— Many experts consider CSKA to be the favorite for the final. Agree?
— Whom?
This dialogue between journalist and head coach of Kazan «Ak Bars» Zinetula Bilyaletdinov at a press conference before the start of the final series of the Gagarin Cup instantly went viral on the Internet and became a very funny meme. But at the same time, there is a lot of truth in this joke.
“Ak Bars” and CSKA how different from each other in style of play, so similar in their manner to achieve success. Both teams in their current form appeared as impenetrable machines that achieve the goal, regardless of the complexity of the situation. Judgment, character, clear implementation of coaching instructions, composure, steadfastness and discipline — these are the characteristics that helped Ak Bars with CSKA to reach the Gagarin Cup final.
For this reason, it was impossible to predict the outcome of the confrontation with absolute certainty. There were also those who expected boring hockey due to the cautious play of opponents. It was not there — in the first match of the series, «Ak Bars» and CSKA gave fire. To a greater extent, of course, the “army team” – the current holders of the Gagarin Cup from the very beginning acted as the first number, owned the puck and territorial advantage more, attacked more often and threw more actively on goal. But the Muscovites had to act as lagging behind.
In the debut of the meeting, the «soldiers» got the right to play in the majority, but not only failed to realize it, but even missed it. Mikhail Grigorenko made a cross pass in his zone, and the puck was intercepted by Artem Lukoyanov, who calmly completed the 1 v 0 exit with a goal.
Despite the unexpected fiasco, the CSKA players did not lose their nerve, continuing to play their hockey. Once again Muscovites have achieved a numerical advantage and literally 1-2 seconds after returning to the ice remote defender “Ak Bars” Daniil Zhuravlev achieved the desired. Mikhail Grigorenko redeemed himself for his own mistake and sent the puck into the goal with a perfect shot. Now Mikhail is not only the best scorer of the KHL playoffs, but also the best sniper of the tournament — the leader of CSKA has 22 points (10 goals and 12 assists) in 21 matches.
The second period, “red-blue” began like the first, but at one point, “Ak Bars” abruptly seized the initiative. Kazan was helped by the majority, which was implemented in just ten seconds. The cunning and experienced Zinetula Bilyaletdinov released Kirill Semenov in the special team to win the face-off in a foreign zone. Having completed his task, Semenov went back to the bench with lightning speed and gave way to Vadim Shipachev on the site. He, having received the puck, gave an excellent pass to Stanislav Galiev, who closed it with an equally cool wrist throw.
Stepping forward, “Ak Bars” could score more scores. For example, one of the most active players of the Kazan team, Ilya Safonov, had a great moment. The puck after his shot hit the crossbar. It seemed that she already had nowhere to go, except in the gate net. Even Safonov himself was already running to celebrate the goal. Premature.
In the third period, CSKA expectedly added pressure and power. That is why the danger at the gates of Timur Bilyalov has become greater. Within just a few minutes, Mikhail Grigorenko, Pavel Karnaukhov, Maxim Mamin and even Prokhor Poltapov, who performed a chic solo pass, could score. But the pucks flew only into the opposite gate. «Ak Bars» hit CSKA with his own weapon: withstood the pressure, suffered and demonstrated excellent implementation of scoring chances.
At first, Alexander Radulov developed a quick attack along the port side and completed a counterattack with an accurate throw. Adam Reideborn deflected the puck in front of him, and the projectile was picked up by Dmitry Voronkov. The first shot of the Ak Bars forward was effectively deflected by Vladislav Provolnev, but on the second attempt, Voronkov completed what he started and became the first player born after January 1, 2000 to score 50 goals in the KHL.
And five minutes later, “Ak Bars” killed the intrigue. Not in a series, but in a match. Kirill Adamchuk had an excellent opportunity for a long-range shot, but instead he played smarter and put the puck into the stick of his namesake Panyukov with a beautiful, accurate throw. From her, the projectile flew into the net of the Reideborn gate for the fourth time.
«»Nothing broke for us. In a couple of moments we played the puck carelessly, made a gross mistake. But we played with an advantage,» — Sergei Fedorov said in a flash interview after the match.
Indeed, in terms of game play, CSKA looked preferable and owned the initiative most of the time. However, “Ak Bars” was expected to be ready for this. Kazan played perfectly — as much as possible against such a powerful CSKA. Bilyaletdinov's wards wisely took advantage of their chances, never for a moment lost in the power struggle, Timur Bilyalov acted superbly, and Ak Bars leaders Vadim Shipachev, Alexander Radulov, Dmitry Voronkov and Stanislav Galiev also said their weighty word.
Now there are even more questions about the series. Will CSKA find new resources to win? If so, which ones? Will Ak Bars withstand this pressure? The second game of the Gagarin Cup final is already on April 19.