SKA Saint Petersburg, Ak Bars Kazan Advance to Gagarin Cup Final

SKA Outlasts Lokomotiv for Third Straight Trip

SKA Saint Petersburg punched their ticket to the Gagarin Cup Final for the third consecutive season on Thursday, outlasting Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 4-3 in Game 7 of their Western Conference Final. SKA rallied from a 3-2 deficit in the third period, scoring twice in the final five minutes to secure the victory.

Nikita Gusev and Marat Khairullin scored the tying and go-ahead goals for SKA, respectively. Pavel Buchnevich added an empty-net goal to seal the win.

SKA will now face Ak Bars Kazan in the Gagarin Cup Final, which begins on Monday. Ak Bars advanced to the final with a 4-1 series victory over CSKA Moscow in the Eastern Conference Final.

Ak Bars Reaches Final for First Time Since 2015

Ak Bars Kazan is back in the Gagarin Cup Final for the first time since 2015, when they defeated SKA to win their first championship.

Ak Bars has been one of the most dominant teams in the KHL this season, finishing with the league's best record and allowing the fewest goals.

They will be a tough opponent for SKA in the Gagarin Cup Final, and the series is sure to be a close one.

Roman Rotenberg to Coach SKA in Gagarin Cup Final

SKA Saint Petersburg announced on Friday that Roman Rotenberg will be the team's head coach for the Gagarin Cup Final.

Rotenberg, who is the son of SKA owner Boris Rotenberg, has been serving as the team's general manager this season.

He has no prior head coaching experience, but he is a respected figure in the KHL and has a deep knowledge of the game.