on the team, but downplayed the disappointment of dropping points after three shut-out victories had made Russia the most talked-about team in Copenhagen.
“The guys from Boston really lifted the Czechs' game,” he said. “It was clear that they were excited about coming to Denmark.
“We had a really good game. Of course, there were lots of mistakes on both sides. But today wasn't a game that we had to win at all costs. The coaches tried to make a few changes in our lines. Now we'll look at that and see what works and what doesn't.”

Team Russia's fans

Russia got off to a perfect start when Nikita Nesterov opened the scoring in the second minute. David Rittich made the stop from Alexander Barabanov but the rebound broke for Nesterov to wind up a slap shot that gave the Czech goalie no chance. And Rittich was beaten once again minutes later, only to be saved by the piping as Nikita Tryamkin launched a shot at goal. But the Czechs rallied, ending Russia’s long run without allowing a goal in this tournament and finishing the first period in front. Krejci and Pastrnak were involved in both goals. Krejci scored the first, firing home from the slot after some patient build-up play. After 194:41, Russia finally conceded its first goal in this tournament. Later, Krejci and Pastrnak turned provider to set up Dmitrij Jaskin to make it 2-1. Russia replied early in the second, when good work from Pavel Buchnevich behind the net set up Mikhail Grigorenko for the tying goal. Krejci and Pastrnak combined again to restore the Czech lead but Russia tied it up 90 seconds later when Nikita Zaitsev deceived the defense and presented Barabanov with an empty net. Dinar Khafizullin almost put the Russians ahead when his point shot rattled off both posts and somehow bounced to safety.
Czech head coach Josef Jandac admitted that he didn’t know until the last minute that he would be able to use the new arrivals.
“We had to wait for them,” he said. “We had to wait and see if they felt they could play when they got off the plane.
“They got a couple of hours sleep then came to practice. We knew that they could play like that. Krejci and Pastrnak are the best players in the Czech Republic. The only question for us was who should play on their line, and Dima Yaskin did a good job with that.”
Russia is now second in Group A with 10 points from four games. Leaders Sweden remains perfect with 12 from four.

Nikita Gusev is set to take his bow in this year’s World Championship when Russia plays Switzerland in Copenhagen on Saturday evening.
The SKA forward completed a full training session with the team on Friday and could be used in his Olympic line with Kirill Kaprizov and Pavel Datsyuk. Russia also filled the final slot on its roster, with defenseman Alexei Bereglazov getting the nod ahead of forward Alexei Byvaltsev. Dinar Khafizullin is struggling with a minor knock, prompting the team to look for cover on defense rather than up front. Eeli Tolvanen, whose season has already included World Juniors, Olympics, KHL playoffs and three games in the NHL, is set to finish up at the Worlds with team Finland. The 19-year-old is expected to be available for Saturday’s game.

Game 5 - May 12 - Russia v Switzerland 4-3
Russia edges past Switzerland It wasn’t a vintage Russia performance, but it was good enough for a 4-3 victory over a stubborn Swiss team. Better still, Nikita Gusev’s return after illness was a success: two assists, and a new spark to the team as his line with Pavel Datsyuk and Kirill Kaprizov recalled those Olympic glory days.
“Basically I thought it went OK after such a long break,” Gusev said. “The first two periods were good but in the third it was hard. Overall it was good. Our line started creating chances immediately and if we'd taken them from the start the game would have been much easier.”
Russia was denied by the post twice in the early minutes, but could not break through until the second period. Then Gusev’s pass set up Datsyuk and his miscued shot was put away by Kaprizov. The Swiss responded with a power play goal, but almost immediately Evgeny Dadonov restored Russia’s lead after a breakdown in the opposition’s zone. Then, two seconds before the intermission, Gusev crafted another goal. His feed for Nikita Nesterov sat perfectly for the CSKA D-man, and the shot gave Reto Berra no chance in the Swiss net.
Mikhail Grigorenko led the appreciation: “Gus is one of our best players. It’s always nice to get your leaders back. He’s got a lot of skill, and he showed it today. He had two beautiful assists, and he helps us on the power play a lot.”


Grigorenko would score Russia’s fourth, but Switzerland battled hard in the third period. Goals from Sven Andrighetto and Gaetan Haas ensured an anxious finish but Russia held on to move a single point behind Sweden in the Group A table.

The shambolic Belarusian performance in Copenhagen reached a new and decisive low as Austria romped to a 4-0 victory. The defeat condemns Belarus to Division IA for next season and means Austria is the first newly-promoted nation to survive in the top tier since France in 2008. The stats make grim reading for Belarus. Six losses in a row, just four goals scored all tournament and no goals in the back-to-back games against the Czechs and the Austrians. Ditching head coach Dave Lewis during the tournament did nothing to lift the team or its results.
In Group B, Finland produced the performance of the day with a strong power play thumping Canada 5-1. Eeli Tolvanen, fresh off the plane from Nashville, contributed a goal and an assist as the Finns underlined their gold medal credentials.
Update


After a draining battle with Switzerland on Saturday night, Russia’s Sunday skate was optional. Most players chose to rest up and recuperate ahead of the upcoming game against Slovakia, leaving coach Alexei Zhamnov to do most of the talking. He was full of praise for Nikita Gusev after the SKA forward’s two assist in that win against the Swiss. “Gusev is a real master,” he said. “He’s one of our most talented players and he gives us a real boost on offense.”
He also played down concerns that this Russian team has looked less impressive in its last two games, dismissing suggestions that Oleg Znarok’s Olympic Athletes were a stronger team the Vorobyov’s World Championship roster.
“Since the Olympics we’ve brought in several new players,” Zhamnov added. “We’ve got guys playing in their first World Championship, it’s a different team. And, of course, at the Worlds we are seeing players arriving from the NHL. The skill level is probably higher than at the Olympics. But don’t forget that the tension and passion of the Olympics makes that a tough tournament as well.”
Russia plays Slovakia on Monday evening. Victory would set up a showdown with group leader Sweden to claim first place and a quarter-final against the weakest qualifier from Group B. Defeat would put Russia in danger of finishing third or fourth in the group and having to make a three-hour rail journey to Herning for its first game of the knock-out rounds.

In Herning there was another shock result as Germany defeated the Finns in overtime. The Finns had been drawn into a war of words after beating Canada 5-1 and being accused of cheating for their pains, but seemed to be on course for a routine success when Eeli Tolvanen opened the scoring in the first period. The Germans hit back with two second-period strikes but Sebastian Aho tied the scores late on. In overtime, Markus Eisenschmid got the winner for the Olympic silver medallist, but the result means it’s unlikely that Germany will progress beyond the group stage here.

Game 6 - May 14 - Norway v Slovakia 4-0 - Russia heads for Swedish showdown
Russia cruised to a 4-0 victory over Slovakia, confirming a top-two finish in Group A and ensuring that the team will not face a trip to Herning for its quarter-final. Victory over Sweden tomorrow would secure top spot in the group and a tie against the weakest of the teams qualifying from Group B – potentially Denmark or Latvia. Against Slovakia, Russia eased into a 2-0 lead in the first period on goals from Maxim Mamin and Nikita Gusev, with the SKA forward getting his first goal of the tournament to add to his pair of assists against Switzerland. The scoreboard did not tell the full story of Russia’s dominance, with Slovakia limited to just two shots at Igor Shestyorkin in the Russian net.
“In the first period it was hard because there were no shots on me,” the SKA goalie said. “In the second period I was involved in the game more, I had more to do. The guys did well, blocking a load of shots and helping us to get the win.”
The middle frame was played at a slower pace, with Slovakia spending more time on the attack but struggling to create dangerous chances. However, Nikita Zaitsev dismissed suggestions that Russia began playing more defensively as the game went on.
“We played well, it felt like we were in control of the game,” said the former Sibir and CSKA defenseman. “I don’t think we got defensive, we tried to play the same way throughout the game and we should have scored more goals.”
Those goals came late on, with Slovakia hit by two empty-net tallies. Maxim Shalunov and Ilya Mikheyev put some gloss on the scoreline.
Captain Pavel Datsyuk was keen to see his team maintain its early intensity in future games. “Our first period was good,” he said. “In the second and third we already started seeing little mistakes creep into our game. We started to allow them some counter attacks and the pattern of the game was different.”
While Russia moves calmly into the knock-out phase, Slovakia must hope that France can get a win over Switzerland in Tuesday’s first game. If the Swiss slip up, the Slovaks can claim fourth place with a win against Belarus. In Group A’s other game, the Czech Republic sealed third place with a 4-3 victory over Austria. Two goals in the first three minutes put the Czechs in control, but a late double from Austria’s Michael Raffl made for a tense finish. Tomas Hyka led the Czech scoring with two goals and an assist, Dominik Kubalik had 1+2.
Latvia came close to causing a sensation as it battled Canada all the way in Herning. In a gritty defensive display reminiscent of the teams’ meeting at the Sochi Olympics, goalie Kristers Gudlevcis made 31 saves to keep the Canadians at bay and force a 1-1 tie. It was a measure of Latvia’s struggle that it managed just two shots in the third period: fortunately, Kristians Rubins put one of them in Darcy Kuemper’s net to force the action into overtime.
There was no fairytale ending – Connor McDavid snatched the winner within seconds of the restart – but Latvia’s bonus point for an overtime loss means that any kind of win against Denmark tomorrow will put the team into the quarter-finals at the host’s expense.
“If there is anything we can take from today’s game it is our defence,” said Latvian forward Rodrigo Abols. “We kept them to the outside. It might have looked like they had a lot of puck possession, but it was all on the walls. We were trying to protect the middle because that is what they are looking for.”
Korea’s first ever World Championship campaign came to an unhappy end with a 0-3 loss against Norway. The Koreans finished with defeats in all seven games and lopsided goal differential of -44. Tobias Lindstrom, Thomas Olsen and Jonas Holos got the Norwegian goals as the Scandinavians made absolutely sure of their top-flight status.


Game 7 - May 16 - Russia v Sweden 1-3
Defending World Champion Sweden beat Russia’s Olympic gold medallists in a hugely entertaining game in Copenhagen. Despite an early Kirill Kaprizov goal giving Russia the lead, this was always a hard-fought battle. Swedish goalie Anders Nilsson, once of Ak Bars, made 30 saves to frustrate Ilya Vorobyov’s men and the Tre Kronor penalty kill did a fine job of neutralizing the threat Russia posed on several power play in the first half of the game. It all came unraveled for the Red Machine in the latter stages of the second period, though. Rickard Rakell tied the scores, then provided the screen in front of Vasily Koshechkin as Mika Zibanejad fired Sweden in front. A brave third-period rally was not enough to save Russia, and a late empty-net goal from Mattias Ekholm secured the win for Sweden.
CSKA forward Sergei Andronov was not too disheartened by Russia’s loss. “It was a high-quality game, like a real playoff game,” he said “Things went wrong for us at the end of the second period. Against a team like that you need to make the right decisions. They have so much skill, they will punish any lapse.
“There where times when we needed to simplify things, especially when we were getting tired. That’s something we need to take from the game, something we can learn from for the future.”
As for facing Canada, Andronov observed that any quarter-final opponent would be testing, while Evgeny Dadonov added that the only way to win medals was to beat the best. Nikita Gusev, who produced another sublime assist for Kaprizov’s goal, was frustrated by the chances Russia missed. “I had a couple of chances that I got wrong, and there were a couple of times when the puck bounced badly for me,” he said. “But, of course, those are the chances that we have to take. “At times the Swedes played recklessly so we got plenty of power plays. We just needed to take those chances. It’s hard to win with only one goal.”
Earlier in Group A, Switzerland ensured fourth place and a quarter-final match-up against Finland thanks to a 5-1 victory against France. But the big story for many was the end of Dave Henderson’s 14-year reign as head coach of Les Bleus. In that time he and assistant Pierre Pousse have established France in the Elite Pool.
Belarus saw its miserable campaign come to an end with a 4-7 loss to Slovakia. Sergei Pushkov’s team produced an improved performance and even looked capable of snatching a win after rallying from 0-2 to lead 4-3 in the third period. Sergei Drozd snapped his record-breaking non-scoring run with an assist as Alexander Kitarov got the team’s first goal of the game; there were also tallies for Charles Linglet, Evgeny Kovyrshin and Pavel Vorobei.

Finland tops Group B, Latvia vs Denmark

Latvia reached its first World Championship quarter-final since Oleg Znarok was head coach of the Baltic nation, and is set to play Sweden in Copenhagen. The Latvians advanced in a win-or-bust showdown against Denmark, breaking the host nation’s hearts with a 1-0 victory. Latvia took the lead in the 10^th minute through Andris Dzerins, assisted by Miks Indrasis but it was the team’s defensive performance that earned the vital victory. Elvis Merzlikins made 19 saves on the night, but it was the efforts of a blue line brigade that did a great job of restricting Denmark to half chances for much of the evening.
Earlier, Finland handed the USA a 6-2 defeat to secure top spot and a quarter-final clash with Switzerland. Sebastian Aho, the leading scorer in the World Championship, led the way with a hat-trick and there was a goal for Jokerit’s Markko Anttila. Kunlun Red Star newboy Veli-Matti Savinainen got two assists, while Eeli Tolvanen and Tommi Kivisto also had helpers.
Canada wrapped up its group phase schedule with a 3-0 victory over Germany. That was enough to secure third place for a Canadian roster that has alternated between impressive and average thus far. Germany was unable to get close to its Olympic form: PyeongChang’s silver medalists were down in sixth place in Group B.

Quarter-final pairings:
Copenhagen – Russia vs Canada (4:15 local time), Sweden vs Latvia (8:15)
Herning – USA vs Czech Republic (4:15), Finland vs Switzerland (8:15)

Quarter Final - May 17 - Russia v Canada 4-5 OT

Russia’s dream of becoming only the second country to win Olympic and World Championship gold in the same year is over. A 5-4 overtime loss against Canada in Thursday’s quarter-final ended the Red Machine’s journey in Copenhagen. It’s the first time since 2013 that Russia has not brought home a medal from the Worlds.
The decisive blow was a power play goal from Canada’s Ryan O’Reilly, tapping home a delicious Connor McDavid assist while Kirill Kaprizov sat out a contentious slashing call. The young forward, Russia’s overtime hero in Korea, was left disconsolate here. Afterwards, he said: “My penalty decided everything. I broke the rules, I shouldn’t have got involved there. But I didn’t think the refs were going to call the penalty. It was their call.”
The last time these two rivals met on World Championship duty was in Koln last year. On that occasion, Russia stormed into a 2-0 lead, only for it all to fall away in the third period when Canada hit back with four goals to win it and reach a third successive final. This time, for a moment, it seemed that the reverse might happen. Russia, sluggish at the start, trailed 0-2 in the second period but hit back to tie the scores midway through the game with a quick-fire salvo from Ilya Mikheyev and Alexander Barabanov. The game was a barn-burner and the teams traded four more goals in a pulsating third period. Canada led twice more; Russia, like a horror-movie monster, refused to play dead. Sergei Andronov and Artyom Anisimov got the other Russian goals.

Despite the thrilling game – and the huge character Russia showed to rebound after a flat first period and turn this into yet another Titantic edition of international hockey’s biggest rivalry – Anisimov could not hide his disappointment in the end.

“Missing out on the medals for the first time since 2013 is a failure,” he said. “We could have achieved much more. We had a really good team, we could have won the tournament. We just came up short, we lost to Canada in overtime.”
And that slow start? “You could say we weren’t on our game in the first period but don’t forget this was a quarter-final against Canada,” he said. “We adapted, we started playing our hockey, moving the puck. Their goalie allowed a lot of rebounds, we just needed to get more shots away. When we started shooting, the goals started coming.”





mAndronov, who was in the box for the first two Canadian goals, was asked about the refereeing. “It’s not for me to judge,” he said, “but to get penalties like the ones we took …
“You can’t give penalties like that. I think there was nothing in about half of them. Especially in overtime. If we’d only taken half of those penalties, our job would have been much easier.”
Head coach Ilya Vorobyov admitted that it was the most painful loss of his career. “We could have beaten Canada,” he said. “We were so close. It shows the depth of the Canadian roster: last year O’Reilly was on the top line, this year he was on the second.”
As for the tournament as a whole, Vorobyov added that it was played at a very high level, unusually high for an Olympic season.
Canada now moves on to play Switzerland in the semi-finals. The Swiss got a shock win over Finland in Herning and goes to the final four for the first time since 2013 – coincidentally the last time Russia failed to reach the semi-finals.

Latvia runs Sweden so close

Latvia hadn’t been in a quarter-final since 2009, when an up-and-coming coach called Oleg Znarok was behind the bench. This season the team came closer than ever to reaching its first ever semi-final. On paper, it looked a mismatch: Sweden had been imperious in Group A, winning every game. Latvia, meanwhile, crept into the quarters at the last moment with a 1-0 win over Denmark. But the rugged Latvian defense had tested both Canada and the USA in the group phase, and it put pressure on Sweden here. A goalless, almost chanceless first period wasn’t what the Tre Kronor expected. A middle frame that opened up but finished at 1-1 with Latvia coming on strong as the intermission approached definitely wasn’t in the script. On the balance of play, it was entirely plausible that Bob Hartley might lead his team to a historic victory. Only in the third did Sweden gain a measure of control. Viktor Arvidsson scored early in the frame, Oliver Ekman-Larsson added a contentious third after a scrum on the Latvian crease. Rudolfs Balcers got one back but the Swedes held on.
Miks Indrasis, a regular for Latvia on the international stage admitted to mixed feelings after the game. “Sweden's a good team, of course, but we had our chances too,” he said. “That 5-on-3 late in the second could have changed the game if we'd managed to score.
“I could say I'm happy with the tournament, but I could also say that I'm not. We wanted to go further and we believed that we could.”
Saturday’s semi-finals will be played in Copenhagen. Sweden plays the afternoon game against the USA (16:15 local time) then Canada plays Switzerland at 20:15.

KHL - Best Games of 2017-18

The League's first open-air encounter, its longest ever match, a minute of madness in Ufa, and another all-Army classic. KHL.ru looks back at half-a-dozen of the best games from the tenth season of the Championship.

Salavat Yulaev Ufa 3 Barys Astana 5 (0-2, 2-0, 1-3)
5 September 2017. Ufa
With the appointment of Erkka Westerlund as Salavat Yulaev's new head coach, many pundits and fans expressed fears that the Ufa team would lose a lot of entertainment value as the Finnish specialist, renowned for his teams' high level of discipline, would set about instilling a more cautious (or, if you prefer, boring) approach and doing away with Salavat Yulaev's traditionally dashing (or, if you prefer, reckless), offense-minded hockey. They need not have worried.
This match was already a mini-classic before the spectacular final minute. The men from Astana stunned the host with a left-right combination in the first period: Nigel Dawes opened the scoring in the ninth minute and Vladimir Markelov made it 2-0 a mere 44 seconds later. After the interval, Salavat hit back with a two-goal burst of its own: Joonas Kemppainen halving the deficit on a power play and Artyom Fyodorov leveling the score within 40 seconds.
There followed some tense cut-and-thrust as each side went in search of an all-important third, and it came when Teemu Hartikainen made it 3-2 to Salavat Yulaev with under 10 minutes remaining. That would and should have been the final word in a glorious comeback by the Ufa Men, but with a minute left on the clock, a penalty persuaded Barys to go all-or-nothing, and at 59:06 Dawes scored with his team playing 6-on-4. Marty St. Pierre followed this with the game-winner at 59:37, and to rub salt into the wound, Dawes completed his hat-trick with an empty netter.
After the match, the Ufa boss was asked for his view. “I just don’t understand how that can happen in professional hockey,” – said Westerlund, and he was not alone.

Spartak Moscow 7 Admiral Vladivostok 6 OT (2-1, 2-2, 1-3, 1-0)
21 September, 2017. Moscow
Way back in the first full month's play of the tenth anniversary season, there was little hint of the drama awaiting both of these clubs. The mariners from the Far East would later be torn apart by backroom struggles, while in contrast, the capital's gladiators were to confound the pundits and reach the playoffs for the first time in many a year, but in early fall this match-up seemed to promise little more than a routine encounter between two of the League's more modest collectives. As things turned out, however, the game proved to be one of those classic, swashbuckling dramas which delight the fans, viewers, pundits and journalists, but which cause many a head coach to go gray overnight.
Admiral drew first blood with an early strike from Viktor Alexandrov, but the home side hit back through Dmitry Yudin and Igor Mirnov to go into the first interval in confident mood. The second period was even livelier, as James Wright and Vladimir Tkachyov scored to put Admiral back in front before the halfway mark, but Spartak rallied yet again, and goals from Anatoly Nikontsev and Evgeny Kulik gave them a 4-3 lead after Act 2 of the drama. .
The tables were turned yet again in the third period, and the Vladivostok team seemed to have wrapped up victory with a three-goal burst, one from Alexandrov followed by a double-strike from Damir Zhafyarov to give the visitors a 6-4 advantage, but once again, the Muscovites refused to buckle. Almost immediately, Ryan Stoa reduced the deficit to the bare minimum, and with one second of regulation time remaining, Alexei Pepelyayev scored to take the game into overtime. The last word belonged to Anatoly Nikontsev, who scored his second and his team's seventh of the night and clinched victory for the hosts. In all, the lead changed hands six(!) times during this classic match.

Jokerit Helsinki 3 SKA Saint Petersburg 4 (1-2, 1-1, 1-1)
2 December, 2017. Helsinki
This was the historic Helsinki Ice Challenge – the first KHL match played under open skies - and a great many factors combined to make it a special occasion. An “ordinary” regular season game between Jokerit and SKA is always a fiercely contested derby, given the closeness of the two cities and the traditionally lofty positions of both clubs in the Western Conference standings, but this match was played on hallowed ground – the Helsinki park where hockey was first played in the country. There was also the date, as the event was part of Jokerit's 50th anniversary celebrations. After the match, the day became an important one in the history of SKA, as star captain Ilya Kovalchuk became the Petersburg club's all-time record goal-scorer
Kovalchuk scored that landmark goal, his 150th in SKA colors, in the ninth minute of the match, but the 1-0 lead was barely two minutes old when Henri Ikonen leveled the score and sparked scenes of wild celebration among the hardy Finnish fans who had packed the temporary stands put up for this occasion. The reigning champions regained the initiative with a goal from Finland's own Jarno Koskiranta, before the teams headed off for the first intermission and some much-needed hot drinks.
There was more joy for the fans in the 27th minute when Tommi Huhtala tied the game once again, but Kovalchuk set up Vadim Shipachyov to make it 3-2 at the end of the second session. The third period opened in promising fashion for the Finns, and young superstar Eeli Tolvanen started to break free from his escort and threaten Mikko Koskinen's goal, but then a couple of penalties saw Jokerit trying to stop SKA in a 3-on-5 and Sergei Kalinin took full advantage. There was still time for another power play goal. This time, SKA picked up a penalty, allowing Peter Regin to score in a 6-on-4, but the home team was unable to take the game to overtime. The Helsinki Ice Challenge attracted a crowd of 17,645, the biggest ever attendance for any KHL game.

Salavat Yulaev Ufa 6 Avangard Omsk 4 (3-0, 1-2, 2-2)

4 March, 2018. Ufa
Another occasion this season when Salavat Yulaev was involved in serving up a treat for the neutral fan, only this time the Ufa team emerged victorious. This was Game 1 of the Eastern Conference quarter-final series against the Omsk Men, and both teams had enjoyed (or endured) a rollercoaster ride in the regular season, each taking turn to delight its fans by riding high in the divisional standings, and then posting a barren spell which cast doubt on playoff qualification. The hosts had made a strong finish to the regular season, and they carried that momentum into the opening stages of this match, surging into a 3-0 lead – Stanislav Gareyev, Maxim Mayorov and Teemu Hartikainen inflicting the damage – before the first period had barely crossed the halfway stage.
The home fans' smiles faded soon after the start of the second period, when Avangard produced a quick two-goal salvo – Dmitry Kugryshev and Maxim Mineyev the scorers – to make the game a contest once again, but Linus Omark soothed Ufa nerves by making it 4-2 going into the second interval. History repeated itself in the first half of the final stanza, with another two-goal burst from the Omsk Men. Pyotr Khokhryakov and Ansel Galimov tied the contest at 4-4, but a fairy-tale comeback was beyond Avangard. With 10 minutes left on the clock, Philip Larsen made it 5-4 to Salavat Yulaev, and then Hartikainen claimed his second goal and fifth point of the night, and the Ufa fans could breathe again.

CSKA Moscow 1 Jokerit Helsinki 2 5OT (1-1, 0-0, 0-0, 0-0, 0-0, 0-0, 0-0, 0-1)
22 March, 2018. Moscow
Having given the KHL the largest crowd in its history, Jokerit continued to break records in its 50th anniversary season, this time taking part in the longest ever game in the KHL. The Jokers stepped onto the Moscow ice knowing that defeat would mean the end of their season, and perhaps it was the resultant sense of urgency which helped them take the lead inside the first four minutes. The Finns, however, were soon reminded of the quality of the opposition when young Kirill Kaprizov scored with a spectacular backhanded shot to tie the score midway through the opening period.
What followed was a war of attrition. The next two periods of regulation time were goalless, as were the first four periods of overtime. The hero of this epic resistance from the Finns was veteran netminder Karri Ramo, who produced no fewer than 81 saves (and was blameless for Kaprizov's goal). Soon the teams had broken the previous record for the longest game, set in 2014 by the two now-departed teams from Prague and Donetsk, who battled away for 126 minutes and 14 seconds. This epic was to last for 142 minutes and 04 seconds, before the golden goal by Mika Niemi ended the game and kept the Helsinki team's season alive.

SKA St. Petersburg 4 CSKA Moscow 5 OT (1-0, 2-3, 1-1, 0-1)

29 March, 2018. Saint Petersburg
The reigning champion made a valiant and often thrilling defense of its crown during this tenth season, and began the regular season with a record-smashing winning streak, but their fellow Army Men from Moscow ended the Petersburg team's season in a classic Western Conference final series, which got off to a flying start with a goal-packed Game 1 at the Northern Capital's Ice Palace.

A lively and combative first period ended with SKA 1-0 ahead, thanks to a Pavel Datsyuk goal in the seventh minute. CSKA hit back straight after the interval through Mikhail Grigorenko, from a superbly disguised pass from Kirill Kaprizov, and soon took the lead through Andrei Kuzmenko, but Nikolai Prokhorkin pulled SKA level a mere 12 seconds later. The teams exchanged goals once more before the second intermission, with Kaprizov setting up Alexander Popov before Olympic hero Nikita Gusev tied the game at 3-3.
Kuzmenko grabbed his second of the night with 10 minutes left on the clock, giving the Muscovites a 4-3 lead, and even though Plotnikov swiftly restored parity and took the game to overtime, Kuzmenko claimed his hat-trick goal and the game-winner to seal a famous victory.

KHL - Ak Bars: A Team of Champions

A champion team is not only an experienced head coach, a solid goaltender and a recognized sniper. The reason it is such a cliché to say, “Hockey is a team game,” is because it is true, and Ak Bars of 2018 is no exception to the rule. Every player in the Kazan collective contributed to the eventual victory, so we at KHL.ru devoted this page to all of the actors in the heroic Ak Bars drama.


Goaltenders:
Alexander Sharychenkov
Garipov is, of course, the undisputed number one goalie at Kazan, but every star needs a reliable understudy if the team is to even consider mounting a challenge for the Gagarin Cup, and Sharychenkov has even won the trophy back in his Dynamo days, and he was called up to the national team for the Eurotour.
Emil Garipov
One could be forgiven for thinking that Emil Garipov has minded the Ak Bars net for all eternity, and many raise an an eyebrow when they learn he is still only 26. In fact, he already had experience of standing between the first-team pipes before the era of the KHL, albeit a solitary appearance (a shutout, of course) in the 2007-08 campaign. For a long time, Konstantin Barulin provided serious competition, but once the coaching staff put their faith in Emil, he made the role his own. In the Championship-clinching Game 5 against CSKA, he proved equal to a barrage of shots and kept the Muscovites off the scoreboard, and it is no wonder Justin Azevedo suggested his MVP title should have gone to his goaltender.

Defensemen:

Andrei Markov
The return to Russia of the legend, after over 1,000 NHL appearances for Montreal, was big news back in the preseason. And many were surprised he chose Tatarstan, rather his “homeland,” whether former club Dynamo Moscow or nearby Vityaz, where he spent the 2012-13 lockout. The season certainly had its ups and downs, with Markov either shining in offense but letting defensive duties lapse, or hanging back and doing the opposite. Nevertheless, he found the right balance for the playoffs, and while the 39-year-old only recorded three points, his experience in tricky moments was invaluable.
Vasily Tokranov
A local-boy-made-good story. Vasily is from Almetyevsk, Tatarstan, and has played his entire career for Ak Bars, although his breakthrough season came a year after the second Gagarin Cup win in 2009-10. At various times the 28-year-old Russian international has pondered a move away, but Bilyaletdinov desired otherwise, first trying Tokranov in offense and then in powerplay, and the latter experiment was an unqualified success, to the extent that Vasily was the second highest scorer in the playoffs among defensemen.


Albert Yarullin Another local lad (Kazan-born) and Russian international D-man who has spent his career with his home-town club (with a couple of exceptions – a short loan spell at Neftekhimik and half of the 2014-15 season at Atlant) and his loyalty paid off this year. It is tempting to remember him for his three minor penalties, accounting for all the Kazan team's total penalty minutes, in the final game of the final series, but that would be unjust. His figure of 27 hits during the playoffs – more than any other Ak Bars defenseman – is a more accurate reflection of his contribution.
Atte Ohtamaa
Of all the Foreign Legion at Kazan, this reliable Finn probably has the lowest profile, but that is no bad thing – not everyone can be the dashing cavalier, scoring coast-to-coast goals or making dramatic last-ditch rescues. There also has to be the consistent professional who quietly gets the job done, and one of the reasons Ohtamaa often passes unnoticed is that he rarely puts a foot wrong.

Rafael Batyrshin

This 31-year-old defenseman is unique in that, while seldom given a leading role, he has nonetheless raised aloft the Gagarin Cup with two different teams, first in 2016 with Metallurg Magnitogorsk and now with the men from Kazan. In the regular season, Batyrshin was the only Ak Bars defenseman with a negative efficiency rating, but he stepped up a gear in the playoffs and was a constant thorn in the sides of the opposition forwards.
Nikita Lyamkin
Without a doubt, the 22-year-old was one of the main revelations of the tenth season of the Championship. He had already proved himself a promising defenseman at Novokuznetsk (and even earlier, in a short spell with Chicoutimi Sagueneens in the QMJHL), but it was still a pleasant surprise how he seamlessly slotted into the Ak Bars machine. One statistic sums up his coming-of-age: in the playoffs, he blocked more shots than did any of his comrades.

Roman Manukhov

This 24-year-old native of Yekaterinburg arrived at Ak Bars from Lokomotiv in time for the New Year holiday, as part of a trade which saw Ziyat Paigin move to Yaroslavl. He is yet to hit the net for his new club, but he provided the assists for three playoff goals and appeared in three of the five games in the big final.
Mikhail Sidorov
At the tender age of 20, Sidorov is the youngest of all the Ak Bars heroes who stepped onto the ice during the victorious playoff campaign. This was his third KHL season, after his 2015 summer move (with his brother, Maxim) from his native Yaroslavl, and while he was only given an average of 5-10 minutes of ice time, and he sat out the entire final series, he was still good enough to earn 12 outings in the playoffs.

Damir Musin

This 23-year-old Kazan native learned his trade by being paired with Evgeny Medvedev, and few young players are fortunate enough to have a two-time Gagarin Cup winner as partner and mentor. Since those days, Damir has become an established part of the Ak Bars defense, but injury-related problems prevented him from featuring in the postseason.
Timur Fatkullin
Like Nikita Lyamkin and several other talented young players, this defenseman made the Novokuznetsk-to-Kazan journey, before being dispatched to Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod to gain some valuable experience in the first half of this season. Still only 21, Timur has earned a reputation as a competent D-man with a powerful shot, and after his return to Kazan he was given five further outings in the KHL. His time will come.
Roman Abrosimov

Although only 23, the big defenseman started the season with more playoff experience than many of his comrades, having appeared in five games during the 2017 knockout stage. Sadly, the tenth KHL season was not a lucky one for Roman, and injury sidelined him for much of the campaign. The coach said he had resumed training before the Gagarin Cup final, but full recovery was still some way off.

Forwards:

Justin Azevedo
If you encounter the popular Canadian-with-Portuguese-roots when he is out of his team garb, you would hardly pick him out as a hockey player. His build and appearance suggest a possible team-mate of Cristiano Ronaldo. However, once out on the ice, all doubts are swiftly dispelled. What he lacks in physical size, he more than makes up for in determination, and many a defenseman would prefer to be confronted by a bigger forward, one which did not possess Justin's technique, Howitzer shot, and fighting spirit. Four years ago, in the colors of Lev Praha, he burst into life during the playoffs, and it should have surprised no-one that, this time around, Azevedo was the top scorer of the Gagarin Cup knockout stage by a substantial margin.
Jiri Sekac
Not many people remember that Sekac, like Azevedo, previously reached the final of the Gagarin Cup with Lev Praha, but unlike Justin he took a more circuitous route to Ak Bars, stopping off at Montreal, Anaheim, Chicago and Arizona before arriving in Kazan for the 2016-17 campaign. His first season went well, and second was even better – he was the team's top scorer in the regular season, and few will forget how he tormented Magnitogorsk in the second round of the playoffs. Injury robbed him of a place in the Conference final against Traktor, but he was back on the ice for the grand finale.
Anton Lander
A veteran of more than 200 games in the Oilers' offense, this Swedish international came, saw, and conquered. Acclimatization, culture shock, different rink size... all these frequently-cited hurdles for new arrivals were dismissively brushed aside. Lander hit the ground running, centering the first line with aplomb and making the role his own. As creative as he is combative, it is hard to imagine a better man to link the rampaging Azevedo and Sekac.

Vladimir Tkachyov

Born in Dnepr, Ukraine, but a Russian international and a graduate of the Ak Bars system, he considered a move to North America in the preseason but decided to wait. For a while, it seemed a bad choice. Vladimir struggled for consistency and missed the cut for the Olympics, but to his credit, he knuckled down and we all saw the fruits of his labors. Granted, he was a little overshadowed by some of his more illustrious team-mates, but the man in the playoffs was once again the Tkachyov we know and love.
Stanislav Galiyev
Stanislav had spent his entire adult career in North America, but when he found himself marooned on the periphery of the Washington Capitals' plans, he was tempted back to his home country by the lure of the Olympics. He did not make it onto the ice in Pyeongchang, and domestic matters were not going much better. A swap deal, with Galiyev moving to Ufa in exchange for Enver Lisin, fell through at the last minute. Who would, or even could, have predicted that the 26-year-old would end up as the League's top sniper in the playoffs?
Danis Zaripov
It may surprise some, looking back in future years on this epic season, that this ageless veteran did not feature in the first round of the playoffs, and that only six months ago, the career of the Kazan legend was under threat. Danis's return to Tatarstan after four years' absence should have been a happy homecoming, but he had to fight a protracted legal battle to clear his name following doping charges. Nonetheless, Danis clearly prospers in adversity, and as the moment of glory drew nearer, he played an ever more valuable role in the triumph which made him a record-breaking five-time winner of the Gagarin Cup

Rob Klinkhammer

Despite a resume which included previous experience with the Blackhawks, Senators, Coyotes, Penguins, and Oilers, the arrival of this Canadian from Dinamo Minsk was initially treated with some skepticism in Kazan. Rob certainly proved all the doubters wrong, and it was his hard work and great attitude – always willing to tidy up in defense and harry the opposition – which freed up so much time and space for the likes of Tkachyov, Zaripov or Galiyev to inflict the damage at the other end, and it was fitting that the workaholic forward struck the golden, Championship-winning goal.
Artyom Lukoyanov
One of the first names written in ink on the Ak Bars team sheet, Lukoyanov is the epitome of commitment. In just one game against CSKA, he contributed no fewer than 8 hits, and in the Conference final against Traktor he played on after losing a couple of teeth. He did not find the back of the net during the knockout stage, but he did a huge amount of spadework. One of many unsung heroes in the Kazan roster.
Alexander Svitov
The Ak Bars captain is no spring chicken, and some predicted a retirement at the end of last season, but he signed up for another year and the gamble paid off. Admittedly, he sometimes struggles for pace and he is not a prolific scorer, but he is an inspirational leader for his team and an intimidating presence to the opposition. The former Tampa Bay Lightning and Columbus Blue Jackets man now has his second Gagarin Cup, a full seven years after first wining the trophy with Salavat Yulaev.

Alexander Burmistrov

A two-time prodigal son of Kazan hockey. Burmistrov played a solitary KHL game in the League's debut season before setting off to seek his fortune in the NHL. Following a stint with the Atlanta Thrashers, he enjoyed a long spell with the Winnipeg Jets, interrupted by two seasons back in Kazan, before heading back to the Jets, thence to the Arizona Coyotes and onward to the Vancouver Canucks, before returning once again to Ak Bars in time for the end of the regular season and the glorious playoff campaign. He only found the net once in this season's playoffs, but his trickery regularly had opponents skating off to the penalty box.
Yaroslav Kosov
A third Gagarin Cup for this forward, to go with the pair he won while playing for his native Magnitogorsk, and he is still only 24. There was a twist in the tale for the Russian international in the 2017-18 knockout stage – he scored twice in the playoffs, both times against Metallurg.
Alexei Potapov
Potapov was a favorite with the Torpedo fans but not of head coach Peteris Skudra, so a move to Ak Bars seemed prudent. Nizhny Novgorod's loss was Kazan's gain, as Potapov slotted seamlessly into Bilyaletdinov's style of play. The fact that he blocked more shots than any other forward is a tribute to his commitment.

Mikhail Glukhov

Glukhov has played in all ten seasons of the KHL, and he arrived at Kazan midway through the silver-medal season of 2014-15. An honest and battling fourth-line forward, he matched his career best total of 15 points in the regular season, and added a goal and an assist in the playoffs.
Fyodor Malykhin
In 2015, the year of his first Gagarin Cup final at Ak Bars, Malykhin did not get out on the ice at all during the knockout stage. This year, after playing in nearly half the regular season games, he was given five postseason outings, but drew a blank in all five matches. To be fair, injury and the resultant loss of playing time took its toll.
Anton Glinkin
Two years ago, the Chelyabinsk pair, Popov – Glinkin, moved to Tatarstan to develop, but stardom has so far been beyond them in their new home. Anton has struggled to earn a confidence-boosting run in the first team, and while he pcked up points during his sporadic appearances in the regular season, he was only given one outing in the playoffs, when Bilyaletdinov sent him on against his native Traktor.

Andrei Popov

Glinkin's longtime line-mate made only 18 appearances in the regular season, but by the time the playoffs arrived he had carved out a place for himself in the main line-up. He might well have made it all the way to the final, but an injury in the series against Amur put a premature end to his season.
Nikita Yazkov
Injury cruelly robbed this exciting young forward of a place in the playoffs. When Metallurg Novokuznetsk dropped out of the League, Yazkov was the brightest of many “Blacksmiths” who made the short trip to Kazan to forge a new career with Ak Bars. His account for the 2017-18 regular season shows eight goals, most of which were masterpieces.
Dmitry Obukhov
The 34-year-old was not only with the Kazan Men in their previous two Gagarin Cup triumphs at the turn of the decade, but also won the Russian Superleague with Ak Bars back in 2006. He played 19 times during the regular season, but was not selected for the postseason games.

Dmitry Arkhipov

The 25-year-old's most recent KHL appearance came back in November of last year, after which Bars and the VHL beckoned.
Vladislav Kara
The 20-year-old forward played 11 games in the regular season, mainly in an auxiliary role, but by the time the playoffs arrived he was back with his fellow youngsters at Irbis. We still await his first KHL goal.
Also performing for Ak Bars during this triumphant season were goaltender Timur Bilyalov, defenseman Stepan Zakharchuk, plus forwards Denis Golubev and Andrei Chibisov. All these players departed the Kazan club during the regular season.