SKA Saint Petersburg 2017 Gagarin Cup Champions - Ilya Kovalchuk is Alive and Well and Living in Saint Petersburg

SKA Saint Petersburg captured the 2017 Gagarin Cup yesterday with a come from behind 5-3 over Metallurg Magnitogorsk yesterday to take the finals by 4 games to 1.

SKA captain Ilya Kovalchuk happily accepting the Gagarin Cup

Metallurg defeated the first year club Kunlun Red Star out of Beijing, China 4-1 and then cruised by both Barys Astana of Kazakhstan and the Russian club Ak Bars Kazan with back-to-back sweeps to advance to the finals as the Eastern Conference representative.

SKA had a similar route, defeating HC Vityaz of the Moscow region in four straight, advancing past Dynamo Moscow 4-1 and then sweeping Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 4-0, who had eliminated top seed CSKA Moscow, making SKA's route to the final just that much easier.

Game 1 of the finals went the way of SKA 5-4 after a back and forth affair which saw both teams leading at times. The game was tied at 2-2 after 2 periods and SKA took a 4-3 lead with a power play goal from Patrik Hersley with 5 minutes to play. Evgeny Dadonov extended the SKA lead to two at 16:59 and Tomas Filippi's goal for Metallurg with just 11 seconds remaining was too little too late for the home side Magnitogorsk.

Game 2 in Magnitogorsk was tied at 1-1 following the first period and Vladilsav Kaletnik scored the game winning goal in the second period and Tommi Santala's goal with 1:11 remaining in the game made the final score 3-1 as Vasily Koshechkin stopped 43 of 44 SKA shots in goal for Metallurg.

Game 3 at the Ice Palace in Saint Petersburg was all about the goaltenders. After a scoreless first period where SKA held an 18-3 advantage in shots, each team had a goal in the second period, as Andrei Zubarev opened the scoring at 2:54 for SKA. Agonizingly for the home fans, Denis Kazionov tied the game with just 6 seconds left in the period for Metallurg, who had a 12-6 lead in shots during period two. Neither team scored in the third period, as SKA held the edge in shots 12-5. After a scoreless first overtime, Dadonov won the game for SKA with a goal at 12:45 of the second overtime period. Mikko Koskinen got the win in goal for Saint Petersburg after making 27 saves, while Koshechkin was the hard luck loser for Magnitogorsk after making 58 saves, 24 in the two overtimes, as his offense managed only 8.

Game 4 at the Ice Palace was 1-0 for the visitors and Magnitogorsk held their one goal leading heading into the third period as the teams traded goals in the second for a 2-1 advantage. Just 1:28 into the third it was game on when Zubarev tied the game at 2-2 and Dinar Khafizullin won it for SKA when he beat Koshechkin at the 12:05 mark. Koskinen got the win in goal for SKA as they outshout Metallurg by a wide margin once again, 50-24. The win gave Saint Petersburg a 3-1 lead in games, putting them on the brink of the championship.

Yesterday's Game 5 was back in Magnitogorsk, and what a game it was. Metallurg scored first at 8:49 on a goal by Oskar Osala. Viktor Antipin extended the Magnitogorsk lead to 2-0 at 3:56 of the second period and it appeared as if it were their night.

Then three minutes later, Nikita Gusev started the SKA comeback at 7:00. Alexander Barabanov leveled the game just 2:23 later near the game's halfway mark. Dadonov scored his 9th goal of the playoffs at 14:29 to give SKA their first lead of the night at 3-2, which was the score at the end of the second period.

SKA's Dadonov attacking Koshechkin in the Metallurg goal

SKA kept rolling in the third, as Ilya Kovalchuk scored what appeared to be a back breaker at just nine seconds for a 4-2 lead for Saint Petersburg. However, Metallurg was not going to go away easy, especially at home, and Yaroslav Kosov responded to  a mere 46 seconds later to narrow the gap to 4-3 with essentially an entire period remaining to play.

Koskinen stood tall for SKA though, making 19 saves in the period while SKA managed a mere 3 shots, one of which was an empty net goal by Sergei Plotnikov with 1:06 to play to secure the championship for Saint Petersburg 4 games to 1. Despite being on the losing side, goaltender Koshechkin was named the playoff MVP.

When the start of the 2012-13 NHL season was delayed by a lockout, Kovalchuk signed with SKA and was also named team captain. He returned to the New Jersey Devils for the shortened NHL season was the labor issues were resolved, scoring 31 points in 37 games. Then, in July of 2013, he shocked the hockey world when he retired from the NHL, walking away from the $77 million and 12 years he had remaining on his contract.

While he said his reasoning was a desire to return home to Russia with his family, many accused him of following the money, as the far lower tax rate in Russia would have resulted in an even greater total salary in his pocket.

Less than a week after his "retirement", Kovalchuk signed a four year contract with Saint Petersburg. He immediately led the team to a division championship with the third best record in the league and tied Artemi Panarin for the team lead with 40 points having played 6 less games. SKA won a playoff series but were ousted in round two.

Kovalchuk was again second to Panarin in scoring in 2014-15, with 55 points in 54 games. During the playoffs, SKA defeated Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod, Dynamo Moscow, top seed CSKA and Ak Bars to capture the historic first championship for the club that was founded back in 1946, a drought of 69 seasons! Kovalchuk was third in team playoff scoring and fourth overall. He was named the playoff MVP, but refused to accept it and passed it to teammate Dadonov.

The 2015 Gagarin Cup champions SKA Saint Petersburg

For the 2015-16 season, Kovalchuk was once again second in scoring, only this time behind Vadim Shipachev. He had 49 points in 50 games during the regular season. While SKA advanced to the semifinals before being eliminated, Kovalchuk was limited to just four games of SKA's 15 playoff games.

This season, Kovalchuk finally led SKA in scoring. He was the only member of the roster to play in all 60 of the team's games and led the club in goals with 32 and points with 78, which was second overall in the KHL.

Saint Petersburg won the Bobrov Division and finished tied with CSKA for the most overall points during the regular season. As we documented above, SKA marched through the playoffs to win their second Gagarin Cup championship in three seasons by defeating the defending champions Magnitogorsk by playing only two games over the minimum of 16 needed to win.

The 2016-17 Gagarin Cup champions SKA Saint Petersburg

Since leaving the NHL, Kovalchuk has played in the KHL All-Star Game all four seasons, won two Gagarin Cups and one Playoff MVP award while scoring 89 goals and 222 points in 209 games.

Today's featured jersey is a 2016-17 SKA Saint Petersburg Pavel Datsyuk jersey. Datsyuk played in 44 of SKA's 60 games this season, scoring 12 goals and 34 points. He was injured off and on throughout the season and was injured once more during the second round of the playoffs against Dynamo which caused him to miss the Gagarin Cup finals.

2016 KHL Gagarin Cup Playoffs Update

The 2016 KHL Gagarin Cup Playoffs began back on February 21st with the top eight teams from each of the two Eastern and Western conferences.

For the second year in a row, the top team in the 2015-16 KHL regular season was CSKA Moscow, who tallied 127 points in the 60 game KHL season. CSKA was paired with the #8 qualifier Slovan Bratislava from Slovakia and swept them in four games straight with Game 2 requiring overtime.

Jokerit Helsinki of Finland won the Bobrov Division with 108 points to claim the second seed and were matched up against Torpedo Nizhny Novogorod of Russia, who scored 100 points in the standings. While they won 8 games less than Jokerit, their 10 overtime wins and 11 overtime losses allowed them to pile up the points. Torpedo took Game 1 6-4, but Jokerit evened the series with a 4-3 win in Game 2. The Russian side took a hard fought Game 3, making a Artyom Alyayev goal just 8:57 into the game stand up for a 1-0 win and a 2-1 series lead. Torpedo followed that with a 3-2 overtime in in Game 4 to take a commanding 3-1 lead in the series, but Jokerit stayed alive with a 3-2 win in Game 5 before Torpedo closed them out with a 3-2 win in Game 6 to advance to the Western Conference Semifinals.

The #3 seed Lokomotiv Yaroslavl narrowly finished second in the Tarasov Division with 125 points, just 2 back of CSKA, but far head of the rest of the KHL pack, as Jokerit and HC Sochi were next at 108 points. Lokomotiv drew the defending Gagarin Cup champions SKA Saint Petersburg, the #6 seed. SKA jumped out to a 3-0 lead after two periods in Game 1 and then held on to win 3-2. They then scored a goal in each period to claim Game 2 by a score of 3-0. Nikita Gusev's goal for SKA at the 3:38 mark of the second period was the lone goal of Game 3 as SKA took a decisive 3-0 lead in games. SKA then won Game 4 2-0 to complete not only the sweep, but the largest upset of the the first round, knocking off a team that finished 25 points ahead of them in the standings.

The final Western Conference series saw HC Sochi, the #4 seed based on their 108 points, against the 105 point Dynamo Moscow and their stingy defense, which allowed them to have a better goal differential compared to HC Sochi, +41 vs +26. Dynamo made quick work of Sochi, sweeping them in four by scores of 4-1, 3-2. 3-0 and 1-0 as Alexei Tereshchenko closed out the series with his goal at 13:09 of the second overtime to allow Dynamo to become the third of four lower seeds to advance.

In the Eastern Conference, all four series went to the favorites as Chernyshev Division winner and #1 seed Avangard Omsk (106 points) swept Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk (86) 2-1, 4-2, 2-1 and 3-2 in overtime in a close fought series.

Kharlamov Division winner Metallurg Magnitogorsk, at 103 points, required six games to defeat Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg (92) after dropping Game 1, 2-1. Metallurg responded with a 2-0 win in Game 2 before a 6-0 hammering of Yekateringburg in Game 3. Down, but not out, Avtomobilist came back to win 3-1 in Game 4 to even the series at 2 games each. Magnitogorsk pulled away with 4-2 and 5-2 wins to close out the series in their favor.

Sibir Novoibirsk with the second most points in the east at 105 points, were paired with Admiral Vladivostok (95) from the Russian east coast. Sibir broke out on top with a 4-2 win followed by a 4-0 shutout. They put the clamps on the series with a 3-1 win in Game 3. Admiral saved face with a 2-0 win in Game 4 before Novosibirsk finished them off with a 4-2 win in Game 5 to advance to the next round.

The final series was the longest of the opening round, as Salavat Yulaev Ufa (101) battled Ak Bars Kazan (96). Ufa won Game 1 by a score of 4-1 and went ahead 2-0 when the took Game 2 by a score of 5-2. Ak Bars stayed in the series with a 3-0 victory in the third game but Ufa put them on the brink with a 4-1 win in Game 4. Ak Bars stayed alive with a 4-3 win in Game 5 and forced a decisive final game with their 8-0 demolition of Ufa in Game 6. Kazan continued their form from Game 6 with a goal by Dimitri Arkhipov just 38 seconds into Game 7. Salavat Yulaev got up off the mat with a response just 27 seconds later. At the 15:09 mark of the first period, Ufa was on top for the first time since the first period of Game 5. They extended their lead to 3-1 with a late goal in the second period and held off Ak Bars over the final 20 minutes despite a Kazan goal to make the final score 3-2 for Ufa to give them the series win in the full seven games.

Here are highlights of the opening round of Gagarin Cup playoff action.

The teams were then reseeded for the Conference Semifinals which began on March 7th and #1 overall seed CSKA Moscow were defeated 2-1 by Torpedo Nizhny Novogorod in a close 2-1 game. CSKA answered the wakeup call and took the next four in a row, 5-1, 3-1, 5-3 and 3-2 to advance to the Western Conference Finals.

Dynamo Moscow then drew SKA Saint Petersburg, with Game 1 going to SKA 4-1. Dynamo fought back with a 4-3 overtime Game 2 with Alexander Osipov scoring the game winner. Dynamo then took the series lead after a 4-0 shutout on the road with Alexander Yeryomenko making 34 saves for the win. Two days later SKA goaltender Mikko Koskinen returned the favor as Saint Petersburg won by an identical 4-0 score. SKA's 4-1 win in Game 5 put them up 3 games to 2 before Koskinen's second shutout in four days 2-0 gave SKA the series 4 games to 2 and a date with CSKA.

Over in the Eastern Conference, #1 seed Avangard Omsk was paired against Salavat Yulaev Ufa, who came back from a 2-1 third period deficit to win 3-2 in overtime. Omsk evened the series at 1-1 with a 5-4 win in Game 2. Back at home, Ufa put up back to back 3-1 and 2-1 wins to go up 3 games to 1. Avangard took Game 5 in Omsk 3-2 and forced a Game 7 with their 3-1 win in Game 6. In Omsk, Avangard broke out on top in the first period 1-0, but a pair of second period goals for Salavat Yulaev from Serei Soin and Maxim Mayorov proved decisive as Ufa eliminated the number one seed in the east. Below are highlights from the series Game 7.

The final place in the Eastern Conference finals would be decided between Metallurg Magnitogorsk and Sibir Novosibirsk. Game 1 went to Magnitogorsk only to have Game 2 be decided in favor of Sibir by identical 3-1 scores. Metallurg dominated Game 3 by a 5-1 score for a 2-1 series advantage.

Controversy erupted in Game 4, as, after Sibir tied the game with their goaltender pulled to force overtime with 26 seconds left in regulation, a puck hit one of the Magnitogorsk players as he was coming onto the ice during the extra period. Sibir begged for a Too Many Men on the Ice penalty, but play was allowed to continue and Metallurg scored the game winner. Sibir demanded the result be overturned, but the league upheld the result for Magnitogorsk and a 3-1 series lead.

Metallurg then closed out the series with a 2-1 win in Game 5 to advance to the next round.

Here are highlights from Salavat's 2-1 Game 4 win over Omsk and the highlights for the controversial Game 4 between Sibir and Metallurg, a game which featured some amazing passing.

The Western Conference Finals begin on Tuesday, March 22nd when CSKA hosts SKA and current playoff scoring leaders Vadim Shipachyov and Nikita Gusev in Moscow at the Ice Palace.

Meanwhile, the  Eastern Conference Finals begin on Wednesday, March 23rd when regular season scoring champion Sergei Mozyakin (67 points in 57 games) and Metallurg hosts Salavat Yylaev Ufa in Magnitogorsk for the right to advance to the Gagarin Cup Finals.

If you would like to purchase your own KHL jersey, such as the one submitted yesterday by reader David Shucosky, please visit our friends at LutchUSA.com.

2014 KHL Gagarin Cup Playoff Update

The semifinals round of the Kontinental Hockey League Gagarin Cup playoffs concluded Friday and the Gagarin Cup Finals are now set.

In the Eastern Conference, #1 seed Metallurg Magnitogorsk, coached by Canadian Mike Keenan, defeated #4 Salavat Yulaev Ufa 4 games to 1. The series began with Metallurg winning a pair of 3-2 games at home, with the second requiring overtime. Game 3 in Ufa saw Salavat forcefully announce their intention to win the series with a dominating 4-0 shutout, but all that accomplished was to sound the alarm and Magnitogorsk did not allow another goal for the rest of the series, winning Game 4 1-0 on a goal by Viktor Antipin and take the series back at home with another 1-0 win with the final goal coming 1:14 into overtime from Yaroslav Khabarov as goaltender Vasily Koshechkin shut out Ufa for over the final 120 minutes of the series.

Here are the highlights of Metallurg and Koshechkin shutting out Salavat despite the valiant effort of Ufa goaltender (#88!) Andrei Vasilevsky, who makes a spectacular glove save on the goal line in an effort to keep his club's hopes alive.

Meanwhile, in the Western Conference, #3 Lev Prague out of the Czech Republic faced the #8 seed and sentimental favorites Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, who had already defeated the #1 seed and defending champions Dynamo Moscow and #2 SKA Saint Petersburg.

Lev took the first two games in Prague 3-0 and 2-1. Back in front of their home fans in Yaroslavl, Lokomotiv won 3-0 to get back in the series thanks to a shutout by former NHLer Curtis Sanford, but then dropped Game 4 by a score of 3-2 in overtime with the winning goal coming with just 19 seconds left in the extra session.

The series then moved back to the Czech Republic where Lev closed out the series, becoming the first team based outside of Russia to make the Gagarin Cup Finals and put an end to the dream story of Lokomotiv winning the championship just two seasons removed from the disaster that claimed the lives of the entire 2011-12 team, forcing the club to start over from scratch.

Here are the highlights of the final game between Lev and Lokomotiv, which includes the wild goal scored by Lokomotiv's Geoff Platt, his second of the game.

The Gagarin Cup Finals begin on Friday, April 18th.

Meanwhile, unlike the NHL, the 12 teams that fail to qualify for the championship playoffs enter a tournament of their own for "the best of the rest", known as Nadezhda Cup (the Cup of Hope), a concept which began last season.

The First Round is a quick two game series, and if each team wins one, a 5 minute overtime followed by a shootout decides the series, something you won't see in the NHL! #11 Slovan Bratislava of Slovakia was ousted by #14 Dinamo Minsk of Belarus 2-0 and #13 Vityaz Chekov advanced when #12 Spartak Moscow was excluded from the playoffs due to their financial situation.

In the East, #11 Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk defeated #14 Amur Khabarovsk from far eastern Russia after a 4-2 win in Game 1 followed by a 1-1 tie in Game 2, another thing North American's aren't used to seeing, a playoff series ending with a tie game!

In the battle of the longest names, #12 Neftkhimik Nizhnekamsk swept a pair of games from #13 Metallurg Novokuznetsk.

For the Quarterfinals, teams ranked 9th and 10th joined the competition to face the winners of the First Round. There, the series are four games with a 20 minute overtime and shootout if the teams are tied 2-2 after the four games. #14 Dinamo Minsk upset #9 Atlant Moscow Oblast in three straight and Minsk advanced to face #10 Severstal Cherepovets, who eliminated #13 Vityaz Chekov 3-1. In the East, #10 Avangard Omsk were 3-1 victors over #11 Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk. The series between #9 Traktor Chelyabinsk and #12 Neftkhimik Nizhnekamsk went to the deciding shootout after a long night of hockey, as Traktor first had to win Game 4 1-0 after 18 minutes of overtime. Then, the two teams played a scoreless 20 minute "series" overtime before Traktor advanced in the series deciding shootout after nearly five full periods of hockey.

The Western Semifinal saw #14 Dinamo Minsk stay hot with a 3-1 series win over #10 Severstal Cherepovets, giving Minsk 8 wins in 9 games. #10 Avangard Omsk advanced with a 3-1 defeat of #9 Traktor Cheylabinsk. In the finals, Avangard put an end to Dinamo's hot streak, shutting them out 2-0 and 4-0 before taking the Nadezhda Cup with a 3-2 win in Game 3.

Highlights of the final game of the Cup of Hope begin at the 1:22 mark.

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2014 KHL Gagarin Cup Playoff Update

The second round of the Kontinental Hockey League Gagarin Cup playoffs concluded Saturday and the Conference Finals are now set.

In the Eastern Conference, #1 seed Metallurg Magnitogorsk, coached by Canadian Mike Keenan, managed to sweep #6 Sibir Novosibirsk, but the series was much closer than a sweep would indicate, as Game 1 required overtime, Game 2 was an identical 3-2 score, Game 3 also went to overtime with a final score of 2-1 before Metallurg won yet another 3-2 game as every contest was decided by a single goal, making for a genuinely close fought series and hardly sounding like a sweep with the total goals being just 11-7 for Magnitogorsk.

Meanwhile, the other Eastern series resulted in an upset. as #4 Salavat Yulaev Ufa defeated #2 Barys Astana from Kazakhstan 4 games to 2. Ufa took Game 1 3-2 in overtime, staying fresh after their full 7 game opening round, while Astana waited 9 days following their first round sweep.

Barys rebounded with a 5-2 win in Game 2 but were then put on the brink when Salavat Yulaev won the next two 5-2 and 3-2 in overtime at home. Barys stayed alive with a 2-1 win at home, but Ufa closed out the series with a 3-2 win back at home to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals against Metallurg in a series that will begin on Thursday with the winner advancing to the Gagarin Cup Finals.

Here are the highlights of the final game between Salavat and Barys.

Meanwhile, in the Western Conference, #3 Lev Prague out of the Czech Republic faced #4 Donbass Donetsk of Ukraine. Lev won Game 1 at home 5-2 only to have Donbass take Game 2 4-3 in overtime after trailing entering the third period.

Lev returned the favor, taking Game 3 in overtime 3-2 but Donbass evened the series at 2-2 with a 3-1 win in Game 4, but Prague won the next two games by scores of 3-1 and 1-0 as Finnish goaltender Atte Engren made the lone goal by defenseman Ondrej Nemec stand up as the winner to close out the series and advance Lev to the Western Conference Finals.

Despite all that, the story in the KHL continues to be Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, as the #8 and lowest seed continues to surprise, having already eliminated the defending champions and #1 seed Dynamo Moscow in the opening round. Their reward for that victory was a series against the #2 seed SKA Saint Petersburg, led by star Ilya Kovalchuk.

A well rested Saint Petersburg club took Game 1 by a score of 1-0 but Lokomotiv turned the tables on the road in Game 2, coming back from a 4-2 deficit after two periods to take a 5-4 overtime win on a goal by Vladislav Kartayev.

Back on home ice Yaroslavl took a 4-1 decision only to have SKA hammer them in Game 4 6-1 to even the series at 2-2. Lokomotiv, coached by another Canadian, this one with previous KHL experience, Dave King, continued their season with a 3-2 win on the road and closed out the series back home with a 2-0 shutout in Game 6 with goals by Yury Petrov and 8 year NHL veteran Vitaly Vishnevsky and 26 saves by Canadian and former NHL goaltender Curtis Sanford.

Here are the highlights from the final game between Lokotmotiv and SKA, followed by the deciding game for Lev and Donbass, including an insane save by the Finn Engren for Lev which is not to be missed!

Now having knocked off #1 Dynamo Moscow and #2 SKA Saint Petersburg, Lokomotiv now draws #3 Lev Prague in the Western Conference Finals, which are set to begin in on Wednesday in Prague where Lokomotiv may not be the favorite of the bookmakers based on the two team's final placings in the standings, but they will certainly be the emotional favorites of the world of hockey as this is only their second season for the resurrected club following the air disaster that killed the entire 2011-12 roster on their way to their opening game of the season.

While Lokomotiv and Lev finished the season with 23 wins each, #3 Lev racked up 15 more points from overtimes and shootouts, as Lev lost just 13 games versus #8 Lokomotiv's 21 losses. Notably, Prauge won a KHL leading 9 shootouts with only two other of the 28 teams even managing 7. Fortunately for Lokomotiv, shootouts are not a part of the postseason and Lev's advantage is therefore removed.

#1 Metallurg must be favored in the East, as they stand alone as the only 100 point team remaining with 108 from 30 wins, taking on #4 Ufa, who finished with 94 points from 25 wins.

If you would like to purchase a Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, or any other KHL jersey of your very own, please click the logo below to get in touch with our sponsors ProRussianJerseys.com!

2014 KHL Gagarin Cup Playoff Update

The opening round of the Kontinental Hockey League Gagarin Cup playoffs concluded yesterday with a Game 7 thriller to set the pairings for the Conference Semifinals.

In the Western Conference, the Tarasov Division, defending KHL champions Dynamo Moscow finished the regular season with the best overall record in the KHL's 54 game season with a, ...ready for this… , 34-2-2-5-0-11 record. That would be 34 wins, 2 overtime wins, 2 shootout wins, 5 shootout losses, 0 overtime losses and 11 regulation losses! It all added up to 115 points and the #1 seed in the West. #2 was SKA Saint Petersburg with 105 points.

Dynamo was paired with the #8 team, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, who dominated at home after the first five games of the series were all decided by one goal, including three in overtime, with a 6-0 win to force a Game 7 back in Moscow where Lokomotiv got two goals a minute and a half apart to take a 2-0 lead into the second period. Dynamo got one back in the second to send the game into the third period with Lokomotiv up 2-1 and it still anyone's series, but Yaroslavl came out of the gate flying, extending their lead to 3-1 less than a minute into the third on a goal by Sergei Konkov to put the champions on the ropes.

The knockout blow was delivered on a power play, again by Konkov, his second of the period, to give Yaroslavl a 4-1 lead. A last goal with 48 second remaining made the final margin 5-1 and capping off an emotional upset for the ages, just two years removed from the tragedy that wiped out the entire Lokomotiv team and forced the club to start over from scratch just one season ago.

Meanwhile, #2 SKA Saint Petersburg, led by captain Ilya Kovalchuk, swept #7 CSKA Moscow in four straight while #3 Lev Prague of the Czech Republic also swept #6, the Croatian club Medvescak Zagreb 4 games to none.

In the final western pairing, #4 Donbass Donetsk from Ukraine had a tough fight on their hands in the form of the #5 Latvian club Dinamo Riga, who also stayed alive with a Game 6 win at home to force a Game 7. Donbass then prevailed with a 3-1 win to move onto the next round in a game moved to Bratislava, Slovakia due to the political situation in Ukraine at the present.

Over in the Eastern Conference, Metallurg Magnitogorsk, led by first year head coach Canadian Mike Keenan, snared the #1 seed with 108 points, led by Sergei Mozyakin (73 points), Jan Kovar (68) and Danis Zaripov (64), who finished 1-2-3 in the KHL scoring race. They faced the first year expansion club and #8 seed Admiral Vladivostok from far, far eastern Russia next to North Korea on the Sea of Japan, 4,700 miles away from Magnitogorsk, an 8 hour flight. While favored Magnitogorsk moved on, it required three overtime games before they prevailed 4-1.

#2 Barys Astana of Kazakhstan swept #7 Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg, with the first two games in Astana requiring overtime.

#3 Ak Bars Kazan squared off against #6 Sibir Novosibirsk in a tough series where the tone was set early when Sibir won Game 1 on the road in Kazan 3-1. Kazan fought back to win Game 2, but required overtime to do so. The teams traded lopsided victories in Novosibirsk in Games 3 & 4 before Sibir won a close 1-0 win in Game 5 and closed out Ak Bars in overtime at home to lower seed to advance with their win on Sunday the 16th.

#4 Savalat Yulaev Ufa battled #5 Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod in an odd series, as the road team won the first four games of the series. Order was restored as Salavat won Game 5 at home only to have Torpedo return the favor in Game 6, forcing a deciding Game 7 which went the way of Salavat in a tense 2-1 game, giving them the series victory, with the highlights below.

Additionally, here are highlights with English commentary of the two Game 7's from March 17th, with Lokomotiv defeating Dynamo Moscow followed by Donbass ousting Dinamo Riga in their winner take all match up.

The pairings for the Conference Semifinals are now all set, with #1 Metallurg Magnitogorsk facing #6 Sibir Novosibrisk and well-rested #2 Barys Astana meeting Savalat Yulaev Ufa, who just completed a full seven game series, in the East.

In the Western Conference, #2 SKA Saint Petersburg (also have had plenty of time off following their first round sweep) meets upset minded #8 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl for the right to meet the winner of #3 Lev Prague vs. #4 Donbass Donestsk in the third series where the winner of a first round sweep meets and underdog who just slogged through a full seven games. Will the favorites suffer from having too much time off? Will the underdogs be on a roll, or have they spent too much energy too soon to be able to battle a rested favorite?

If you would like to purchase a Kovalchuk SKA Saint Petersburgh, or any other KHL jersey of your very own, please click the logo below to get in touch with our sponsors ProRussianJerseys.com!

Dynamo Moscow - 2012 KHL Gagarin Cup Champions

Dynamo Moscow won a close fought seventh game of the KHL's 2012 Gagarin Cup Finals on the road in Siberia today, completing a comeback from falling behind 3 games to 1 to Avangard Omsk.

Neither team scored during the first two periods, setting up a tense winner-take-all final 20 minutes. Dynamo looked to have the chance they were waiting for with a 5-on-3 advantage which lasted over a minute early in the period, but Karri Ramo in the Avangard goal held Dynamo at bay as the game continued scoreless.

Finally Marek Kvapil found fellow Czech Jakub Klepis on the right side of the Omsk goal and Klepis, who was stoned on a one-timer, converted a backhander of the rebound on his second try to score the only goal of the game.

The final moments were tense, as Omsk pulled Ramo for an extra attacker and kept the puck in the Dynamo end for several good chances, but to no avail, as Alexander Yeremenko completed the shutout to give Dynamo the title.

Dynamo Moscow - 2012 KHL Gagarin Cup Champions

It was Dynamo's first Gagarin Cup, as well as the first for any club from the Russian capital, and a great result for a team which was on the verge of vanishing in 2010 when their previous and storied previous iteration HC Dynamo, who had been formed in 1946, merged with HC MVD to form UHC (United Hockey Club) Dynamo for the 2010-11 season in a deal which saw the new team assume the history of the legendary Dynamo club but the roster and ownership of MVD.

Here is the game winning goal, scored by Klepis, a one time Washington Capital.

Here is a report of Dynamo's arrival back at home in Moscow, where they were greeted by their excited fans.

The 2012 KHL Gagarin Cup Finals

The KHL championship final for the Gagarin Cup begins today when HK Avangard Omsk takes on OHK Dynamo Moscow.

This will be the fourth time the cup has been awarded with the previous winners being Ak Bars Kazan in 2009 and 2010 followed by Salavat Yulaev Ufa last year.

Salavat Ufa celebrating their 2011Gagarin Cup championship

This will be the first finals appearance for both clubs. Omsk won the Chernyshev Division and entered the playoffs as the second seed in the Eastern Conference standings, advancing to the finals by defeating #7 Amur Khabarovsk from far western Russia, 3,800 miles from Omsk, who themselves are one of the most western clubs in the league being based in Siberia, in a four game sweep.

Omsk then showed their mettle by dispatching #3 Metallurg Magnitogorsk 4-1 and top seeded Trakor Chelyabinsk 4-1 to advance to the finals.

Dynamo was the #3 team in the west, having finished second in the Bobrov Division. Their first opponent was #6 Dinamo Minsk, who were swept in 4. Dynamo also did not have an easy road after the first round, drawing #2 Torpedo Nizhny Novogorod, who they eliminated 4-2 for the right to face #1 SKA Saint Petersburg, who were surprisingly swept in four straight, scoring only 3 goals in the final 3 games.

Marek Kvapil led Dynamo in scoring with a modest 29 points while fellow Czech Roman Cervenka was the top scorer for Omsk with 23 goals and 39 points, which placed him at 21st overall, 24 back of scoring champion Alexander Radulov of Ufa, now playing for Nashville in the NHL playoffs, who led the league with 63, as both clubs relied more on defense to get them where they are now as Alexander Yeryomenko of Dynamo went 18-9 with a 92% save percentage and a 1.91 goals against average, second best in the KHL, followed immediately by Finn Karri Ramo of Omsk at #3 with a 19-17 record, a 92.5% save percentage and a 1.96 goals against average.

Goaltender Alexander Yeryomenko of UHC Dynamo Moscow

Their appearance in the finals for Dynamo Moscow is a welcome reward following some difficult times for the club, as the original HC Dynamo was formed back in 1946 and was the Soviet Union's second most successful team, winning five Soviet Championships followed by

four Russian championships as well as a European Champions Cup as recently as 2006 while sending numerous players on to the NHL until financial strains saw them merged with HC MVD to form the new iteration UHC Dynamo in 2010.

Avanagard Omsk was one of the clubs who benefitted from the demise of the Soviet Union which resulted in the decline in power of the long dominant Central Red Army club. Omsk won the Russian Superleague title in 2004 and went on to secure their own European Champions Cup in 2005.

If you would like to purchase 2011-12 jerseys from either Avangard Omsk or Dynamo Moscow, or any other of the KHL clubs in either replica or pro styles, please contact our sponsors at ProRussianJerseys.com!

UPDATE: The opening game of the Gagarin Cup Finals is now complete and was won by Avangard Omsk by a final score of 2-1, giving them a 1-0 lead in the series. Game 2 will be held on Sunday at 2PM Moscow Time, which is 6 AM Eastern Time in the United States and Canada.