Thrilling ending

On April 6, Admirals and Traktor played the sixth game of Gagarin Cup playoffs.

The coaching staff made some changes in the lineup, bringing it back to its usual form. Soshnikov and Grman returned to the ice, replacing Stepanov and Chmykhov.

The first period was fiery. Each opponent hit 25 shots, half of which were on goal. Sulak and Gutik's shots were not counted as saves – they hit the goalpost. In addition, Mishurov saved the team from Shabanov's shootout earned by Traktor while playing short-handed. The teams went into the first break with a score 0:0 for the first time in the entire series.

In the second period, another “for the first time” thing happened. In the 30th minute, the Sailors tried to clear the puck, but it rebounded in Telegin's blade, and the defenseman sent it into the net from the slot – 0:1. Traktor used to let Admirals open the scoring in all five previous games, but not this time. Admirals could have drawn level at the end of the period, and again it was just centimeters short – Osnovin hit the goalpost. The Sailors also had a chance on the power play: Gutik, Shestakov and Petukhov played a triangle, but didn’t manage to finish the moment.

In the third period, Admirals picked up the pace and rained down a hail of shots on Fucale's goal. But none of these 18 shots hit the net. Each of the teams had two penalties, but they couldn’t capitalize on the power play. In the final minutes, the Sailors pulled the goalie, trying to carry out the final assault. Traktor stood firm, and Tkachyov scored the second goal into an empty net. It was the final goal not only in the game, but also in the series – 0:2.

The first round’s series of the Gagarin Cup playoffs ended with a score 4:2 in favor of Chelyabinsk team.