This article comes tardy due to personal obligations. To make up for lost time, this serves as both a summary of the relevant game and the larger picture for SKA Saint Petersburg.

It was evident fairly early on that Game 5 of their Gagarin Cup quarterfinals was going to be a bad day defensively for Roman Rotenberg’s SKA squad, as they were beaten in close by Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg winger Alexei Makeyev just three minutes and twenty seconds in. Barely under six minutes later, Arseni Gritsyuk would have a response to tie the game 1-1, with one of the most phenomenal wrist shots you will ever see in the KHL. After that, SKA was able to tilt the ice and generate some chances, testing Avtomobilist G Evgeny Alikin pretty frequently. However, they were not performing well in shot suppression department, as Avtomobilist had an answer for every bit of pressure they applied. This eventually translated into Makeyev finding the back of the net again on a power play in the dying seconds of the first period to bring the score to 2-1 headed into the middle frame.

The early-goings of the second period would be relatively quiet. However, SKA would create an offensive flurry in the halfway point. On their second power play opportunity of the game granted by a too many men on the ice infraction by Avtomobilist, Marat Khairullin would deliver a phenomenal cross-ice pass to Mikhail Vorobyov, who would deliver a solid one-time release having been left all alone inside the right side circle. Two minutes after tying the game, Khairullin and Gritsyuk would find the back of the next once each within six seconds of one another (with both scoring from similar spots on similar releases). This built a 4-2 lead within a matter of minutes and chased Alikin from the game, prompting Avtomobilist’s second goalie change in as many games.

However, as it would turn out, Vladimir Galkin would be up to the task in relief between the pipes, and Avtomobilist would have an answer. Alexei Byvaltsev would deliver a rocket to the top left corner on the power play with a little over a minute left to play in the second stanza. Within just 21 seconds of the third frame beginning, this sort of play would continue for Avtomobilist on even strength, as Nick Ebert would nail a similar shot of his own to tie the game. The game came to a deadlock until just inside the final 10 minutes. Andrei Obidin would rip one past Serebryakov right from the left faceoff dot to return the lead to Avtomobilist. On the other end, not from a lack of trying, but SKA had no answer for Galkin, as he stopped 16 of 16 shots against total in his close out role. SKA would have a good opportunity within the final two minutes, as they were granted the man advantage and pulled Nikita Serebryakov to make it a 6-on-4. However, the game would end with Avtomobilist effectively eating the puck inside their own slot. Avtomobilist would win the game 5-4 and the series 4-1, in a stunning upset in the quarters. To frame the significance of this result, per the English language Twitter page for the KHL, this marks the first time in Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg’s history that they will play beyond the second round of the Gagarin Cup playoffs, and the first time in a decade, neither SKA nor CSKA Moscow will be in the semifinal round (further, SKA themselves were a participant/qualifier for the semis every single one of those seasons). Additionally, with Dynamo Moscow having also been eliminated, neither the 1 nor the 2 seed in the West will be in the semis. Thanks to this East vs. West part of the bracket, the picture is ambiguous. Much credit to Avtomobilist, as well: The chips have been stacked against them this postseason, but they’ve risen to the challenge. As @khl_eng also notes, they had a perfect road record in the postseason going into this series clinching game in SKA’s brand new arena, and maintained it (now 6-0). One has to fancy their chances in the semifinals simply because of the road they took to clinch their spot.

Meanwhile, SKA Saint Petersburg have a lot of reflection to do. Yes, they were absent a phenomenal two-way defenseman and their leading point scorer in the form of Alexander Nikishin (CAR, 69th overall, 2020 NHL Entry Draft). However, their forward depth and goaltending both significantly outmatched those of Avtomobilist on paper, yet they were the victims of a gentleman’s sweep. A combined four goals in their first three games against an inferior opponent is never going to get the job done. However, perhaps it is worth questioning whether or not this season was always misbegotten. A significant aspect of their aspirations were based upon their attempts to get the most of their forward acquisitions in Sergei Tolchinsky and Alex Galchenyuk (the former arguably being departing leading scorer Dmitrij Jaskin’s offseason replacement), as well as returning leadership figure Marat Khairullin. The core did eventually develop chemistry and results with it despite the slow start to the year. However, this core three tallied 54, 42, and 43 points, respectively, in the regular season (with Khairullin, it is worth noting, having been scratched for a fair bit, playing just 52 games vs. Tolchinsky and Galchenyuk’s 67 and 61, but Khairullin also earned that ignominy via his poor performance and lack of productivity), as Nikishin would lead the team in points with 56. Neither of the main acquisitions on the forward end lived up to Jaskin’s productivity standard of 62 points in 67 games in last season’s Continental Cup winning campaign and the returning leader did not put in a satisfactory performance, effectively regressing. The forcing of chemistry with star power, as is a tendency of SKA as they tend to effectively replicate the “Galacticos” policy that Real Madrid CF was successful using in European football for many years, did work for a while, but it was not there when they needed it the most. Additionally, with Nikishin missing the entire second round, it is evident they need the depth on the back end, too. The acquisition of Serebryakov did work, as he maintained the form he had last year as the Best Goalie Award recipient. However, if he returns, he will need much more support in front of him. This was never more evident than in their final game of the season.

That said, perhaps what this team needs, even if it is so much as supplementary scoring or a second line role, is for Matvei Michkov (PHI, 7th overall, 2023 NHL Entry Draft) to play a full season for them in 2024-25. With him having proven his mettle via having such a phenomenal season (one of the best D+1/U20 campaigns throughout modern Russian hockey history) despite having been ailed by pneumonia and playing for one of the worst teams in the league in HC Sochi, one has to expect that he’ll be prepared to meaningfully help the team next season. With him basically already having the “Turning shit into Shinola” effect and being an A>G player with poor linemates, can you imagine the results he will produce on a roster with more depth and a higher ceiling? This sounds like a mutually beneficial relationship. What would be phenomenal for all parties involved (and I do not necessarily expect this) is for him to provide one very good full campaign for them to satisfy everyone, agree to a mutual contract buyout, and join the Philadelphia Flyers organization for 2025-26. Time will tell if anything like that will occur. However, it seems more likely than not that Michkov has passed their litmus test that all young talent is given by SKA to prove themselves elsewhere before joining the roster full time, and we should see him in red and blue next year. I imagine the team will benefit greatly from it.