This will serve as a quick run-down of what has transpired in the Gagarin Cup semifinals to this point. The setup is curious, as these are not “traditional” conference finals series. Instead, due to the brackets having turned interconference in round two and multiple upsets, we have three teams from the East and one team from the West remaining. In the East vs. West series between Traktor Chelyabinsk and Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, the latter, who are the higher seed and the favored team as Traktor were most certainly not expected to be here but earned their spot by sweeping Continental Cup champs Dynamo Moscow in the quarters, have a commanding lead, 3-0. Game 1 was a very comprehensive victory for Lokomotiv, as they defeated Traktor by a score of 5-2. The game appeared as though it was going to be pretty tight but an injury to Traktor G Zach Fucale on an unfortunate collision opened the floodates for Lokomotiv. C Pavel Kraskovsky (1 g, 2a), RW Alexander Polunin (2g), D Alexander Yelesin (1g, 1a), D Andrei Sergeyev (2a), and D Martin Gernat (1g, 1a) all impressed with multi-point nights. Sans Fucale in the next two games, Traktor were not rendered completely helpless, as they played competitive games in both matchups. However, they would drop Game 2 to in overtime, 3-2, with C Georgi Ivanov being the hero for Lokomotiv. Gernat had another multi-point showing, tallying 1g, 1a yet again. Traktor would subsequently lose a low-event Game 3 by a score of 2-1, scoring what ended up being a consolation power play goal late in the third period. While all games have been close save for Game 1, it seems unlikely that Traktor has a comeback in them, but we will see if they avoid the sweep on Monday, April 8th.

On the other side of the bracket, we have #1 Eastern seed Metallurg Magnitogorsk vs. upstarts Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg, the latter of whom made it by defeating perennial powerhouse SKA Saint Petersburg in five games in the quarterfinals. Game 1 was effectively a goaltending battle, as the difference in the matchup rested entirely on the shoulders of an early second period tally by Metallurg C Alexander Petunin (a Yekaterinburg native) until late in the third, when Avtomobilist G Evgeni Alikin was pulled for the extra attacker. LW Pavel Akolzin brought the score to 2-0 on an empty netter. Avtomobilist would show some resistance by scoring within the final minute, with C Danil Romantsev finding the back of the net. However, despite Alikin having hung with rival G Ilya Nabokov all game (these two netminders having 33/34-.971 SV% and 31/sv-.969 SV% statlines to their respective names), Yekaterinburg fell 2-1. Game 2 was fairly low-event, with both teams combining for 45 shots on goal. However, Avtomobilist were efficient, scoring 3 goals on 20 SOGs against Nabokov and tallying an empty netter to win by a score of 4-2. LW Anatolii Golyshev and C Stephane Da Costa had the most impressive performances, with 1g+3a and 2g+1a statlines to their names (with Golyshev therefore contributing to every goal and Da Costa having the GWG). These two teams will look to gain a 2-1 edge in the series tomorrow (Sunday, April 7th). Who will take the wheel in this pretty evenly contested matchup to this point?