Serial numbers: the favorites confidently passed the first round of the Gagarin Cup

In the first round of the Gagarin Cup, seven of the eight series ended. Dinamo Minsk, CSKA Moscow, Ak Bars, Torpedo, Avangard, Metallurg and Lokomotiv confidently advanced to the next round. Last year's finalist Traktor, as well as ambitious teams from Moscow and St. Petersburg, Dynamo and SKA, dropped out of the competition for the trophy. In all completed confrontations, no more than five games were enough to identify the strongest. And in the sixth game, only "Avtomobilist" and "Salavat Yulaev" will find out the relationship.

Dinamo Minsk – Dynamo Moscow — 4:0

Problems during the season — the conflict between head coach Dmitry Kvartalnov and the club's management, the departure of coach Igor Gorbenko — did not prevent Minsk from becoming the first team to qualify for the second round. The Bison have conceded only four goals in the entire series. Along the way, Vitaly Pinchuk became Dynamo's top scorer in the history of the KHL playoffs, reaching 17 (8+9) points.

For Dynamo Moscow, the cup campaign ended in failure. For the first time in the history of the KHL, the Blue and White team failed to win a single game in the playoffs. And this is with stars of the caliber of Gusev, Uil and Pylenkov. The shake-up in the form of the unexpected change of head coach Alexei Kudashov to Vyacheslav Kozlov did not help. We are waiting for new personnel changes in the club.

Ak Bars – Traktor — 4:1

Traktor was the first club from the East to leave the playoffs, and this is not surprising. After last year's final, Chelyabinsk experienced a number of difficulties: the unexpected departure of the team's mentor Benoit Groux, unsuccessful transfers, a drawdown of the leaders, and the absence of a strong main goalkeeper. The new head coach, Evgeny Koreshkov, failed to build a playing core and overcome problems in a short time.

To be fair, Chelyabinsk put up a good resistance against Ak Bars — the teams went into overtime three times, however, Kazan won each time. Dmitry Yashkin, who had disagreements with Anvar Gatiyatulin during the season, unexpectedly became the author of the decisive goal in the series.

Severstal – Torpedo — 1:4

In the series of two low-budget teams, the one that was better prepared for cup hockey went further. Torpedo, under the leadership of debutant coach Alexei Isakov, acted pragmatically, harshly, effectively, demonstrating character. The 0-2 save two minutes before the end of the fourth game was the key moment of the series.

Severstal, which had its best regular season in KHL history, failed to win more than one match in the playoffs for the third time in a row under Andrey Kozyrev. In three years, the residents of Cherepovets have not learned how to switch to hard cup hockey and act competently under pressure. Maybe they won't learn anymore.

CSKA MOSCOW – SKA — 4:1

Muscovites didn't leave any chances for Petersburgers. In the playoffs, Igor Nikitin's team played at its level: without inventing anything superfluous, it outplayed SKA in power struggle, reliability, work on the "five" and in special teams. Denis Guryanov stood out powerfully, scoring six goals.

In three out of five matches, SKA balked, which even resulted in a 1-0 victory in the third game. But there are a lot of questions for Igor Larionov's staff and the team leaders. Plotnikov, Khairullin, Vorobyov, Grimaldi did not score a single goal in the entire series — the latter even landed in the reserve for the fifth game. SKA has a lot of work to do in the offseason.

Avangard – Neftekhimik — 4:1

Nizhnekamsk surprised in the regular season and continued to surprise in the playoffs. Having appeared in the cup stage for the first time since 2023, Igor Grishin's team gave battle to Avangard: a great victory in overtime of the second match, annoying defeats at the end of the third and overtime of the fifth games. Omsk coach Guy Boucher reacted emotionally to such resistance throughout the series.

"The KHL playoffs are the juice, the celebration, the best time in hockey"

Ak Bars player Ilya Karpukhin — about the start of the Gagarin Cup, the series with Traktor and the principle of confrontation with his hometown club

But Avangard had enough skill to decide the outcome in five games. Omsk had its heroes: Dmitry Rashevsky (2+2) scored a double in the most difficult third match, and Nikolai Prokhorkin, who scored five goals in the series, brought victory in overtime of the fifth meeting.

Metallurg – Siberia — 4:1

The regular season champion from Magnitogorsk won the series in five matches, but it wasn't that simple. From the third game, Sibir rebuilt itself, which made it possible to effectively resist the best attack in the league. At the end of the series, goalkeeper Mikhail Berdin looked powerful, missing only one goal in eight periods.

Unfortunately for Novosibirsk, the attack could not support its goalkeeper. The classier Metallurg still won both productive games and rather viscous ones. Andrey Razin's team kept their concentration well and used their chances, confirming their status as one of the playoff favorites.

Lokomotiv – Spartak — 4:1

The reigning champions from Yaroslavl experienced difficulties in the series with the Muscovites. Spartak imposed a struggle in every match, demonstrating character and high realization of moments. The traditionally reliable defense of Lokomotiv conceded eight goals in the first three games, twice allowing the red and white to reach overtime. Only in the fourth match, Loko played to zero.

The fifth match also turned out to be close. Moreover, Spartak even led 2-0, but missed the advantage. And in the third period, Lokomotiv already took the lead and brought the game to victory. The series with the Muscovites was clearly much more intense than expected in Yaroslavl. Before the second round, Lokomotiv passed a good test.

Avtomobilist – Salavat Yulaev — 2:3

The only episode in which the winner is not yet clear. The physical strength and dimensions of the Avtomobilist are still inferior to the high speeds and aggressive pressure of Salavat Yulaev. Ufa forward Maxim Kuznetsov is playing an incredible series, scoring three goals. Daniel Sprong (5+2) plays solo for Avtomobilist, but the Dutch legionnaire does not receive proper support from his partners.

Viktor Kozlov's team looks more balanced and cohesive, demonstrating full dedication. Yekaterinburg, being on the verge of relegation, were able to confidently take the fifth match (5:2), but will they have enough for two more games? Big question.