2019 Gagarin Cup playoffs

The 2019 Gagarin Cup playoffs of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) began on 25 February 2019, with the top eight teams from each of the conferences, following the conclusion of the 2018–19 KHL regular season.[2] The playoffs ended on 19 April 2019, when Continental Cup winners CSKA Moscow became the first team to win the Gagarin Cup finals in a series sweep,[3] defeating Avangard Omsk in four games to win their first Gagarin Cup,[4] after two previous Finals defeats.

2019 Gagarin Cup playoffs
Tournament details
Dates25 February – 19 April 2019
Teams16
Final positions
Champions CSKA Moscow
Runner-up Avangard Omsk
Tournament statistics
Scoring leader(s) Mikhail Grigorenko (CSKA Moscow)[lower-alpha 1]
(21 points)
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2020 →

Playoff seeds

After the regular season, the standard 16 teams qualified for the playoffs.

Western Conference

The regular season winners and Continental Cup winners were CSKA Moscow with 106 points.

Pos Team Pld W OTW OTL L GF GA GD Pts
1 CSKA Moscow (Y, Z) 62 43 10 0 9 191 75 +116 106
2 SKA Saint Petersburg (X) 62 45 4 5 8 209 80 +129 103
3 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 62 34 6 6 16 159 118 +41 86
4 Jokerit 62 32 5 6 19 197 164 +33 80
5 Dynamo Moscow 62 27 6 6 23 153 139 +14 72
6 HC Sochi 62 19 9 10 24 145 155 −10 66
7 Spartak Moscow 62 21 7 8 26 156 158 −2 64
8 Vityaz Podolsk 62 23 5 7 27 134 169 −35 63
Source: KHL
(X) Won division; (Y) Won conference; (Z) Won Continental Cup.

Eastern Conference

Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg were the Eastern Conference regular season winners with 95 points.

Pos Team Pld W OTW OTL L GF GA GD Pts
1 Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg (Y) 62 39 8 1 14 191 125 +66 95
2 Barys Astana (X) 62 28 10 10 14 190 149 +41 86
3 Metallurg Magnitogorsk 62 35 6 2 19 182 132 +50 84
4 Avangard Omsk 62 29 10 5 18 177 133 +44 83
5 Ak Bars Kazan 62 34 4 6 18 165 139 +26 82
6 Salavat Yulaev Ufa 62 24 7 10 21 158 140 +18 72
7 Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod 62 20 7 10 25 176 193 −17 64
8 Traktor Chelyabinsk 62 18 9 4 31 102 151 −49 58
Source: KHL
(X) Won division; (Y) Won conference.

Playoff bracket

In each round, the highest remaining seed in each conference is matched against the lowest remaining seed. The higher-seeded team is awarded home ice advantage. In the Gagarin Cup Finals, home ice is determined based on regular season points. Each best-of-seven series follows a 2–2–1–1–1 format: the higher-seeded team plays at home for games one and two (and games five and seven, if necessary), and the lower-seeded team is at home for games three and four (and game six, if necessary).

The 2019 Gagarin Cup playoffs started on 25 February 2019, with the top eight teams from each of the conferences, and finished on 19 April 2019.[5]

  Conference Quarter-Finals Conference Semi-Finals Conference Finals Gagarin Cup Finals
                                     
1 Avtomobilist 4     1 Avtomobilist 1  
8 Traktor 0     6 Salavat Yulaev 4  
2 Barys 4 Eastern Conference
7 Torpedo 3  
    6 Salavat Yulaev 2  
  4 Avangard 4  
3 Metallurg 2  
6 Salavat Yulaev 4  
4 Avangard 4   2 Barys 1
5 Ak Bars 0     4 Avangard 4  
  E4 Avangard 0
(Pairings are re-seeded after the first round.)
  W1 CSKA 4
1 CSKA 4     1 CSKA 4
8 Vityaz 0     5 Dynamo 1  
2 SKA 4
7 Spartak 2  
  1 CSKA 4
  2 SKA 3  
3 Lokomotiv 4  
6 Sochi 2   Western Conference
4 Jokerit 2   2 SKA 4
5 Dynamo 4     3 Lokomotiv 1  
  • During the first three rounds home ice is determined by seeding number, not position on the bracket. In the Finals the team with the better regular season record has home ice.

First Round

Eastern Conference First Round

(1) Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg vs. (8) Traktor Chelyabinsk

Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg finished first in the Eastern Conference earning 95 points. Traktor Chelyabinsk finished as the Eastern Conference's eighth seed, earning 58 points, and averaging 1.64 goals per game, the lowest recorded tally for any playoff-qualifying team. This was the first playoff meeting between the two teams; Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg won all four games in this year's regular season series.[6]

Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg win 4–0

(2) Barys Astana vs. (7) Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod

Barys Astana finished second in the Eastern Conference earning 86 points. Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod finished as the Eastern Conference's seventh seed, earning 64 points. This was the first playoff meeting between the two teams, and they split their two-game regular season series.[6]

Barys Astana win 4–3

(3) Metallurg Magnitogorsk vs. (6) Salavat Yulaev Ufa

Metallurg Magnitogorsk finished third in the Eastern Conference earning 84 points. Salavat Yulaev Ufa finished as the Eastern Conference's sixth seed, earning 72 points. This was the fifth playoff meeting between the two teams, with the previous four series having been shared; Metallurg Magnitogorsk won the most recent series during the 2016 Gagarin Cup playoffs. This year's two-game regular season series was also shared.[7]

Salavat Yulaev Ufa win 4–2

(4) Avangard Omsk vs. (5) Ak Bars Kazan

Avangard Omsk finished fourth in the Eastern Conference earning 83 points. Ak Bars Kazan, the reigning Gagarin Cup champions, finished as the Eastern Conference's fifth seed, one point behind Avangard Omsk. This was the fourth playoff meeting between the two teams with Ak Bars Kazan winning all three previous series, the most recent of which was during the 2017 Gagarin Cup playoffs. This year's two-game regular season series was shared, with both games going to overtime.[7]

In the opening game, a two-goal performance by Sergei Shumakov and a 21-save shutout at home by goaltender Igor Bobkov led Avangard Omsk to a 6–0 win.[8] In the second game, another strong offensive performance coupled with the play of Bobkov gained them a two-game lead, with a 6–3 victory.[9] Despite an early showing by Ak Bars Kazan, Avangard Omsk took a stranglehold in game three on the road on Denis Zernov's second period game-winner, ultimately winning 4–1.[10] Finally, in game four, Shumakov scored all three goals – his first playoffs hat-trick – on the night, as Avangard Omsk swept Ak Bars Kazan in four successive games, marking the first time that the defending champions were beaten in such a manner in the first round of the playoffs.[11]

Avangard Omsk win 4–0

Western Conference First Round

(1) CSKA Moscow vs. (8) Vityaz Podolsk

CSKA Moscow finished first in the Western Conference earning 106 points. Vityaz Podolsk finished as the Western Conference's eighth seed, earning 63 points. This was the first playoff meeting between the two teams; CSKA Moscow won three of the four games in this year's regular season series.[6]

CSKA Moscow win 4–0

(2) SKA Saint Petersburg vs. (7) Spartak Moscow

SKA Saint Petersburg finished second in the Western Conference earning 103 points. Spartak Moscow finished as the Western Conference's seventh seed, earning 64 points. This was the third playoff meeting between the two teams, with the previous two series having been shared; SKA Saint Petersburg swept the most recent series during the 2011 Gagarin Cup playoffs. SKA Saint Petersburg won all four games in this year's regular season series.[6]

SKA Saint Petersburg win 4–2

(3) Lokomotiv Yaroslavl vs. (6) HC Sochi

Lokomotiv Yaroslavl finished second in the Western Conference earning 86 points. HC Sochi finished as the Western Conference's sixth seed, earning 66 points. This was the first playoff meeting between the two teams, and they split their four-game regular season series.[7]

Lokomotiv Yaroslavl win 4–2

(4) Jokerit vs. (5) Dynamo Moscow

Jokerit finished fourth in the Western Conference earning 80 points. Ak Bars Kazan finished as the Western Conference's fifth seed, earning 72 points. This was the first playoff meeting between the two teams; Dynamo Moscow won all four games in this year's regular season series,[7] extending a winning streak, stretching back to 17 September 2015, to eleven games over Jokerit. Dynamo Moscow extended the streak to thirteen, before Jokerit won Game 3.

Dynamo Moscow win 4–2

Conference Semi-Finals

Eastern Conference Semi-Finals

(1) Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg vs. (6) Salavat Yulaev Ufa

This was the second playoff meeting between these teams, with Salavat Yulaev winning the series played in 2010.

Salavat Yulaev Ufa win 4–1

(2) Barys Astana vs. (4) Avangard Omsk

This was the second playoff meeting between these teams, with Avangard winning the series played in 2015.

Avangard Omsk win 4–1

Western Conference Semi-Finals

(1) CSKA Moscow vs. (5) Dynamo Moscow

This was the third playoff meeting between these teams, with Dynamo having won both previous series.

CSKA Moscow win 4–1

(2) SKA Saint Petersburg vs. (3) Lokomotiv Yaroslavl

This was the fifth playoff meeting between these teams, with SKA winning the three past seasons and Lokomotiv winning in 2014.

SKA Saint Petersburg win 4–1

Conference Finals

Eastern Conference Finals

(4) Avangard Omsk vs. (6) Salavat Yulaev Ufa

This was the fourth playoff meeting between these teams, with Avangard Omsk winning the series played in 2009 and Salavat Yulaev Ufa winning in 2016 and 2018. This represents the lowest-seeded Conference Final match-up in KHL history, with the winners becoming the lowest seed to play in a Gagarin Cup final series.

In Game 3, Joonas Kemppainen's eventual game-winning goal – his ninth goal of the playoffs – set the record for most playoff goals by a Salavat Yulaev Ufa player in one season, breaking the record set by Alexander Radulov in 2010. In Game 6, the longest game in Conference Finals history, Salavat Yulaev Ufa goaltender Juha Metsola made 69 saves, a record in the KHL.[12]

Avangard Omsk win 4–2

Western Conference Finals

(1) CSKA Moscow vs. (2) SKA Saint Petersburg

This was the sixth playoff meeting between these teams, with SKA winning the first three playoff series and CSKA winning the two most recent series.

CSKA Moscow win 4–3

Gagarin Cup Finals

This is the first playoff meeting between these teams, and CSKA's third and Avangard's second appearance in the Gagarin Cup Finals.

(W1) CSKA Moscow vs. (E4) Avangard Omsk

In the opening game of the series, CSKA Moscow's Mikhail Grigorenko scored the first hat-trick in the Gagarin Cup Finals,[13] including the game-winning goal.

CSKA Moscow win 4–0

Player statistics

Scoring leaders

The following players led the league in points, at the conclusion of the playoffs.[14] If two or more skaters are tied (i.e. same number of points, goals and played games), all of the tied skaters are shown.

Player Team GP G A Pts +/– PIM
Mikhail Grigorenko CSKA Moscow 20 13 8 21 +9 10
Teemu Hartikainen Salavat Yulaev Ufa 17 8 13 21 +14 6
Taylor Beck Avangard Omsk 16 4 16 20 –3 6
Nikita Gusev SKA Saint Petersburg 18 9 10 19 –1 0
Linus Omark Salavat Yulaev Ufa 17 4 14 18 +11 16
Cody Franson Avangard Omsk 19 4 14 18 –4 4
Sergei Shumakov Avangard Omsk 19 12 5 17 0 10
Joonas Kemppainen Salavat Yulaev Ufa 17 10 4 14 +11 12
Konstantin Okulov CSKA Moscow 19 7 7 14 +8 2
Kirill Kaprizov CSKA Moscow 19 4 10 14 +5 6

Leading goaltenders

The following goaltenders led the league in goals against average, at the conclusion of the playoffs.[15]

Player Team GP TOI W L GA SO SV% GAA
Ilya Sorokin CSKA Moscow 20 1213:12 16 4 24 5 94.74% 1.19
Juha Metsola Salavat Yulaev Ufa 17 1169:11 10 7 30 1 95.61% 1.54
Magnus Hellberg SKA Saint Petersburg 10 570:50 7 2 16 1 91.92% 1.68
Artyom Zagidulin Metallurg Magnitogorsk 4 211:49 1 1 6 0 92.77% 1.70
Igor Bobkov Avangard Omsk 19 1181:16 12 7 36 3 92.58% 1.83

Notes
  1. Grigorenko and Teemu Hartikainen (Salavat Yulaev Ufa) finished tied on 21 points; Grigorenko's tally of 13 goals and 8 assists compared to Hartikainen's 8 goals and 13 assists gave him the tie-break per Article 74.1 (c) of the KHL's Sporting Regulations.[1]

References
  1. "СПОРТИВНЫЙ РЕГЛАМЕНТ КХЛ" [KHL Sporting Regulations] (PDF). KHL.ru (in Russian). Kontinental Hockey League. p. 36. Retrieved 21 April 2019. в) приз «Лучшему бомбардиру» – самому результативному Игроку Регулярного Чемпионата по системе «гол + пас» [c) the prize to the "Best Scorer" - the most effective Player of the Regular Championship in the “goal + pass” system]
  2. "League confirms format for Stage Two" (PDF). 8 October 2015. Retrieved 8 October 2015.
  3. Potts, Andy (19 April 2019). "CSKA lifts the Gagarin Cup". KHL.ru. Kontinental Hockey League. Retrieved 19 April 2019. Along the way, Igor Nikitin's team also recorded the first ever grand final sweep after clawing back a 0-2 deficit to win game four in overtime.
  4. "ЦСКА впервые в истории завоевал Кубок Гагарина" [CSKA won the Gagarin Cup for the first time in history]. Sportbox.ru (in Russian). National Sports Channel LLC. 19 April 2019. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
  5. Seren Rosso, Alessandro (25 January 2019). "2018/2019 Playoffs Logo Unveiled". KHL.ru. Kontinental Hockey League. Retrieved 21 February 2019. The 11th season's playoffs stage begins on February 25 with four games involving teams from both conferences. The potential 7th game of the Gagarin Cup finals is scheduled for April 25.
  6. Landvogt, Chapin (26 February 2019). "SKA & CSKA ready to continue incredible 2018-19 success! Preview Feb 26". KHL.ru. Kontinental Hockey League. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  7. Landvogt, Chapin (25 February 2019). "The 2018-19 KHL Playoffs set to take flight! Preview for February 25th". KHL.ru. Kontinental Hockey League. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  8. Potts, Andy (25 February 2019). "Jokerit slips at home, Shore pots a 100th-minute winner. February 25". KHL.ru. Kontinental Hockey League. Defending champ humbled in Balashikha. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
  9. Potts, Andy (27 February 2019). "Defending champ defeated again, Ufa squares the series. Feb 27 playoffs". KHL.ru. Kontinental Hockey League. Another big loss for the defending champ. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
  10. Potts, Andy (1 March 2019). "East: Ak Bars on the brink, Ufa demolishes Magnitka. March 1 playoffs". KHL.ru. Kontinental Hockey League. Champion on the brink of an early exit. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
  11. Potts, Andy (3 March 2019). "East: Ak Bars crashes out, Magnitka ties it up. March 3 playoffs". KHL.ru. Kontinental Hockey League. The Shumakov show. Retrieved 6 April 2019. That's the first time a Gagarin Cup holder has lost out at this stage since 2014, and the first time ever that a reigning champ has been swept in the opening match-up.
  12. Potts, Andy (8 April 2019). "East: Avangard goes to the Gagarin Cup final. April 8 round-up". KHL.ru. Kontinental Hockey League. Retrieved 9 April 2019. Avangard, in particular, stepped up its offense and Metsola's 63rd save of the night set a new individual record for a goalie in the KHL.
  13. Yerykalov, Dmitry; Seren Rosso, Alessandro (16 April 2019). "Grigorenko writes history posting first-ever Gagarin Cup finals hat-trick". KHL.ru. Kontinental Hockey League. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
  14. "Leaders: Points (G+A)". KHL.ru. Kontinental Hockey League. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
  15. "Leaders: Goaltenders (GAA)". KHL.ru. Kontinental Hockey League. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
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