The white-and-reds have clearly improved recently, which resulted in promotion to the play-off zone. There are no guarantees yet. Dynamo Minsk and Severstal are hot on their heels. The volatility of the Muscovites’ game looks interesting. Where you have to play hockey fast and push the opponent, they do it and they win. An example is the last match against a direct rival from Minsk, which won 4:3. Where you need to save energy – the game is slow, but Spartak keeps everything under control. In this style, Sochi was defeated by a score of 2-0. At the moment, there are no serious concerns that Spartak will not advance to the playoffs.

Nizhny Novgorod rebounded decently from sixth place in the conference, but the motivation is still there. However, playing in the first round of matches against Dynamo Moscow or against Vityaz/Spartak are two big differences. Torpedo has a difficult calendar, but the guys come out of the situation with honor. Two beautiful victories over Lokomotiv 3:2 and also over Moscow “soldiers” 3:1. Torpedo starts playing indoor hockey more and more often. This is due to the big problems in defense with an active play up front. Lost to SKA 2:6, Dynamo Moscow 4:6. And on the eve of the playoffs, such shortcomings must be eliminated.