Another season of the Continental Hockey League has ended. Ak Bars took his third Tatar Gagarin Cup, while CSKA has a tradition: giving everything one hundred percent in the regular season, they are distinguished by chronic bad luck in the playoffs.
It's time for hockey clubs. During this year, the leadership of the KHL finally presented the official rating: it consists of eight indicators with different weights (sports achievements, player salaries, TV demand, government funding, occupancy, etc.) and is calculated for three seasons - well, they know better. Last year, he himself began to evaluate the strength of clubs exclusively by sports achievements- KHL results. I will duplicate the calculation method:
Focusing on the official international IIHF World Ranking, I took the "Olympiad" as the calculation period - 4 years. The rating is updated after each season, and is applied to the results of different seasons. aging factor- 1:2:3:4 in chronological order.
1) For the regular season the team that takes place X is awarded 31-X points (30 for the winner, 29 for the second place, etc.)
2) For the playoffs: those who participated, but took off in 1/8 are given 4 points, took off in 1/4 - 8, in 1/2 - 12, in the final - 16 points, the winner - 20 points. That is, 4 points for completing each stage.
You can earn a maximum of 50 points per season if you make a "golden double" - win both parts of the championship.
The only change is proportionally increased the coefficients by 10 times. Now the "weights" of the results of the last 4 years are 2, 4, 6 and 8(integers, not tenths), and, accordingly, the total rating is distributed in the range not from 0 to 100, but from 0 to 1000. To get a thousand, you need to make 4 gold doubles in a row, but in the 10 seasons of the league's existence, there has not been a single one.
Below are the results for individual seasons (Reg - regular season, PO - playoffs, Sum - guess). The leader for each column is selected.
| KHL club | 2013-2014 | 2014-2015 | 2015-2016 | 2016-2017 | 2017-2018 | ||||||||||
| Reg | ON | Sumy | Reg | ON | Sumy | Reg | ON | Sumy | Reg | ON | Sumy | Reg | ON | Sumy | |
| AK Bars | 27 | 4 | 31 | 27 | 16 | 43 | 19 | 4 | 23 | 24 | 12 | 36 | 27 | 20 | 47 |
| CSKA | 19 | 4 | 23 | 30 | 12 | 42 | 30 | 16 | 46 | 30 | 8 | 38 | 29 | 16 | 45 |
| SKA | 28 | 8 | 36 | 29 | 20 | 49 | 21 | 12 | 33 | 29 | 20 | 49 | 30 | 12 | 42 |
| Tractor | 12 | 12 | 16 | 4 | 20 | 12 | 12 | 21 | 4 | 25 | 25 | 12 | 37 | ||
| Jokerite | 26 | 8 | 34 | 28 | 4 | 32 | 19 | 4 | 23 | 28 | 8 | 36 | |||
| Locomotive | 16 | 12 | 28 | 21 | 4 | 25 | 29 | 4 | 33 | 26 | 12 | 38 | 26 | 8 | 34 |
| Metallurg Mg | 29 | 20 | 49 | 25 | 8 | 33 | 23 | 20 | 43 | 28 | 16 | 44 | 23 | 8 | 31 |
| Salavat Yulaev | 23 | 12 | 35 | 17 | 4 | 21 | 22 | 12 | 34 | 16 | 4 | 20 | 21 | 8 | 29 |
| Motorist | 17 | 4 | 21 | 13 | 4 | 17 | 17 | 4 | 21 | 10 | 10 | 24 | 4 | 28 | |
| petrochemist | 6 | 6 | 9 | 9 | 15 | 4 | 19 | 11 | 11 | 22 | 4 | 26 | |||
| Torpedo | 22 | 4 | 26 | 19 | 4 | 23 | 20 | 8 | 28 | 22 | 4 | 26 | 20 | 4 | 24 |
| Vanguard | 11 | 11 | 23 | 8 | 31 | 26 | 8 | 34 | 25 | 8 | 33 | 19 | 4 | 23 | |
| Amur | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 9 | 18 | 4 | 22 | ||||
| Sochi | 18 | 4 | 22 | 27 | 4 | 31 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 4 | 20 | ||||
| Spartacus | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 15 | 4 | 19 | ||||||
| Severstal | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 8 | 14 | 4 | 18 | ||||
| Siberia | 18 | 8 | 26 | 24 | 12 | 36 | 24 | 8 | 32 | 12 | 12 | 17 | 17 | ||
| Dynamo Moscow | 30 | 4 | 34 | 28 | 8 | 36 | 25 | 8 | 33 | 27 | 8 | 35 | 13 | 13 | |
| Barys | 24 | 8 | 32 | 20 | 4 | 24 | 14 | 14 | 18 | 8 | 26 | 12 | 12 | ||
| Dynamo Mn | 5 | 5 | 22 | 4 | 26 | 13 | 13 | 23 | 4 | 27 | 11 | 11 | |||
| Knight | 7 | 7 | 11 | 11 | 7 | 7 | 20 | 4 | 24 | 10 | 10 | ||||
| Admiral | 15 | 4 | 19 | 12 | 12 | 18 | 4 | 22 | 15 | 4 | 19 | 9 | 9 | ||
| Kunlun RS | 13 | 4 | 17 | 8 | 8 | ||||||||||
| Slovan | 10 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 16 | 4 | 20 | 14 | 14 | 7 | 7 | ||||
| Lada | 7 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | |||||||
| Dynamo R | 21 | 4 | 25 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 5 | ||||
| Yugra | 9 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 4 | |||||
| Medvescak | 20 | 4 | 24 | 8 | 8 | 11 | 11 | 7 | 7 | ||||||
| Metallurg Nk | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | |||||||
| Atlant | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 | |||||||||||
| a lion | 26 | 16 | 42 | ||||||||||||
| Donbass | 25 | 8 | 33 | ||||||||||||
And now the final rating KHL clubs for 2017 and 2018. The calculation period for the "18" rating starts from the 2014-2015 season, so Lev and Donbass are relegated, Atlant will also be reset next year. I note that 25 clubs remain in the league for the next season in strict accordance with this rating! Lada and Ugra, but not Dynamo Riga, which, although it was the penultimate one in the 2017-2018 regular season, was more confident in past seasons.
| KHL club | № "17 | № "18 | Izm | Rate "17 | Rate "18 | Izm |
| SKA | 1 | 1 | 0 | 858 | 860 | +2 |
| CSKA | 3 | 2 | +1 | 794 | 856 | +62 |
| AK Bars | 5 | 3 | +2 | 660 | 770 | +110 |
| Metallurg Mg | 2 | 4 | -2 | 840 | 750 | -90 |
| Locomotive | 6 | 5 | +1 | 658 | 682 | +24 |
| Jokerite | 10 | 6 | +4 | 512 | 622 | +110 |
| Vanguard | 7 | 7 | 0 | 614 | 580 | -34 |
| Tractor | 15 | 8 | +7 | 376 | 534 | +158 |
| Salavat Yulaev | 9 | 9 | 0 | 518 | 530 | +12 |
| Dynamo Moscow | 4 | 10 | -6 | 690 | 518 | -172 |
| Torpedo | 8 | 11 | -3 | 520 | 506 | -14 |
| Sochi | 13 | 12 | +1 | 410 | 430 | +20 |
| Siberia | 11 | 13 | -2 | 484 | 408 | -76 |
| Motorist | 17 | 14 | +3 | 316 | 402 | +86 |
| petrochemist | 20 | 15 | +5 | 250 | 368 | +118 |
| Barys | 12 | 16 | -4 | 452 | 356 | -96 |
| Dynamo Mn | 14 | 17 | -3 | 408 | 354 | -54 |
| Admiral | 16 | 18 | -2 | 370 | 298 | -72 |
| Knight | 18 | 19 | -1 | 292 | 274 | -18 |
| Amur | 26 | 20 | +6 | 126 | 260 | +134 |
| Severstal | 22 | 21 | +1 | 170 | 236 | +66 |
| Slovan | 19 | 22 | -3 | 272 | 230 | -42 |
| Spartacus | 27 | 23 | +4 | 116 | 222 | +106 |
| Kunlun RS | 25 | 24 | +1 | 136 | 166 | +30 |
| Dynamo R | 23 | 25 | -2 | 168 | 114 | -54 |
| Yugra | 24 | 26 | -2 | 138 | 112 | -26 |
| Lada | 28 | 27 | +1 | 90 | 106 | +16 |
| Medvescak | 21 | 28 | -7 | 202 | 102 | -100 |
| Metallurg Nk | 32 | 29 | +3 | 58 | 32 | -26 |
| Atlant | 29 | 30 | -1 | 88 | 30 | -58 |
| a lion | 30 | - | out | 84 | - | -84 |
| Donbass | 31 | - | out | 66 | - | -66 |
The columns for changing places and points for the past year speak for themselves.
The Kontinental Hockey League is an international league created to develop hockey in Russia and other European and Asian countries. The decision to create the League was made in February 2008.
After negotiations and preparatory work, on March 27, 2008, the Russian Hockey Federation (FHR) officially transferred the rights to the KHL to host the national championship for three years. There is currently a 4-year agreement between the FHR and the KHL (dated April 29, 2017).
Based on the results of the regular KHL Championship, the winner of the Viktor Tikhonov Continental Cup is determined. According to the results of the playoffs, the champion of Russia is determined, who becomes the best Russian club, and the champion of the KHL - the owner of the Gagarin Cup.
The league is divided into two conferences - West and East - and into four divisions named after famous coaches and players: Vsevolod Bobrov, Anatoly Tarasov, Valery Kharlamov and Arkady Chernyshev.
24 clubs from Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, China, Latvia and Finland will take part in the 12th KHL Championship (2019/2020). The tournament will begin on September 1, 2019 and end no later than April 30, 2020 with the final playoff series, which will determine all the winners of the championship.
The KHL championship is divided into two stages: the regular season and the playoffs.
First round of the championship
Structure of the First Stage of the Championship
At the First Stage, each team plays two matches with each opponent (46 in total) and 16 additional games. Thus, in total, at the first stage, the teams will conduct 62 match, defining:
- winner of the Regular Championship of the Continental Hockey League - the owner of the Continental Cup. V.V. Tikhonov;
- division winners;
- the order of places occupied by the clubs in the Conferences to determine the pairs of teams participating in the play-off series matches at the Second Stage of the Championship.
Determining the results and places of teams at the First Stage of the Championship
- 1.
Places of teams in Divisions, Conferences and the General Table of the Championship are determined by the sum of points scored in all matches of the First Stage of the Championship.
- 2.
To determine the current and final distribution of places between teams in Divisions, Conferences and the General Championship table, in the event of a tie in points between two or more teams, the advantage is given to the team:
- having more wins in regular time in all matches of the First stage;
- with the most overtime wins in all Stage One matches;
- having the most wins in the series of shots that determine the winner of the match, in all matches of the First stage;
- having the best difference between goals scored and goals conceded in all matches of the First Stage;
- having the highest number of goals scored in all matches of the First Stage.
The above criteria are applied sequentially.
In case of equality of all indicators, the distribution of places between teams is determined by lot.
- 3.
In the official tables of the Conferences, the teams that occupy the first places in the Divisions are ranked first and second, depending on the number of points scored in all matches of the First Stage of the Championship, in descending order of sports results.
Results of the First Stage of the Championship
- 1.
Based on the results of the First Stage, 16 (sixteen) teams are determined to take part in the Second Stage of the Championship.
- 2.
In the General Table of the First Stage, all teams are ranked from 1st to 24th place, depending on the number of points scored in all matches of the First Stage of the Championship, in descending order of sports results.
The second stage of the championship (playoffs)
The procedure for determining teams for participation in the playoffs
- 1.
Based on the results of the First Stage, 8 (eight) teams from each Conference receive the right to participate in the Second Stage of the Championship (series of playoff games).
- 2.
In each Conference, the first two "seeding" numbers are given to the teams that take first places in their Divisions in descending order of sports results.
- 3.
In each Conference, seeding numbers from 3rd to 8th are given to teams according to sports results at the end of the First Stage of the Championship, regardless of the Division in which they played.
The structure of the play-off matches of the Second Stage of the Championship
- 1.
In each Conference, pairings for each stage of the playoffs are formed according to the principle: the highest seeded plays with the lowest seeded, the second in a row plays with the penultimate seed, and so on.
- 2.
Teams with a higher seeding number get the advantage of their site at all stages of the draw.
- 3.
In the event that in the final there are teams that have the same number of "seeding" in their Conferences, the team that takes a higher place in the General Table of the Championship according to the results of the First Stage receives the advantage of its site.
Playoff order
- 1.
The matches of the Second Stage of the Championship (play-offs) are held as follows: a) in each Conference, matches of the 1/4 finals (4 series), 1/2 finals (2 series) and finals (1 series) are held. Two teams take part in one series of matches;
- in each Conference of the series of matches of 1/4 finals, 1/2 finals and finals, up to four victories are held, the maximum number of matches is seven. The winner of the series is the team that wins four matches in the series. A team that loses four matches in a series terminates its participation in the Championship;
- the winners of the Conference finals meet in the Championship final. A series of matches of the Championship final is held up to four victories, the maximum number of matches is seven. The winner is the team that wins in four matches of the series.
Distribution of places based on the results of the Second Stage of the Championship
- 1.
Based on the results of two stages, the following are determined: the winning team of the Championship, as well as the places of the teams in final table Championship from 2nd to 16th inclusive.
- 2.
The team that wins the Championship final becomes the Champion of the Kontinental Hockey League and the owner of the Gagarin Cup.
- 3.
The team that lost in the series of final matches takes the second place in the final standings of the Championship.
- 4.
The third place in the Championship is occupied by one of the two teams that lost in the Conference Finals, which took a higher place in the General Table according to the results of the First Stage of the Championship.
- 5.
Fourth place in the Championship is occupied by one of the two teams that lost in the Conference Finals, which took a lower place in the General Table at the end of the First Stage of the Championship.
- 6.
The distribution of places from 5th to 8th in the Championship is carried out among the teams that lost in the series of 1/2 finals of the Conference, taking into account the places occupied by these teams at the end of the First Stage of the Championship. At the same time, a higher place is given to a team that has taken a higher place in the General Table according to the results of the First Stage of the Championship.
- 7.
The distribution of places from 9th to 16th in the Championship is carried out among the teams that lost in the series of 1/4 finals of the Conference, taking into account occupied places by these teams following the results of the First Stage of the Championship. At the same time, a higher place is given to a team that has taken a higher place in the General Table according to the results of the First Stage of the Championship.
- 8.
The distribution of places from 17th to 24th in the final standings of the Championship among teams not participating in the Second Stage is carried out in accordance with the position of these teams in the General Table following the results of the First Stage of the Championship.
- 9.
Champion of Russia, silver and bronze medalists of the Russian Ice Hockey Championship are Russian teams ranked the most high places following the results of the Second Stage of the Championship.
If you have only recently become interested in the exciting world of hockey, then it is very likely that a lot of things here will be incomprehensible to you at first. For example, what is the KHL. We will highlight all the significant characteristics of the league.
What is KHL?
KHL - Kontinental Hockey League. It is an international open association whose members are hockey clubs from Russia, China, Slovakia, Kazakhstan, Finland, Belarus, Latvia. Every year the teams compete for the main trophy - the Gagarin Cup. In addition to him, the Continental Cup is played out. Tikhonov and the title of club-champion of Russia.
KHL games have been played since 2008 - it was then that the league was formed. Initially, it included 24 clubs. Today (season 2017/2018) their number has increased to 27.
Total attendance KHL games next:
- Regular championships - 3.5-5.2 million viewers in different seasons.
- Playoffs - from 450 to 600 thousand spectators.
If you look at attendance, the most favorite teams are Avangard, SKA, Dynamo-Minsk.
Continental League includes the KHL itself, as well as the MHL (youth league) and WHL (women's league).
History of formation
In 1996, the International Hockey League was disbanded: the best teams The CIS had no choice but to participate only in national competitions. In 2005 V. Fetisov (head federal agency on Culture and Sports of the Russian Federation) proposed a league project for Russia, Latvia, Belarus, Ukraine, Kazakhstan. It should be independent of the Professional Hockey League and the Federation Russian hockey, while also being commercially oriented, like the NHL.
For several seasons, the idea was vigorously discussed, but it was not possible to implement it. In February 2008, a decision was signed to start the Open Russian Hockey League (then the ORHL was renamed the KHL). What is KHL? This is a project in which it was possible to implement almost all the planned ideas:
- participation of both teams from the CIS and clubs from Western Europe;
- certain salary caps;
- junior draft;
- division into divisions;
- playoff competition up to 4 wins;
- stringent requirements for club infrastructure;
- nominal cup;
- membership of the clubs included in the Superleague.
At KHL Tournament the pioneer table appeared in the 2008-2009 season. The first goal was scored by hockey player A. Nizhivy (Dinamo-Riga) against Amur. Initially, the participants were 21 clubs from the Russian Federation and three teams from Latvia, Kazakhstan and Belarus. Ak Bars became the first champion of the KHL and the winner of the Gagarin Cup.
Geographic division
What is KHL? These are two conferences - Eastern and Western. Each of them has two more divisions within itself - each is named after the famous hockey player. As a result, there is:
- Eastern Conference.
- Chernyshev Division:
- "Vanguard" from Omsk;
- "Cupid" from Khabarovsk;
- "Admiral" from Vladivostok;
- "Barys" from Astana;
- "Kunlun" from Beijing;
- "Siberia" from Novosibirsk;
- "Salavat Yulaev" from Ufa.
Kharlamov Division: - "Ak Bars" from Kazan;
- "Motorist" from Yekaterinburg;
- "Lada" from Tolyatti;
- "Metallurg" from Magnitogorsk;
- "Neftekhimik" from Nizhnekamsk;
- "Tractor" from Chelyabinsk;
- "Ugra" from Khanty-Mansiysk.
- Chernyshev Division:
- Western conference.
- Tarasov Division:
- "Vityaz" from Podolsk;
- "Dynamo" from Moscow;
- Lokomotiv from Yaroslavl;
- "Sochi";
- "Severstal" from Cherepovets;
- "Torpedo" from Nizhny Novgorod;
- CSKA Moscow.
- Bobrov Division:
- "Dinamo" from Riga;
- "Dynamo" from Minsk;
- "Yorkit" from Helsinki;
- "Slovan" from Bratislava;
- "Spartak" from Moscow;
- SKA from Petersburg.
- Tarasov Division:
Season structure
Let's look at the structure of the competitions held by the KHL.
regular season. The first stage is 56 games for each team. Of these, 52 are held twice with each opponent, plus 4 more additional games are assigned. Points are awarded as follows:
- 3 - for the victory.
- 2 - for a shootout or victory in overtime.
- 1 - for losing on shootouts or in overtime.
The club with the most points will win the regional championship. He is awarded the Continental Cup.
Playoffs. Those teams that took from 1st to 8th place in the conferences move on to the second stage of the competition. The first 2 places are for the winners within their divisions.
At this stage, the following are determined:
- Western and Eastern Conference winners;
- winner of the Gagarin Cup;
- champion of the Russian Federation, as well as silver and bronze medalists.
In addition, the Hope tournament is held for those teams who took 9th and lower places at the first stage.
Trophies, awards and winners
AT KHL results victories are as follows:
- Gagarin Cup - victorious in the playoff competition.
- Continental Cup - the team that finished the regular season with the maximum number of points.
- Cup "Hope" - is played among the clubs that are not included in the playoffs.
- Prize "Second" - to the players who scored the latest and fastest goal.
- Cherepanov Trophy - the best hockey player, who played the first season in the KHL.
- "Golden stick" - the most valuable player in regular competitions.
- Prize for the best hockey player in the playoffs.
- Special trophies for the best referee, head of the KHL club.
In conclusion, let's look at absolute champions- Gagarin Cup winners:
- "Ak Bars" - 2009, 2010
- "Metallurg-Magnitogorsk" - 2014, 2016
- "Dynamo-Moscow" - 2012, 2014
- SKA - 2015, 2017
- "Salavat Yulaev" - 2011
So we figured out what the KHL is. The Continental League today is not inferior to the NHL in terms of the entertainment of games, the "stardom" of hockey players, and the professionalism of the teams.
The rules of hockey competitions have some features that have been formed in the homeland of the popular game. There is no need to explain what the playoffs in hockey are to the people of Canada and the United States, everyone knows it there. And with the establishment of the Continental sports organization the main organizational principles of the NHL were adopted - as a proven experience of many years of practice in holding large tournament competitions.
How is the hockey tournament in the KHL
In order to answer the question "What is a playoff in hockey?", one should understand the system by which competitions for the KHL championship title are held every year. The annual championship of the Continental Hockey League consists of two parts. The game calendar is drawn up in such a way that all teams in the league have the opportunity to meet each other on their own field and on the opponent's field. This is the first part of the championship - the regular season. In the first years after the creation hockey organization All teams had the opportunity to find out the relationship between themselves. Then their number increased, and the Continental hockey league had to be divided into two conferences - Western and Eastern. Based on the results of the regular season, a standings is compiled. And then the answer to the question of what is the playoffs in hockey becomes relevant. To put it very briefly, this is the second, final part championship KHL.
From the rules of the game of hockey - playoff games
Let's take a closer look at the features of the regulations of the second part hockey championship. Only teams that finish in the top sixteen places in the playoffs advance to the playoffs. standings, eight in each of the two conferences. These teams are divided into pairs and continue to sort things out among themselves. Games are played separately in the Western and Eastern conferences. The team that won the first place meets with the eighth in the table, the second - with the seventh, the third - with the sixth, the fourth - with the fifth. This is the first stage - the quarterfinals.
Teams meet each other until four victories of one of them are achieved. Only the winners advance to the next stage, the semi-finals. There are only four left. This principle is the answer to the question "What is the playoffs in hockey?". This is followed by the conference finals and the super final, a series of games between the strongest teams West and East. There will be only one winner.
Features of the playoffs
To achieve the purity of the result in the playoff games, such an element of hockey as shootouts is excluded. In the regular part of the championship, they are thrown at the opponent's goal to overcome a draw when it is not possible to sort things out in the main and extra time of the match. And in the playoffs, the game continues until the winning goal of one of the teams, no matter how many additional periods, the so-called "overtime", it may take. Often the game takes on a protracted character and lasts a very long time. This is due to the fact that everyone is afraid to make a mistake and give the enemy a chance.
Is this principle justified?
During the playoffs, attention to hockey increases dramatically. The result begins to interest everyone, even people who are indifferent to big sport. Both news releases and newspaper pages begin to dazzle with headlines: " big hockey, KHL, playoffs ... ". But hockey was played in Soviet times for decades, and somehow managed to do without the American word "playoffs". Some still doubt whether it was necessary to adopt this principle of the game from the NHL.But knockout games, or playoffs, give hockey a special dynamism, sharpness and entertainment.And only for this reason the answer to the question of the expediency of such competitions can be given an unequivocally positive.
The KHL regular season is gradually reaching the finish line. The teams have already spent about 2/3 of the entire tournament distance. In the West and East, leaders, outsiders, as well as those clubs that will continue to fight for a place in the coveted cup eight have been determined. Let's try to assess the current situation of the teams and predict which of them will manage to make it to the playoffs at the end of the season.
West
AT Western Conference leaders on paper have become leaders in practice. SKA, under the leadership of Oleg Znarok, managed to cope with high pressure in the post-championship season and rightfully takes 1st place. The team from the banks of the Neva, which gave the best start in KHL history and set a record for the number of meetings won in a row, continues to confidently gain points. The only uncomfortable opponent for St. Petersburg was "Sochi", which they lost in both face-to-face meetings.
CSKA, who replaced the head coach in the off-season and entrusted the management of the team to Igor Nikitin, was looking for his game for a long time and was determined with combinations of players, which could not but affect the performance of the club. The difficult period seems to be behind us. “CSKA” scored a confident move, having won 14 victories in the last 15 matches, and firmly settled in 2nd place in their conference.
Compared to last season, Jokerit made a significant leap forward. The Finnish team, which climbed into the playoffs last year only from 8th place, is demonstrating very meaningful hockey this year. It seems that the change of coach and a hefty redrawing of the composition went to the “Jokers” in favor. Jukka Jalonen continues to surprise and, at the same time, is not afraid to trust young people. The best newcomer 10 performs in the Helsinki club KHL season- the inimitable virtuoso Eli Tolvanen, who scored 31 points in 38 matches. It's only the beginning!
“Locomotive”, which found in the course of the regular season a new head coach, very quickly returned to its former reliable game and returned to its usual high place in the standings. Dmitry Kvartalnov revived a train that had gone astray and slowed down. The club from Yaroslavl still takes 4th place and continues to race for Jokerit.
Tries to keep up with the top four and “Torpedo”. The Nizhny Novgorod club, which is experiencing financial problems, despite the difficulties, continues to amaze with stability. Yes, the game of the team of Pēteris Skudra can hardly be called bright and effective, goals are given to her with great difficulty. But, most importantly, there is a result. With a negative difference between goals scored and goals conceded, the Volga team has 71 points in its assets and takes 5th place in the West.
Starting from 6th place and up to 9th, the density of teams in the West increases significantly. The Moscow “Dynamo”, located after the “Torpedo”, in the piggy bank 65 points. Following are “Spartak”, “Sochi” and “Severstal”, lagging behind the “blue and white” by 4-5 points. Given the fact that the teams still have about a third of the regular season to play, all four clubs have a chance of reaching the playoffs.
Much will depend on how the teams will play face-to-face meetings between themselves, in which, in fact, 6 points will be played at once. In the meantime, Spartak and Sochi have higher chances of getting into the playoffs. They, unlike the “Severstal”, more points scored with fewer meetings held.
But the Minsk “Dynamo” and “Vityaz” seem to have fallen off the fight for a place in the area of the cup eight. The club from Belarus lost too much time at the start of the championship. It's all to blame - cardinal changes in the composition and on the coaching bridge. The team from Minsk lost in the last four meetings. But, if away defeats from “Salavat Yulaev”, “Ak Bars” and “Neftekhimik” can be attributed to high level competitors, then a home failure in the confrontation with Riga is a real nightmare for both the team itself and its fans.
Not everything is smooth in this season and Vityaz. Podil'chane, who were left without key players in the off-season, could not find an equivalent replacement for them. None of the legionnaires signed in the summer, with the exception of the Czech defender Mozik, could strengthen the team of Valery Belov. Finnish forwards Rissanen and Mankinen, who were considered the leaders of the "KalPa", very quickly went into the shadows, and the Swedish defensive player Burstrem was too often mistaken. The leadership of the Moscow Region club invited other foreigners to replace the legionnaires that did not live up to expectations, but there was practically no time left to correct the situation.
“Slovan” and the Riga “Dynamo” firmly settled at the very bottom of the standings and, it seems, have come to terms with their sad fate of outsiders. Neither Eduard Zankovets nor Girts Ankipans managed to radically change the state of affairs in the distressed clubs. In Bratislava and Riga, work has already begun on the formation of teams for the next season. This year for the European teams turned out to be lean.
East
In the East, unlike the West, even at the very top of the standings, there is still intrigue. More recently, “Barys” was in first place, but after the November break, seriously lost and ended up in seventh position. Against the background of other teams stands out "Ak Bars". First of all, its stability. The team of Zinetula Bilyaletdinov has a very strong and well-played squad, reinforced by the experienced Danis Zaripov. Kazan is the main favorite of the Eastern Conference.
Starting from the second place, the most interesting begins. “Vanguard”, located after the “Ak Bars”, has 66 points in its asset, and “Cupid”, which occupies the 9th position, got hold of 57 points scored, while playing, at the same time, one match less than Omsk. Two or three defeats in a row can throw any of the teams beyond the playoff line and deprive it of the opportunity to play in the knockout round. It is for this reason that the struggle for a place under the sun in the East is seen as hotter than in the West.
"Vanguard" under the leadership of Skabelka shows a dynamic hockey. The team always tries to act as the first number and dictate its terms to any opponent. It's just that it doesn't always work out. The young Omsk team lacks stability and composure. While it is in the intermediate stage of maturation. Siberians miss too many scoring chances and are in dire need of leaders. The Swedish legionnaires are also far from their best condition, from whom Andrei Skabelka clearly expected more.
"Motorist" is located on the 3rd place and continues to stick to its line. The team of Vladimir Krikunov shows a very nice hockey, which cannot but please the fans from Yekaterinburg. Ural club this season boasts an enviable depth of the composition and the signing of a number of solid foreign players. Ekaterinburgers had a fruitful pre-season and do not sag in the course of meetings in "physics". If Avtomobilist continues to do just as well, then Krikunov will have a good opportunity to make some noise in the playoffs and finish coaching career on a major note.
Following the Urals settled "Neftekhimik". In Nizhnekamsk, the coaching hand of Andrei Nazarov and his ability to squeeze the maximum out of the players are very clearly visible. The off-season selection was carried out very qualitatively. All the legionnaires came to the court of the Tatar team and make the weather in it. It is likely that the current 4th place is not the limit for the Nazarov team.
But "Magnitogorsk" and "Tractor", going to 5 and 6 positions, this year surprise with a minus sign. In “Metallurg” have already got rid of the former head coach Ilya Vorobyov. But, as time has shown, the reason for the unsuccessful performance of the team lay clearly not in the weak work of the specialist. The loss of a number of key hockey players cost the club a place among the leaders of the East and added even more gray hair on the head of Gennady Velichkin. But whether Viktor Kozlov will be able to become a new sparrow for Magnitogorsk, only time will tell.
Chelyabinsk residents, who pleasantly surprised last season and demonstrated beautiful hockey, this year started neither shaky - nor roll. Main coach team Anvar Gatiyatulin, it seems, was shocked by such a result himself and could not explain the reasons for the failures. Fortunately, in recent matches“Tractor” began to score points and slightly corrected its position in the standings. So far, the club's main problem is the lack of stability.
A month ago, everyone praised Barys and called the Kazakh club the main discovery of the 10th season of the KHL. The November break, spent in the Emirates, played a cruel joke on Astana residents. After him, the team suffered 7 defeats in 8 meetings and was on the verge of the cup eight. Yes, excellent legionnaires led by Nigel Dawes still perform in Astana, but in the fight for the Cup of a successful game, one five may not be enough. Too much in the team of Evgeny Koreshkov depends on foreigners.
The main disappointment of the season – “Salavat Yulaev”. For the third year in Ufa the general manager Leonid Weisfeld has been working and during this time he has not been able to find an intelligent head coach for the team. The composition of the Bashkir team is one of the best in the East, there are no problems with financing. There was plenty of time to build the club's game. What prevents Weisfeld and Westerlund from showing results is a big mystery. But, with such hockey in the playoffs, the Ufimians have nothing to do.
Behind the line of eight settled “Cupid” and “Siberia”, but the chances of getting into the area of eight Cup teams are completely different. Khabarovsk are within walking distance of “Salavat” and are quite capable of pushing him from 8th position, and the backlog of the Far East from “Barys” is only three points.
Andrei Martemyanov, unlike his predecessors, managed to cope with two tasks at the same time in Amur. The coach continues to trust a place in the composition of Russian young players, and “Amur” under the leadership of Martemyanov shows aggressive and fast hockey. If they get into the playoffs, the Khabarovsk team will become the main discovery of the KHL anniversary season.
But the chances of “Siberia” to get into the playoffs against the backdrop of “Cupid” look illusory. Novosibirsk will not save the change of coach. Still, the problems of the team lie far from Pavel Zubov, but rather in the failed summer selection and the lack of depth in the line-up. Vladimir Yurzinov, Jr., of course, will try to jump above his head with his new team, but, in the conditions of the current high competition in the East, it seems unlikely to do so.
“Kunlun”, “Admiral”, “Lada” and “Ugra” this season are too weak. In all four clubs, with the exception of Togliatti, the leaders decided to change the head coaches, but this did not help them either. Moreover, the Khanty-Mansiysk and Volga players are the main candidates for relegation from the KHL, so talking about getting into the playoffs in their case is somehow not entirely appropriate.