Who will win in a clash of styles?
The duel between Avangard and Lokomotiv can certainly be called one of the most interesting in the quarterfinals of the Gagarin Cup.
And it’s not just the strength of the teams, although that is beyond doubt, but the different approaches to the game.
In fact, fans will see a confrontation between different styles.
“Hawks” try to move forward whenever possible and act on their own.
It is no coincidence that in the regular championship they were in the top 5 in terms of the number of goals (211).
And the leading line of Reed Boucher - Vladimir Tkachev - Ryan Spooner became one of the most productive.
And in the playoffs, the first has already scored seven goals in five matches, and the second has given a similar number of assists.
And only Spooner did not score points, which should rather be considered an anomaly.
The second trio, collected in winter, is also good.
Damir Zhafyarov, Nikolai Prokhorkin and Tomas Jurcho began to produce results almost instantly.
It will be extremely interesting whether the Yaroslavl team will be able to contain the opponent’s forwards.
But Mikhail Kravets’ team cannot boast of reliable defensive actions.
It is significant that in the regular season they conceded 181 goals, and the headquarters still did not decide on the first number.
The railway workers, on the contrary, have been relying on defense for several years and allowed their opponents to score only 139 times, taking first place in this indicator along with SKA, but they scored only 174 times.
Igor Nikitin's team should benefit from important success in the opening round.
He easily dealt with CSKA in five meetings, to which he had previously invariably lost in knockout matches for three seasons in a row.
And even though the current champions looked lackluster, this does not negate the achievements of their opponents.
The main thing is not to relax after a resounding triumph, but it is unlikely that a tough mentor will allow this.
One of the advantages of the red-greens is the complete absence of injuries.
But the Omsk team, at least in the first games, will not be helped by striker Ivan Igumnov and defender Roman Abrosimov.
Even though both of them are not the leaders of the squad, they regularly get practice and become part of the team.
Will Traktor hold off Dynamo?
In the Dynamo - Traktor pair, on the contrary, there is a clear favorite.
We are talking about the Muscovites who won the Continental Cup.
The Chelyabinsk team took only sixth place in the East, just two points ahead of Lada.
But in the opening round they created a sensation, knocking out the strong Salavat Yulaev from the fight and made it clear that no one would have an easy time with them.
Moreover, it will be the opponents who will bear the pressure of responsibility, while Alexei Zavarukhin’s charges have already achieved an excellent result for themselves.
If they also defeat the regular season champion, they will become heroes.
At the same time, the main feature of the team was extreme rigidity.
The hockey players regularly broke the rules, constantly got into fights and earned a total of 147 penalty minutes.
And Charles Robinson was completely sent off before the end of the second match for a knockout in a brawl with Grigory Panin.
However, in fights with blue and white, this tactic threatens to lead to serious problems.
The fact is that Alexey Kudashov's team brilliantly realize the majority.
In the regular season they became the best in this indicator (30.7%), and in the playoffs they are only slightly inferior to Lokomotiv (26.3%).
Therefore, “tractor drivers” will have to act more carefully.
But Nikita Gusev’s health problems can make their task easier.
The top scorer of the regular season missed the fifth game against his teammates from Minsk, and spent less than eight minutes on the ice in the next one.
In addition, the forward did not show up for class on March 14.
But Kudashov assured: the star will play.
And even in his absence, the Chelyabinsk team will face a difficult task - to contain the other leaders of the opponent in the attack: Jordan Weal, Brennan Menell, Dmitry Rashevsky and Cedric Paquette, because any of them is capable of deciding the fate of the episode.
I’m especially happy for the latter, who returned to action during the Gagarin Cup and scored five points in four matches.
Moreover, the Chelyabinsk team themselves did not manage without losses in defense.
One of the leading defenders, Sergei Telegin, did not go on the road with his partners due to injury.
And fans of both teams will also have the opportunity to indulge in pleasant nostalgia, since they played for the main trophy in 2013.
The capital squad turned out to be stronger then - 4:2.
And 11 years later, only one hockey player remained on the roster who took part in those battles - Dynamo captain Andrei Mironov.
Will Metallurg be stronger than Spartak?
But the greatest interest in the second round is attracted by the confrontation between Metallurg and Spartak, especially since it is absolutely impossible to determine the strongest in it in advance.
The Magnitogorsk team excelled in the East, and the Muscovites had no equal in terms of the number of goals (233) and showed brilliant attacking hockey.
Moreover, both head-to-head matches in the regular season were won by Magnitogorsk with a total score of 9:3.
At home, the red-whites were completely defeated - 2:6.
Much will depend on the actions of the formidable leading link of the capital’s team Nikolai Goldobin - Ivan Morozov - Pavel Poryadin, who were nicknamed “Brazilians” for their beautiful combinations on the court.
They also looked good in the playoff meetings with Severstal, where they scored 14 points between the three of them.
And most importantly, Morozov has fully recovered from the injury.
For Goldobin, these fights will be completely special, because he defended the colors of the “lynxes” for three seasons.
The striker was useful, but still revealed himself to the fullest under the leadership of Alexei Zhamnov, simultaneously breaking many club performance records.
Now he will try to stop his former team.
Magnitogorsk's youth perform well.
For example, 20-year-old Nikita Grebenkin brought a decisive victory over Amur in overtime with an accurate throw.
Roman Kantserov, a year younger, scored four points, and the team’s top scorer in the regular season, Danila Yurov, scored two.
Surely, they will all try to prove themselves against the backdrop of the capital’s grandees.
But the most interesting thing will be to watch the goalkeeper born in 2003, Ilya Nabokov.
Andrei Razin was not afraid to bet on him in the Gagarin Cup and has not yet made a mistake.
In six games in the opening round, the goalkeeper saved 92.9% of shots and became the first representative of his role since Andrei Vasilevsky to be recognized as the best rookie of the KHL playoff round.
But it’s one thing to repel the attacks of “Amur”, and another thing to contain the stellar attack of “Spartak”.
Meanwhile, the opponents, judging by the statements of Zhamnov and the hockey player himself, have Ilya Kovalchuk, who is old enough to be Nabokov’s father, fully ready to take to the ice.
He took part in only one match with Severstal, and the red-whites made their only misfire.
Perhaps the veteran was saved for more difficult trials.
Will Nikishin's injury help Avtomobilist knock out SKA?
A clear favorite can only be named in the SKA-Avtomobilist pair.
The St. Petersburg team gained amazing momentum back in the fall and almost won the Continental Cup.
In addition, they have a balanced roster with virtually no weaknesses and are considered by many to be the main contenders for the trophy.
However, the Ekaterinburg team has already created a loud sensation in the playoffs, knocking out the current Gagarin Cup finalist Ak Bars in four matches.
Now they are ready to create another miracle.
In addition, as in the situation with Traktor, the responsibility will rather put pressure on the opponent, and no one will scold Nikolai Zavarukhin’s team even in the event of relegation.
It will be very interesting to watch the goalkeeper duel between the best goalkeeper of last season, Nikita Serebryakov, and Evgeny Alikin.
The latter showed his best side in the meetings with Kazan and even leads in the current playoffs in terms of the percentage of reflected shots (96.1%), if we do not take into account Dmitry Lozebnikov and Amir Miftakhov, who did not even have a full match.
The loss of one of the leaders, Roman Rotenberg, can also make life significantly easier for the underdog.
Alexander Nikishin suffered a shoulder injury in the last fight with Torpedo.
According to media reports, he risks being out of action for a long time.
It is difficult to overestimate the importance of an athlete for the team, because he became the best in the regular season in terms of usefulness (+ 32).
Moreover, with 56 points, Nikishin turned out to be the most productive defender of the championship.
It is not surprising that at the age of 22 he was awarded the captain's stripe.
Besides him, Borna Rendulic, Mikhail Pashnin and Andrey Pedan dropped out, but the team from the banks of the Neva will survive their absence.
However, Avtomobilist was not without personnel problems.
Zavarukhin admitted: the access to the ice for Stefan Da Costa and Anatoly Golyshev remains in question.
The legionnaire played only one game with Ak Bars, and the Russian, who scored four goals against Kazan, missed the last one.