A short but exciting ending. Results of the series “Metallurg” – “Lokomotiv”: News

KHL.ru sums up the final series of the Gagarin Cup, which lasted only four matches and ended with the victory of Metallurg.

How did the series develop?

Before the start of the final, many experts called Lokomotiv the favorite. The Yaroslavl team went through a thorny path and got more time to recover. Metallurg’s semi-final with Avtomobilist lasted up to seven matches. The preserved game tone helped Magnitka quickly get into the finals and win two victories at home. In Yaroslavl, Lokomotiv has changed. I added more aggression, increased the tempo, but still didn’t fix the problems with execution. In every match, Metallurg was a little better. All games ended with a minimal difference in score, but every team victory Andrey Razin natural.

Key moment

Curious goal Alexandra Petunina in overtime of the third match he put Lokomotiv in a difficult situation. It turned out to be impossible to come back from 0-3 against Magnitogorsk, which had gained courage and incredible confidence. Goalkeeper Daniil Isaev helped out the Yaroslavl team all season, but missed an absurd goal at a crucial moment. The fourth match of the final followed a similar scenario. Lokomotiv pressed, Magnitogorsk held on and used their chances in attack.

Heroes

Ilya Nabokov

The young goalkeeper had a phenomenal playoff performance. Everyone saw the incredible transformation of the debutant KHL goalkeeper. In the final, the Metallurg savior conceded only three goals in four matches. The percentage of reflected shots did not fall below 95. Nabokov outright outplayed his colleague Isaev. Daniil also missed a little, but did not help out at key moments. Ilya, on the contrary, saved Magnitogorsk and deservedly received the playoff MVP award.

Denis Zernov

Zernov finished the playoffs as the top sniper, scoring 12 goals in 23 matches. In the series with Lokomotiv, the first center of Metallurg had two goals and one assist. Zernov scored important goals. In the fourth game, it was Denis’s goal that allowed Magnitogorsk to equalize the score, after which Daniil Vovchenko converted the majority and brought the team the Gagarin Cup.

Dmitry Silantiev

Zernov’s partner on the first line, Silantiev, is another unexpected hero of Metallurg in the playoffs. The 23-year-old forward is the team’s top scorer, and in the League he lost on points only Anatoly Golyshev from Avtomobilist. In the final, Silantiev, who played in the VHL a year ago, took part in three goals: he scored and made two assists. Magnitogorsk’s top three caused a lot of problems for Lokomotiv with their speed and quick passes.

Andrey Razin

In his first year at Metallurg, Razin built a championship team. The coach boldly trusted the youth, and they thanked him in the playoffs. “Magnitka” showed itself to be a very flexible, patient and able to take a blow team. 4-0 in the series with Lokomotiv speaks volumes. He proved that he can achieve results with top clubs. The appointment of Andrei Vladimirovich last summer fully justified itself.

What’s next?

Metallurg celebrates the long-awaited victory. The Gagarin Cup returned to Magnitogorsk eight years later. The club has traditional championship events ahead: a meeting with fans and a parade around the city. Lokomotiv was left with silver, but the path traveled by Igor Nikitin with the team also deserves respect. This composition is still capable of a lot – all that remains is to carry out targeted selection in the off-season and not deviate from the set course.