On Sunday the culmination of the KHL season will have arrived – two teams will step on the ice and when the puck drops it’ll be time to decide the winner of this season’s Gagarin Cup.
CSKA Moscow was the first team to clinch their place in the Gagarin Cup final. They swept Spartak Moscow in the first round, went to seven with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl which was by far the most entertaining series so far in the playoffs, and finally, in the conference finals, they eliminated their arch-rivals – SKA St.Petersburg.
-
Ep 76: Oilers, Flames, Winter Classic Jersey, Avs, and More
by Full Press Coverage on November 23, 2023 at 6:42 am
Jim and Chris are back for another edition of Full Press Hockey Weekly to […]
Avangard Omsk followed with a first-round victory against Bill Peters and his Avtomobilist Jekaterinburg winning in five, struggled against Metallurg Magnitogorsk but manage to get it done in six, then the conference finals went down the wire but Bob Hartley’s side managed to squeak past three-time Gagarin Cup champions AkBars Kazan in overtime of Game 7.
Both teams have had some excellent goaltending on their side. While CSKA’s Lars Johansson has been nearly perfect averaging 1.00 GAA with a 96.1 Sv%. What’s more impressive about his numbers is that he has played 17 games during the playoffs so far with a total of 1085:15 ice time while earning 12 victories. Simon Hrubec wasn’t the go-to guy for Avangard at the start of the playoffs and understandably so – Bob Hartley has always liked Igor Bobkov in his net and the import limit didn’t help the Czech goalies case either. Since Bobkov struggled and Hrubec took over he has been excellent and currently sits behind only Lars Johansson in save percentage with 95.4%. In the goals against category, Hrubec is only sixth but still with an impressive average of 1.43. Johansson has recorded six shutouts while Hrubec stands with three. What does this tell us about the goaltending? It’s pretty solid for both teams. There’s an edge to Johansson who also has more experience in this situation but if anything – we might not see a lot of goals in the final.
On the offensive side of the game, Max Shalunov stands out the most – the CSKA forward has scored 10 goals in 17 games, he also ranks third in points with fifteen and is only behind his teammate Konstantin Okulov and Avangard’s Sergei Tolchinsky who are both tied for first place in points. Both players have 16 points (5G11A). CSKA’s second line is a definitive threat but they have the depth to add some scoring help from anyone in the line-up. Meanwhile, it’s much more wide-open for Avangard. There are so many wildcards on that squad. Ilya Kovalchuk has come in the clutch a few times, Klim Kostin has had some big games, Reid Boucher has been an absolute treat to watch and has done a lot. Their depth up-front has all the qualities you’d want and you don’t know when and who might get hot. The only issue – Avangard team can suddenly fall flat and they have really hurt themselves with unnecessary penalties on many occasions.
Latest KHL News
- 2023 NHL Draft: Every First Round Selection
- KHL Names Their All-Star Picks
- Ruble Report: Olympics, Kunlun, KHL Expansion
- Dinamo Riga Goes Through Their Third Coaching Change Of The Season
- First Bunch Of KHL All-Stars Revealed
Defensively both teams have been playing a safe game without giving up too much space in their respective zones. There are a few guys that can jump the gun and join the attack – Mat Robinson for CSKA Moscow who hasn’t had the loudest post-season as opposed to years prior but he’s still decent. Avangard has weapons like Ville Pokka, Oliwer Kaski but as mentioned before – they have to juggle their imports as they can only have five on the game roster. Alexei Bereglazov has been exccellent. Which teams are better on defense? I don’t know – we’ll figure that out on the ice when the time comes.
Prediction: Avangard Omsk will have to get going offensively, apply pressure to win the Gagarin Cup. If anyone – it’s Bob Hartley who can figure out a way to defeat CSKA and the series won’t be one-sided. However, I believe that CSKA won’t be lifting the trophy. The Omsk team will be the new Gagarin Cup Champions. It’ll take no less than six games though.
-
Ep 76: Oilers, Flames, Winter Classic Jersey, Avs, and More
by Full Press Coverage on November 23, 2023 at 6:42 am
Jim and Chris are back for another edition of Full Press Hockey Weekly to […]
-
Ep 75: Hockey After Dark
by Full Press Coverage on November 15, 2023 at 3:12 am
Jim and Chris are back for the first edition of Full Press Hockey After […]
-
Ep 74: Drama In Ottawa, McAvoy Suspended, NHL Rumors, and More!
by Full Press Coverage on November 2, 2023 at 1:27 pm
In a jam-packed episode, Jim and Chris discuss the drama in Ottawa with […]
-
Off to Motown: Patrick Kane Signs with Detroit Red Wings
by Full Press Coverage on November 28, 2023 at 7:07 pm
Jim Biringer is back once again joined by Kevin Allen of Detroit Hockey […]
-
What's on Russ's Mind: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
by Full Press Coverage on November 23, 2023 at 1:00 pm
Jim Biringer is back once again joined by Russ Cohen of Full Press Hockey, […]
-
Off To Alberta To Check On The Edmonton Oilers
by Full Press Coverage on November 19, 2023 at 1:00 pm
Jim Biringer is back once again joined by Avry Lewis-McDougall of the […]
-
Ep 87: Captain Brad Marchand, New Season Expectations, Bruins Hockey Is Back
by Full Press Coverage on October 11, 2023 at 11:10 pm
Ian and Chris return for the start of the Bruins season as they talk Brad […]
-
Ep 86: David Krejci Announces Retirement
by Full Press Coverage on August 14, 2023 at 10:28 pm
Ian and Chris react to David Krejci's retirement. Learn more about your ad […]
-
S5Ep13 - Patrick Kane Signs with Detroit Red Wings
by Jim Biringer on November 28, 2023 at 5:21 pm
Jim Biringer is back for the fifth season of the Final Word on Hockey in a […]
-
S5Ep12 - Time For William Nylander To Get Paid
by Jim Biringer on November 19, 2023 at 1:00 pm
Jim Biringer is back for the fifth season of the Final Word on Hockey […]
-
Avalanche at Ducks - Canucks at Flames - Capitals at Golden Knights
by Broken Controller Media on December 2, 2023 at 5:00 pm
Hunter Logan Previews Avalanche at Ducks, Canucks at Flames, Capitals at […]
-
Sabres at Hurricanes - Red Wings at Canadiens - Kraken at Senators
by Broken Controller Media on December 2, 2023 at 4:10 pm
Hunter Logan Previews Sabres at Hurricanes, Red Wings at Canadiens, Kraken […]
-
Lightning at Stars - Blackhawks at Jets - Rangers at Predators - Islanders at Panthers
by Broken Controller Media on December 2, 2023 at 4:05 pm
Hunter Logan Previews Lightning at Stars, Blackhawks at Jets, Rangers at […]
-
Episode #147: Sloppy October Is Over?
by Full Press Coverage on November 2, 2023 at 8:37 pm
On this edition of The Calder Farmstead, Sean and Sarah finish out the […]
-
Episode #146: Spooky Luck
by Full Press Coverage on October 27, 2023 at 4:09 pm
On this episode of The Calder Farmstead, Mr. Anderson (Sean) and Tina […]
-
Renegades Of Puck Ep 828
by Charlie Saunier on December 1, 2023 at 6:59 pm
Ep 828 The Renegades Of Puck Recap 6-1 L Vs Wild Preview Rangers & […]
-
Full Press Islanders - 12-1 - Take the 2 points and run
by Full Press Coverage on December 1, 2023 at 4:55 pm
Last night wasn't pretty but they found a way to win and that's what […]
-
Full Press Hurricanes - 12-1 - Carolina Falls 5-4 in Overtime Against the Islanders.
by Full Press Coverage on December 1, 2023 at 4:30 pm
The Hurricanes thoroughly outshot the New York Islanders 43-16, but the […]
-
Leafs Digest - 12-1 - MASSIVE Trade Incoming? - Trade Reports INTENSIFYING
by BCM on December 1, 2023 at 4:00 pm
Nick Gosse and Darius Domingues break down recent reports highlighting […]
-
Full Press Kraken - 12-1 - Shootout loss, Maple Leafs, Marner
by Full Press Coverage on December 1, 2023 at 2:40 pm
Recapping the shootout loss to Toronto. Learn more about your ad choices. […]
-
Full Press Wild - 12-1 - Recapping a dominating Wild win over the predators.
by Full Press Coverage on December 1, 2023 at 2:30 pm
Win, Nashville, domination, Connor Dewar. Learn more about your ad […]
-
11/28 - MNF Reaction, State Of The NFL
by Full Press Coverage on November 30, 2023 at 3:49 am
Ian and John react to Monday Night Football and discuss more of the state […]
-
11/27 - Thanksgiving Recap; Jalen Hurts, NFL News and Notes
by Full Press Coverage on November 27, 2023 at 10:43 pm
Ian and John recap Thanksgiving weekend, discuss Jalen Hurts' moment, and […]
-
11/24 - Thanksgiving Recap, Jets/Dolphins, Week 12 Picks
by Full Press Coverage on November 24, 2023 at 3:47 pm
Ian and John react to all of the action on Thanksgiving Day and look ahead […]
-
11/23 - Thanksgiving Day Preview, Tom Brady, Top 5 NFL Teams
by Full Press Coverage on November 23, 2023 at 3:11 pm
Ian and John discuss the Thanksgiving Day slate of games in the NFL, Tom […]
-
Ep 193: Ayako Hamada
by Full Press Coverage on December 2, 2023 at 3:00 pm
Ayako Hamada has had a wide and varied career through AAA, SHIMMER, TNA, […]
-
Ep. 262 - The In Season Tournament is Going Better Than Anyone Expected
by Full Press Coverage on December 1, 2023 at 12:56 am
Jet and Sap share their thoughts now that group play is over with in the […]
-
Ep 198: Week 13 vs Chiefs
by Full Press Coverage on November 30, 2023 at 8:20 pm
In this episode, co-hosts Kyle Senra and Jesse Hall are joined by Braden […]
-
Ep 316: Week 13 Fantasy Football Preview
by Full Press Coverage on November 30, 2023 at 4:08 am
In this episode, Kyle Serna and Brad Harvin provide a survival guide for […]
-
11/28 - MNF Reaction, State Of The NFL
by Full Press Coverage on November 30, 2023 at 3:49 am
Ian and John react to Monday Night Football and discuss more of the state […]
-
Ep 180: Hall of Fame Class Of 2024 Semifinalists Discussion
by Full Press Coverage on November 28, 2023 at 7:02 pm
Ira and Clark dissect the 2024 Hall of Fame class semifinalists. Learn […]
-
Ep 197: Recapping Weeks 11 & 12
by Full Press Coverage on November 27, 2023 at 11:26 pm
This episode is a double-dip in a good way. Kyle Senra and Jesse Hall […]
-
11/27 - Thanksgiving Recap; Jalen Hurts, NFL News and Notes
by Full Press Coverage on November 27, 2023 at 10:43 pm
Ian and John recap Thanksgiving weekend, discuss Jalen Hurts' moment, and […]