KHL Gagarin Cup 2024: Everything You Need to Know

Dates and Format

The 2024 Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) Gagarin Cup playoffs will begin on March 1 and conclude with the Gagarin Cup Final in late April.

The playoffs will follow the same format as in previous years, with the top eight teams from each conference qualifying for the postseason. The playoffs will be played in a best-of-seven format, with the higher-seeded team having home-ice advantage.

Contenders

The top contenders for the Gagarin Cup in 2024 are expected to be:

* SKA Saint Petersburg: The defending champions are always a contender, and they will be looking to win their third Gagarin Cup in a row. * CSKA Moscow: CSKA is another perennial contender, and they will be looking to win their first Gagarin Cup since 2019. * Ak Bars Kazan: Ak Bars is a dark horse contender, but they have a talented roster that could make a deep run in the playoffs. * Avangard Omsk: Avangard is another dark horse contender, and they will be looking to make a deep run in the playoffs for the first time since 2012.

Key Players

Some of the key players to watch in the 2024 Gagarin Cup playoffs include:

* Nikita Kucherov (SKA Saint Petersburg): Kucherov is one of the best players in the world, and he will be looking to lead SKA to another Gagarin Cup victory. * Kirill Kaprizov (CSKA Moscow): Kaprizov is another superstar player, and he will be looking to lead CSKA to their first Gagarin Cup since 2019. * Alexander Radulov (Ak Bars Kazan): Radulov is a veteran player who can still make a big impact, and he will be looking to help Ak Bars make a deep run in the playoffs. * Sergei Shirokov (Avangard Omsk): Shirokov is a veteran player who is known for his leadership and clutch play, and he will be looking to help Avangard make a deep run in the playoffs.

Predictions

The 2024 Gagarin Cup playoffs are sure to be exciting, and it is difficult to predict who will win. However, here are a few predictions:

* SKA Saint Petersburg will be the favorite to win the Gagarin Cup, but they will be challenged by CSKA Moscow and Ak Bars Kazan. * Avangard Omsk is a dark horse contender who could make a deep run in the playoffs. * Nikita Kucherov, Kirill Kaprizov, Alexander Radulov, and Sergei Shirokov are all key players to watch in the playoffs.