2019–20 KHL season

2019–20 KHL season
League	Kontinental Hockey League
Sport	Ice hockey
Duration	1 September 2019 – 12 March 2020
Number of games	62
Number of teams	24
Regular season
Continental Cup winner	CSKA Moscow
Top scorer	Vadim Shipachyov (Dynamo Moscow) (65 points)

The 2019–20 KHL season was the 12th season of the Kontinental Hockey League. There were 24 teams that competed in 62 regular season games.^[1] The season began with the Opening Cup on 1 September 2019, and the regular championship ran until 27 February 2020. The playoffs were scheduled to take place from 1 March through until 30 April.^[2] The All-Star Weekend took place over 18–19 January 2020.

Due to the 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Europe, the season was prematurely ended on 25 March 2020, midway through the playoffs.^[3]

The Russian Hockey Federation declared CSKA Moscow the Russian champions, SKA Saint Petersburg and Ak Bars Kazan silver medalists, and Dynamo Moscow bronze medalists based on regular season standings.^[4]

Season changes

For the 2019–20 season, the KHL originally announced that all 25 teams from the 2018–19 would return and continue without any changes to Divisions realignments.^[2] However the competition was reduced to 24 teams after Slovak based, HC Slovan Bratislava, announced that they would be withdrawing from the KHL to return to the Slovak Extraliga due to financial restrictions on 27 May 2019.^[5] With Slovan Bratislava's exit, Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod were moved from the Eastern Conference,^[1] to the Western Conference, reversing the move of the previous season.^[6] As a result, both Conferences consisted of 12 teams.

KHL World Games

The KHL announced the World Games project would continue for a second consecutive season with more information to be announced in July 2019.^[2] With the release of the season's schedule, new destinations of Davos, Shenzhen and Almaty were scheduled to host games.^[1]

Smart pucks

Smart puck technology, backed up with chips in players' jerseys, was used in all KHL games in the coming season. The new technology was trialled in the All-Star Game in Kazan last season and was also used in regular season games in Helsinki. Every arena in the league installed sensors capable of collecting information from the chips 100 times a second. That information was available to various users and coaches in real time, giving-up-to-the-second details of the players’ speed, the distance covered in each shift, the speed and location of each shot and much more.^[7]

The KHL is the first league in the world to implement this technology across the board.^[7]

Teams

The 24 teams were split into four divisions: the Bobrov Division and the Tarasov Division as part of the Western Conference, with the Kharlamov Division and the Chernyshev Division as part of the Eastern Conference.^[8]

Western Conference		Eastern Conference
Bobrov Division	Tarasov Division	Kharlamov Division	Chernyshev Division
Dinamo Riga	CSKA Moscow	Ak Bars Kazan	Admiral Vladivostok
Dynamo Moscow	Dinamo Minsk	Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg	Amur Khabarovsk
Jokerit	HC Sochi	Metallurg Magnitogorsk	Avangard Omsk
Severstal Cherepovets	Lokomotiv Yaroslavl	Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk	Barys Nur-Sultan
SKA Saint Petersburg	Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod	Sibir Novosibirsk	Kunlun Red Star
Spartak Moscow	Vityaz Podolsk	Traktor Chelyabinsk	Salavat Yulaev Ufa

League standings

Each team played 62 games, playing their divisional opponents four times, non-divisional conference rivals three times, and non-conference opponents twice.

Points were awarded for each game, where two points were awarded for all victories, regardless of whether it was in regulation time, in overtime or after game-winning shots. One point was awarded for losing in overtime or game-winning shots, and zero points for losing in regulation time. At the end of the regular season, the team that finished with the most points was crowned the Continental Cup winner.

Western Conference

Pos	Team	Pld	W	OTW	OTL	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	CSKA Moscow (Q, Z)	62	40	5	4	13	202	99	+103	94	Advance to Gagarin Cup Playoffs[a]
2	SKA Saint Petersburg (Q, X)	62	30	14	5	13	179	118	+61	93
3	Jokerit (Q)	62	28	10	8	16	184	164	+20	84	Advance to Gagarin Cup Playoffs
4	Dynamo Moscow (Q)	62	29	8	8	17	182	144	+38	82
5	Spartak Moscow (Q)	62	26	8	9	19	173	143	+30	77
6	Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (Q)	62	25	9	5	23	170	151	+19	73
7	Vityaz Podolsk (Q)	62	19	8	11	24	137	166	−29	65
8	Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod (Q)	62	22	7	6	27	165	167	−2	64
9	HC Sochi (E)	62	15	10	9	28	124	164	−40	59
10	Severstal Cherepovets (E)	62	14	10	10	28	126	171	−45	58
11	Dinamo Riga (E)	62	11	6	7	38	103	187	−84	41
12	Dinamo Minsk (E)	62	11	3	11	37	135	232	−97	39

Source: KHL
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) games won in regulation time; 3) games won in overtime; 4) games won in shootouts; 5) goal difference; 6) number of goals scored; 7) drawing of lots.
(E) Eliminated; (Q) Qualified to the phase indicated; (X) Won division; (Z) Won Continental Cup
Notes:

1. Teams leading a division hold one of the first two places of their conference.

Eastern Conference

Pos	Team	Pld	W	OTW	OTL	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Ak Bars Kazan (Q, Y)	62	38	6	5	13	178	121	+57	93	Advance to Gagarin Cup Playoffs[a]
2	Barys Nur-Sultan (Q, X)	62	31	7	8	16	156	137	+19	84
3	Avangard Omsk (Q)	62	30	7	9	16	163	120	+43	83	Advance to Gagarin Cup Playoffs
4	Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg (Q)	62	24	11	8	19	168	151	+17	78
5	Sibir Novosibirsk (Q)	62	27	7	6	22	139	143	−4	74
6	Salavat Yulaev Ufa (Q)	62	23	6	10	23	153	144	+9	68
7	Metallurg Magnitogorsk (Q)	62	20	8	9	25	138	145	−7	65
8	Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk (Q)	62	21	7	8	26	162	158	+4	64
9	Amur Khabarovsk (E)	62	20	6	10	26	132	145	−13	62
10	Kunlun Red Star (E)	62	20	6	8	28	139	158	−19	60
11	Traktor Chelyabinsk (E)	62	20	5	6	31	132	161	−29	56
12	Admiral Vladivostok (E)	62	16	10	4	32	126	177	−51	56

Source: KHL
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) games won in regulation time; 3) games won in overtime; 4) games won in shootouts; 5) goal difference; 6) number of goals scored; 7) drawing of lots.
(E) Eliminated; (Q) Qualified to the phase indicated; (X) Won division; (Y) Won conference
Notes:

1. Teams leading a division hold one of the first two places of their conference.

Gagarin Cup playoffs

Main article: 2020 Gagarin Cup playoffs

Ak Bars Kazan were the Eastern Conference regular season winners with 93 points. It was determined following a 5–3 victory over closest challengers Avangard Omsk at TatNeft Arena.^[9] CSKA Moscow were the Western Conference regular season winners, and winners of the Continental Cup with 94 points. It was determined following a 6–0 victory over HC Sochi at CSKA Arena.^[10]

	Conference Quarterfinals					Conference Semifinals					Conference Finals					Gagarin Cup Finals
	1	Ak Bars	4
	8	Neftekhimik	0
						1	Ak Bars
						6	Salavat Yulaev
	2	Barys	4
	7	Metallurg	1
	Eastern Conference
											5	Sibir
	3	Avangard	2
	6	Salavat Yulaev	4
						2	Barys[a]
						5	Sibir	w/o
	4	Avtomobilist	1
	5	Sibir	4
																E
																W
	1	CSKA	4
	8	Torpedo	0
						1	CSKA
						4	Dynamo
	2	SKA	4
	7	Vityaz	0
	Western Conference
											2	SKA
	3	Jokerit	4
	6	Lokomotiv	2
						2	SKA	w/o
						3	Jokerit[b]
	4	Dynamo	4
	5	Spartak	2

1. On 16 March 2020, Barys voluntarily withdrew from the playoffs due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[11]
2. On 14 March 2020, Jokerit voluntarily withdrew from the playoffs due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[12]

Final standings

Following the announcement that the season was prematurely ended on 25 March 2020, a decision of the final league standings was announced to be made at a later date.^[3] On 7 May 2020, it was announced that the eight teams that had qualified for the second round of the playoffs would be ranked ex aequo.^[13]

At the same time, the Russian Hockey Federation declared CSKA Moscow the Russian champions, SKA Saint Petersburg and Ak Bars Kazan silver medalists, and Dynamo Moscow bronze medalists based on regular season standings.^[14]

Rank	Team
1–8	Ak Bars Kazan
	Barys Nur-Sultan
	CSKA Moscow
	Dynamo Moscow
	Jokerit
	Salavat Yulaev Ufa
	Sibir Novosibirsk
	SKA Saint Petersburg
9	Avangard Omsk
10	Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg
11	Spartak Moscow
12	Lokomotiv Yaroslavl
13	Metallurg Magnitogorsk
14	Vityaz Podolsk
15	Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod
16	Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk
17	Amur Khabarovsk
18	Kunlun Red Star
19	HC Sochi
20	Severstal Cherepovets
21	Traktor Chelyabinsk
22	Admiral Vladivostok
23	Dinamo Riga
24	Dinamo Minsk

Statistics

Scoring leaders

The following players led the league in points, at the conclusion of the regular season.^[15] If two or more skaters are tied (i.e. same number of points, goals and played games), all of the tied skaters are shown.

Player	Team	GP	G	A	Pts	+/–	PIM
Vadim Shipachyov	Dynamo Moscow	61	17	48	65	+34	28
Dmitrij Jaškin	Dynamo Moscow	58	31	32	63	+34	75
Kirill Kaprizov	CSKA Moscow	57	33	29	62	+32	10
Linus Omark	Salavat Yulaev Ufa	59	12	42	54	–1	36
Nigel Dawes	Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg	59	20	30	50	–5	13
Mikko Lehtonen	Jokerit	60	17	32	49	+26	20
Nikita Soshnikov	Salavat Yulaev Ufa	58	27	21	48	–2	28
Brian O'Neill	Jokerit	56	19	29	48	+17	18
Linden Vey	CSKA Moscow	52	13	35	48	+22	47
Brooks Macek	Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg	61	24	22	46	-3	22

Leading goaltenders

The following goaltenders led the league in goals against average, at the conclusion of the regular season.^[16]

Player	Team(s)	GP	TOI	W	L	GA	SO	SV%	GAA
Lars Johansson	CSKA Moscow	23	1370:30	17	6	32	6	93.25%	1.40
Timur Bilyalov	Ak Bars Kazan	32	1652:14	19	4	40	8	94.34%	1.45
Ilya Sorokin	CSKA Moscow	40	2364:49	26	10	59	9	93.50%	1.50
Alexander Samonov	Vityaz Podolsk SKA Saint Petersburg	25	1428:32	19	1	36	4	94.66%	1.51
Magnus Hellberg	SKA Saint Petersburg	26	1443:15	14	7	41	3	92.65%	1.70
Igor Bobkov	Avangard Omsk	48	2815:51	25	16	81	5	93.24%	1.73
Vasily Koshechkin	Metallurg Magnitogorsk	49	2687:12	18	20	87	6	93.31%	1.94
Ivan Bocharov	Dynamo Moscow	49	2638:43	26	13	87	6	93.47%	1.98
Alexei Krasikov	Sibir Novosibirsk	30	1403:56	10	11	47	2	93.52%	2.01
Evgeny Alikin	Amur Khabarovsk	40	2246:36	15	13	76	7	93.65%	2.03

Awards

Players of the Month

Best KHL players of each month.

Month	Goaltender	Defence	Forward	Rookie
September[17]	Alexei Melnichuk (SKA Saint Petersburg)	Mikael Wikstrand (Ak Bars Kazan)	Damir Zhafyarov (Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod)	Danila Zhuravlyov (Ak Bars Kazan)
October[18]	Harri Säteri (Sibir Novosibirsk)	Albert Yarullin (Ak Bars Kazan)	Vadim Shipachyov (Dynamo Moscow)	Artyom Galimov (Ak Bars Kazan)
November[19]	Timur Bilyalov (Ak Bars Kazan)	Mikko Lehtonen (Jokerit)	Dmitrij Jaškin (Dynamo Moscow)	Kirill Marchenko (SKA Saint Petersburg)
December[20]	Jakub Kovář (Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg)	Mikko Lehtonen (Jokerit)	Roman Starchenko (Barys Nur-Sultan)	Akim Trishin (Spartak Moscow)
January[21]	Ilya Sorokin (CSKA Moscow)	Mikko Lehtonen (Jokerit)	Anton Slepyshev (CSKA Moscow)	Ivan Morozov (CSKA Moscow)
February[22]	Ivan Fedotov (Traktor Chelyabinsk)	Vasili Tokranov (SKA Saint Petersburg)	Kirill Kaprizov (CSKA Moscow)	Dmitri Voronkov (Ak Bars Kazan)
March	Not awarded
April

References

1. Potts, Andy (11 July 2019). "Season 12 Schedule: back to Europe, more derbies and a visit to Shenzhen". KHL.ru. Kontinental Hockey League. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
2. "The KHL board approves structure for 2019-20 season" (in Russian). Kontinental Hockey League. 27 March 2019. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
3. "KHL has cancelled the remainder of the 2019-20 season". KHL.ru. Kontinental Hockey League. 25 March 2020. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
4. "ФХР объявляет победителя и призеров Чемпионата России сезона-2019/20".
5. "Slovan has not entered into an agreement with KHL" (in Slovak). HC Slovan Bratislava. 27 May 2019. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
6. "2018/2019 season calendar: start in September and comfortable playoffs". KHL.ru. Kontinental Hockey League. 5 July 2018. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
7. "Dmitry Chernyshenko reviews the season with KHL club directors" (in Russian). Kontinental Hockey League. 28 May 2019. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
8. "League confirms structure for the new season" (in Russian). Kontinental Hockey League. 7 May 2019. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
9. Potts, Andy (18 February 2020). "Ak Bars tops the East. February 18 round-up". KHL.ru. Kontinental Hockey League. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
10. Potts, Andy (27 February 2020). "CSKA tops the regular season table. February 27 round-up". KHL.ru. Kontinental Hockey League. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
11. "KHL working on new playoff format after two teams drop out". Sportsnet. Rogers Media. Associated Press. 16 March 2020. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
12. Clinton, Jared (14 March 2020). "KHL's Jokerit voluntarily withdraws from Gagarin Cup playoffs ahead of second-round series". The Hockey News. Roustan Media Ltd. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
13. "KHL announces the final team placements for the 2019-20 season". KHL.ru. Kontinental Hockey League. 7 May 2020. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
14. "ФХР объявляет победителя и призеров Чемпионата России сезона-2019/20".
15. "Leaders: Points (G+A)". KHL.ru. Kontinental Hockey League. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
16. "Leaders: Goaltenders (GAA)". KHL.ru. Kontinental Hockey League. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
17. Seren Rosso, Alexander (1 October 2019). "Players of the Month: Melnichuk, Wikstrand, Zhafyarov, and Zhuravlyov". KHL.ru. Kontinental Hockey League. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
18. Seren Rosso, Alexander (1 November 2019). "Players of the Month: Sateri, Yarullin, Shipachyov, and Galimov". KHL.ru. Kontinental Hockey League. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
19. Seren Rosso, Alexander (3 December 2019). "Players of the Month: Bilyalov, Lehtonen, Jaskin, and Marchenko". KHL.ru. Kontinental Hockey League. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
20. Seren Rosso, Alexander (31 December 2019). "Players of the Month: Kovar, Lehtonen, Starchenko, and Trishin". KHL.ru. Kontinental Hockey League. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
21. Seren Rosso, Alexander (1 February 2020). "Players of the Month: Sorokin, Lehtonen, Slepyshev, and Morozov". KHL.ru. Kontinental Hockey League. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
22. Seren Rosso, Alexander (29 February 2020). "Players of the Month: Fedotov, Tokranov, Kaprizov, and Voronkov". KHL.ru. Kontinental Hockey League. Retrieved 1 March 2020.

External links

• Official website