Today in Yaroslavl, the KHL playoff final series between Lokomotiv and Ak Bars gets underway. In an exclusive interview with a Championship correspondent, Honored Coach of Russia Vladimir Krikunov breaks down all the key nuances and details of the upcoming clash between the league’s two giants.
What can we expect from the Gagarin Cup final?
Galimov vs. Surin, Isaev vs. Bilyalov: The key matchups of the Gagarin Cup final
Lokomotiv (1) vs. Ak Bars (3) — series starts May 11
KHL — Playoffs
Final, Game 1
May 11, 2026, Monday, 14:30 MSK
Lokomotiv
Yaroslavl
Not started
Ak Bars
Kazan
Who will win in regulation time?
P1
X
P2
— Who do you consider the favorite in the final series?
— It’s 50-50. Ak Bars has sharply improved in the playoffs, started scoring more, and Bilyalov has been outstanding in goal. Yaroslavl is the reigning champion, and they pulled off two such games in the semifinals against Avangard! They were trailing by two goals, with no options, but still took the series. Things like that always harden you mentally, especially when you win Game 7.
— Name the main strengths of Lokomotiv and Ak Bars.
— Lokomotiv is a system-based team, very balanced across all lines: from goaltender to forwards. Everything is clear, stable, and polished to perfection. In my view, Hartley slightly reshaped the team after Nikitin: Igor paid a lot of attention to defense. I wouldn’t say it was completely closed hockey, but Lokomotiv looked organized, conceded few goals, and always scored their chances.
Ak Bars has started playing very consistently, scoring a lot and showing good efficiency. Yet at the same time, they can win 1-0. Kazan is a battle-hardened playoff fighter. Plus, let’s not forget they have Zinetula Bilyaletdinov as an advisor. An experienced man who helps and advises the coaching staff. Ak Bars is now playing almost like they did under Bilyaletdinov. True, they don’t have a single line or individuals who can solve everything on the power play like Zinoviev, Morozov, Zaripov, or Kapanen used to. But now all four lines of Kazan can score. You never know where danger will come from. It’s going to be a fascinating series!
— Many point out specifically the fourth line of Ak Bars.
— You know how they say in the NHL: cups are won by third and fourth lines. They need to support the leaders as much as possible. For Lokomotiv, until Shalunov and Radulov took the initiative, no one could score at the crucial moment. It’s good that later Berezkin and Surin started waking up. All four lines, the whole team must work as one unit to achieve the goal.
— Has today’s Kazan matured enough for a fourth Gagarin Cup, or does Yaroslavl deserve a second consecutive title?
— It’s very even here. Both teams deserve to be champions.
Gagarin Cup
Details
— Could Alexander Radulov be a decisive factor in the series?
— He’s a strong player, but Ak Bars is also a tough team. They might, for instance, shut him down, neutralize his line, someone will take on that responsibility. We’ll see how it goes.
— Which leader from Ak Bars should take the initiative?
— Kazan has many good and worthy guys. A strong roster, they’ve been building toward this, selecting players. Anvar himself has been through a lot: the team fluctuated up and down the regular season standings. But in the playoffs, Ak Bars transformed. Now everything is very stable, it’s a completely different team, not shaky.
— Who do you think is the stronger goaltender: Daniil Isaev or Timur Bilyalov?
— Isaev is slightly stronger by nature, but Bilyalov, I repeat, looks very confident right now. In the regular season he could let in a goal, but in the playoffs he manages to cover everything and make saves. Timur is currently playing at Isaev’s level.
— This is Anvar Gatiyatulin’s first Gagarin Cup final as head coach. Does that weigh on you mentally?
— Of course. Huge responsibility, the psychological factor weighs heavily. Anvar knew where he was going, that he would be asked and demanded of. Because Ak Bars is a team that always sets the goal of becoming champions. Kazan has no other objectives.