CSKA miraculously pulled out the final series and became the champion. Crazy denouement in the KHL

The seventh match of the Gagarin Cup final is not a new phenomenon. This is the sixth time the game has been played in the all-or-nothing format in the KHL. There were also returns after 1-3 in the series: in 2012, Dynamo Moscow thus took away the title from Avangard.

But you can’t miss this event anyway. A full house in Magnitogorsk was provided immediately after the final siren of the Moscow match. The match, in which it became clear: at least CSKA now has a psychological advantage. After all, quite recently the cup was practically in the hands of Magnitogorsk.

Metallurg tried to get the series back under control right after the opening face-off. The hosts hoped to open an account thanks to the pressure in the first minutes. But the hosts failed to completely crush the army team – the defense of the red-blue, although it sagged, did not break. The case ended with just two shots on target.

CSKA tried to relieve this pressure with frequent throws to the front side of Metallurg. In order for the plan to come true, it was necessary to win martial arts, with which the guests did an excellent job. And then their spring was completely unclenched.

First, the first link Okulov – Karnaukhov – Grigorenko hit. Karnaukhov won the fight on a penny and got a unique opportunity to shoot Vasily Koshechkin.

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Only 57 seconds had passed when the 41-year-old Alexander Popov, who returned to duty, again made itself felt. Andrei Svetlakov imposed a fight on his namesake Chibisov, took the puck away from him in the corner of the site and made a pass to the striking position of San Sanych, forgotten by everyone, who returned after being absent from previous matches due to injury. Literally in an hour, he will be recognized as the most valuable player in the playoffs, but he will not come out for the award – the veteran left so much strength in this series.

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After such blows, they do not recover. Magnitogorsk was already not in the best mood – on Tuesday they were only six minutes from the Gagarin Cup, and now the seventh match. Moreover, to recoup from 0:2 – as a rule, a gap of two goals in such games is no longer recouped.

Ilya Vorobyov tried to shake up the team by shuffling combinations. With whom only Nikolai Goldobin went out on the ice, although most recently he was enchanting in the super-troika with Brendan Leipsik and Philippe Maillet. But CSKA confidently held back all the attacks of Magnitogorsk. After the first period, the army team threw opponents 14:5.

There is nothing to do, Metallurg continued to work in a foreign zone in the second period. After Chibisov’s throw, Artyom Minulin was a little behind on finishing off, and less than a minute later Maye was throwing at point-blank range from Laipsik’s pass – Fedotov dragged him. But at the same time, the Urals were forced to forget about the middle zone. It ended with the successful exit of Okulov with Grigorenko 2 in 1. 3:0 – that, it seems, is all.

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“Metallurg” continued to fight, and the army team, who were a little off, helped the opponents with removals – first Darren Dietz crouched, and two minutes later Anton Slepyshev. A won throw-in in the middle zone, a forward pass by Chibisov, a shot by Maye – there is the first goal of Magnitogorsk, and this is a second and a half before the break!

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But globally, the puck has changed little. CSKA did not plan to give up the two-goal advantage after the break. Yes, there were separate positional errors in the defense and the middle zone, most likely due to fatigue, but Fedotov dragged all the hosts’ shots. The goalkeeper caught courage, all attempts of Magnitogorsk to save the match were broken against him.

Struggling to keep his team afloat and Koshechkin. For example, he pulled out Slepyshev’s blow when he was obliged to put an end to the match. And in the end, the former Magnitogorsk resident Vladislav Kamenev put it on. Four minutes before the end, Vorobyov went for broke, removing the goalkeeper, and Kamenev shot the empty net.

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In 2016, Magnitogorsk defeated CSKA in Moscow in the decisive match 3:1. Six years later, the army team returned the debt. And how – pulling out, it seemed, a hopeless series. A real victory for real champions.