RUSSIA, KHL – Alexander Perezhogin’s brace helped league winners Salavat Yulaev Ufa wrap up their series against HC Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk, taking the best of 7 series by 4 games to 2. Salavat stormed to the league title this season, finishing the 56 game regular season 7 points clear of nearest rivals SKA St. Petersburg, and defeated Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg in the first round of this years play-offs. Former Nashville Predators star Alexandre Radulov led the team in scoring during the regular season with 63 points, and currently leads the league in post season points (15) and assists (12).
Radulov isn’t the only name with NHL experience on Salavat’s roster this season. Norwegian Patrick Thoresen, netminder Vitaly Kolesnik, Dmitri Kalinin, Viktor Kozlov and former Mighty Ducks D man Oleg Tverdovsky are all strutting their stuff at the Ufa Arena this season and helped the team to their first KHL title.
Salavat will meet AZ Bars Kazan in the Conference Finals. Kazan, Captained by former Pittbsurgh Penguin Alexei Morozov, lifted the Gagarin Cup as play-off champions last spring and secured their place in the post season by finishing 3rd in the Eastern Conference. After sweeping Barys aside in Round 1, the defending champions came up against one of Russia’s most famous teams, Metallurg Magnitogorsk , in the Conference Semi-Finals. In a somewhat bizarre series, where the visiting team won each of the first five games, Alexei Budyakov grabbed two goals in a 3-1 win to help Kazan buck the ‘trend’ and clinch the series on home ice. Budyakov was somewhat fortunate with his first effort, watching his pass from behind the goal line bounce off Metallurg defenceman Rinat Ibragimov and in to the net. After the game, Budyakov laughed it off: “The goal was a fluke, but in the play-offs things like that can go your way”. Ibragimov was likely less philosophical about it, having to endure a similar fate when Evgeny Medved’s speculative point shot also struck the Metallurg player and found it’s way in to the net!
In the West, HC MVD continued their season by advancing to the Conference Final at the expense of Dinamo Riga. Having finished second in the Western Conference, Alexei Ugarov’s over time winner ensured MVD would advance in convincing fashion, aking the series 4-1. Dinamo Riga, who have been something of a surprise package this season, will no doubt be disappointed to go out in such one sided fashion, having sent 1st seeds SKA St. Petersburg home in Round 1. But the Latvian sides Olegs Sorokins was quick to point out the relative highs of Rigas campaign: “Even though we have just been defeated, it has still been a successful season. We went further than the first round of the play-offs, which was beyond anyone’s expectations!”
MVD’s next opponents will be Lokomotiv Yaroslavl. After hammering opponents Spartak Moscow 5-1 in Game 1, Lokomotiv slipped in Games 2 and 3, losing both encounters 3-2. But a solid 4-3 OT win in Game 4, a 2-1 win in Game 5 and an emphatic 8-1 win on home ice secured their place in the Western Conference Final. Lokomotiv Coach Petr Vorobyev later praised the effort Spartak’s players put in, despite being without star forward Branko Radivojevic who was suspended, but will now turn his attention to the much tougher prospect of MVD.
The Conference Finals start at the end of this week, with MVD and Lokomotiv playing on Thursday (1st) and Kazan visiting Salavat on Friday. Contact: rob.mcgregor@prohockeynews.com Editors note: Rob has kindly agreed to cover the climax to the KHL for us here on PHN. It is hoped that coverage of this emerging and exciting league will expand next year and become a regular feature.
You must be logged in to post a comment.