Dangerous challenge for Traktor
If before the start of the playoffs the fans were told that Avtomobilist and Traktor would make it to the semifinals, and a number of giants would be eliminated, the majority probably would not have believed it. However, the teams led by cousins Alexei and Nikolai Zavarukhin created a sensation and knocked out several favorites at once.
“Tankers” turned out to be stronger than “Salavat Yulaev” and “Dynamo”. Moreover, they never lost to the Muscovites, who won the Continental Cup. This is all the more surprising since the team did not shine in the regular season, taking only sixth position in the Eastern Conference table and only two points ahead of Lada.
However, next he will face an opponent with virtually no weaknesses - Lokomotiv. In the two previous series with CSKA and Avangard, he demonstrated that he not only has a balanced, even composition, but is also psychologically ready to fight for the trophy, as evidenced by his success in the decisive confrontation with Omsk. Even Spartak forward Ilya Kovalchuk named the Yaroslavl team as the main contenders for the Gagarin Cup. They simply have no right to stumble in Chelyabinsk.
Perhaps the main intrigue is whether the long pause will benefit the underdog. He played his last match with Dynamo on March 22 and received 10 days to rest. According to Alexei Zavarukhin, his charges did nothing for several days and simply came to their senses. It was also decided not to hold friendly meetings.
“Nobody was burdened. The only thing is that in recent days we have paid attention to the 5 on 5 game to maintain our tone. Let’s see what condition the team is in,” the specialist noted.
Lokomotiv ended the confrontation with the Omsk team only on the 30th. But the head coach of the red-greens, Igor Nikitin, is sure that the lack of respite will be beneficial.
“You don’t need to think about anything. Yesterday we rested, today we worked, and tomorrow it’s game. After the series it will become clear. Whoever wins will benefit. We don’t worry and are preparing calmly,” he emphasized.
Some hockey players also agreed with him. For example, striker Artur Kayumov believes that it is always better to play than to train. So far, the physical form of the red-greens does not raise any questions, and even in the seventh match with Omsk they looked as fresh as possible.
Their main trump card remains reliable defense. In 12 meetings they conceded only 22 goals. Daniil Isaev also regularly helps out his partners, having already scored two shutouts in the playoffs and having the same reliability coefficient as Ilya Nabokov (1.75). On the other hand, Zach Fucale looks great on the last line of the Chelyabinsk team. Even though the Canadian was upset more often by his colleagues (25 goals versus 22), in difficult moments he came to the aid of his teammates and helped them win. Consider at least a number of saves in overtime of the second meeting with Dynamo. If the Muscovites had evened the score then, everything could have turned out differently for them.
In any case, powerful defenders and a reliable goalkeeper will clearly not provide Traktor with as many chances and space as the blue and white team. But Zavarukhin is confident that there is a way to neutralize the strengths of opponents.
“They operate according to approximately the same system. Yes, there are great defenders. We paid attention to this. We have faster players who must turn these defenders around and beat them. The skill of our forwards must play a role,” the specialist added.
But the Chelyabinsk residents, as in previous episodes, are ready to take their toll with incredible unity and dedication. It's no coincidence that they rank second in the playoffs in both tackles (63) and interceptions (85). And when necessary, they are ready to literally physically crush the enemy. For example, the meetings with Salavat Yulaev were remembered more not for the goals, but for the fights in which the Ufa team’s self-confidence was broken.
“They have a lot of guys who played in the finals of the Gagarin Cup and other leagues. I expect attacking hockey from them. There are a lot of North Americans there, they will provoke. We must remain patient and collected. Their goalkeeper has not yet been sorted out,” Kayumov noted.
However, there will be someone to watch in attack. In Lokomotiv, the link Maxim Berezkin - Kayumov - Maxim Shalunov unexpectedly came to the fore. The first two lead the team scorers race with ten points. It is symbolic that it was their goals in the seventh meeting that helped eliminate Avangard.
Traktor’s roster also has its stars, even if it relies primarily on collective action. 23-year-old Maxim Shabanov scored the same ten points (3 + 7). Anton Burdasov scored against Dynamo in three matches in a row. And Charles Robinson already has four goals to his name, although he is more remembered for his fights.
And for Vladimir Tkachev, these games will turn out to be special, because from 2019 to 2021 he defended the colors of Loko, albeit without much brilliance. Then he moved to Chelyabinsk, where he had already revealed himself. Now the forward has the opportunity to prove that he was released from Yaroslavl in vain.
“Did you give preference to the railway workers in the series with Avangard? Not really. This is already part of history. A player most often plays for several clubs during his career. This is a passed stage,” Tkachev assured.
Metallurg's unyielding rival
Meanwhile, the Ural derby will take place in the second semi-final. And if “Metallurg” getting into the top four of the Gagarin Cup did not surprise anyone, then the powerful performance of “Avtomobilist” became a pleasant revelation. It cannot even be compared with the successes of Traktor, which reached this stage for the fifth time.
The Ekaterinburg team had reached the second round of the playoffs only once before. At the same time, during the regular season, they, like the Chelyabinsk team, experienced problems. There were even rumors about the resignation of Nikolai Zavarukhin, but they were not confirmed.
And in the knockout matches, trust was repaid to him a hundredfold. First, the team sensationally knocked out the current finalist Ak Bars from the fight, and then broke the resistance of the formidable SKA. However, now one of the main sensations will have an even harder time, because Magnitogorsk took first place in the East, and in the Gagarin Cup they were stronger than the most productive team in the league, Spartak. Andrei Razin's team understands perfectly well that they have an excellent chance to reach the finals and do not intend to miss it.
On the other hand, opponents have nothing to lose. They have already become heroes and even if they give in, they will receive only praise.
However, the favorite is unlikely to allow underestimation. And Razin will definitely approach this confrontation with the highest possible spirit. The fact is that the specialist began his career in the KHL in Yekaterinburg. In 2016, he managed to lead a modest local team to the playoffs. Moreover, in the opening round he then came up against Metallurg. “Auto” even started with a victory, and then managed to level the score. But the class of the opponent showed - they won in six meetings. In October, the young coach was unexpectedly fired after a series of failures, and he immediately took charge of Ugra.
“In the semi-finals, all competitors would become principled, Avtomobilist is no exception. This is a good team with a lot of experience, even if they haven’t made it this far before. But the Ekaterinburg residents broke all records. The main thing is that the opponent has enough experienced hockey players with good technique and passing culture. They are able to make the most of half-chances. They have an excellent sales percentage. We will draw the guys’ attention to this,” the club’s official website quotes the coach as saying.
It’s interesting that the teams’ paths crossed in the playoffs and last season, also in the quarterfinals. Even then, Nikolai Zavarukhin’s wards almost created a sensation. During the confrontation, they led with a score of 3:2 and had the opportunity to put an end to the away game, but did not take advantage of it. The home decisive match turned out to be even more offensive for them. The hosts quickly conceded, but responded by scoring three goals of their own. However, the guests saved themselves in the end, and in overtime everything was decided by Nikolai Goldobin’s shot. Now the Ekaterinburg residents will try to take revenge.
“I think we shouldn’t stop there, we need to move on through team actions. How can you not believe in success if you are doing what you love? How can you stand on the bench and not believe in your players? This is impossible. It is clear that the victories instilled even more faith, but we knew that there were skilled performers who could and whom the main thing was to unite into one fist,” Zavarukhin emphasized.
In general, this confrontation is interesting from the point of view of several personal duels, including goalkeeping. Two bright debutants of the Gagarin Cup - Ilya Nabokov and Evgeniy Alikin - will go head to head. So far the first one looks preferable. The 21-year-old hockey player scored three goals in the series with Spartak. He also, along with Fucale and Isaev, leads in the number of victories (8) and the number of reflected shots (381). He has no equal in terms of percentage of saves (94.8%), if you do not take into account Amir Miftakhov and Dmitry Lobeznikov, who did not play a single full match in the playoffs.
Alikin had a great first meeting with SKA, but in the last two he made mistakes and was invariably sent to the bench. At least he has a worthy replacement in Vladimir Galkin. Nabokov is forced to rely only on himself, since Nikita Podskrebalin is injured, and the equally young Alexander Smolin is replacing him on the bench.
Fans will also be treated to a battle between the most reliable defense of the Gagarin Cup (21 goals conceded) against one of the most powerful attacks. Zavarukhin’s squad acts as selflessly and courageously as possible. For example, in the final game with SKA, she blocked 33 clicks, while the St. Petersburg team blocked eight.
In turn, Magnitogorsk scored 30 times and is second in this indicator only to Traktor and Lokomotiv, which have 32 goals each. Finally, the meeting between “Metallurg” and “Avtomobilist” can be called a battle of youth and experience. The favorite has the youngest roster in the semifinals (24.7 years on average), while the opponent has the oldest roster (27.8 years).
Moreover, Razin’s youth plays a key role. The importance of Nabokov for the team is written above. 19-year-old Roman Kantserov opened the scoring in the decisive confrontation with Spartak and has seven points to his name. Danila Yurov, who is a year older, not only became Magnitogorsk's top scorer in the regular season, but also scored a double in the fifth match with the red-whites. 23-year-old Dmitry Silantiev scored the same seven points.
Ekaterinburg residents have more experienced performers. Alexey Makeev scored four times and assisted his partners the same number of times. Anatoly Golyshev scored five goals. But still there are no clear leaders in the team, and everyone is capable of shooting at any moment.
However, the absence of two key performers at once can still hit her in the semi-finals. Veteran Sergei Shirokov, who scored five points, was injured at the start of the series with SKA, and defender Jesse Blacker was injured in the third game with the St. Petersburgers. We can only hope that the club’s doctors will be able to get both of them back on their feet.