As of today, all of the seedings are just about complete in the first round of the KHL’s postseason bracket on the Western Conference side. The results to this point have been somewhat predictable, as we are not positioned for there to be any upsets. However, there was one fairly significant result that shook up the status quo.

To start off with the first seed/incumbent Continental Cup champions, Dynamo Moscow is up 3-1 on Dinamo Minsk. Thanks in large part to the performance of Alexei Kolosov (2021 Philadelphia Flyers draft pick), the eighth seeded Belarusian squad has looked more competitive than one would expect against the regular season champs who possess such impressive offensive firepower (see: 100-point postseason points man Nikita Gusev, Jordan Weal, Eric O’Dell, etc.). However, a comeback in this one seems unlikely.

To get into the #2 vs. #7 matchup, SKA Saint Petersburg knocked off Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod in Game 5 today. The writing had been on the wall for Torpedo for a while now that their Cinderella start would fall apart and their aspirations for the postseason could not be very high. They won Game 1 5-2 and would ultimately be overcome by the superior opponent as time went on. In today’s effort, they appeared as though a last ditch comeback may be possible, as they had a 6-on-3 situation thanks to a pulled netminder and a power play. However, an empty net goal sealed the deal for SKA. However, the victors’ triumph may have come at a cost. D Alexander Nikishin (2020 Carolina Hurricanes draft selection), the team’s arguable talisman, left the game with injury early on after totaling just over two minutes of ice time. If he is kept out long-term, Roman Rotenberg’s squad is short of both a valuable talent and minutes eater.

In a disruption of what has come to be tradition, CSKA Moscow were one-and-dones, as they were eliminated in a gentleman’s sweep in round one by Lokomotiv Yaroslavl. The traditional juggernauts of Russian ice hockey have qualified for each of the last five Gagarin Cup finals, winning in 2019, 2022, and 2023, therefore guaranteeing a different king to be coronated this year very early on. This was not much of a surprise, however, as the club (who were the lower seed in this 3rd vs. 6th part of the bracket) appeared on a downturn despite Sergei Fedorov’s continued coaching ingenuity (see: their six losses in six matchups to Army Derby rivals SKA). Maybe this will herd in a new era or maybe this is an anomaly. We shall see.

Upon a 5-1 victory in Game 5, Alexei Zhamnov’s Spartak Moscow squad eliminated Severstal Cherepovets in yet another gentleman’s sweep. While this was a 4th vs. 5th matchup, the strength disparity between these two squads was much larger than it appeared via seedings. This was Spartak’s second victory by four goals in the series. They possess a roster with sneakily good depth that their coaching staff gets the most out of. Do not be surprised if they win it all. In conclusion, the Western Conference has been settled by five game victories with the higher seed emerging forward triumphantly each time so far, and most likely will be entirely.

The East has been a bit more intriguing to this point. #1 Metallurg Magnitogorsk vs. #8 Amur Khabarovsk is headed to a Game 6, as a team I have had some uncertainties about this year is demonstrably having some trouble knocking off an inferior opponent (though Metallurg does have the 3-2 advantage). On a more predictable note, #2 Avangard Omsk has knocked off #7 Lada Togliatti. The latter deserves commendation for making this far due to the arduous path it has been for the organization as a whole, but this seemed inevitable. In a controversial, action-filled series, #6 Traktor Chelyabinsk currently leads #3 Salavat Yulaev Ufa 3-2, making this a series on upset watch. Lastly, we have the one instance so far of a lower seed winning, as Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg has defeated Ak Bars Kazan in five games.

The overall picture has been somewhat interesting to this point. While the West looks to wrap up in a predictable manner, it did have its own part in the intrigue, as these clubs played in a role in, per the KHL’s English language X account, this marking just the second time in KHL history that there were no sweeps in the first round. However, the East has definitely been the more volatile bracket and had its series stretch longer. One must wonder what will happen in the quarterfinals when the picture really shakes up and the streams begin to cross. Per HockeyNewsHub on X, the West and East will be facing each other in interconference action in the next round. We therefore will get an early, interesting, diverse taste of best-on-best hockey from each conference in the Gagarin Cup playoffs this year. Let us see what comes of that.