HC Dinamo Minsk end 2026 Gagarin Cup run

MINSK, 16 April (BelTA) – HC Dinamo Minsk lost their playoff series to HC Ak Bars Kazan in the KHL second round to end their 2026 Gagarin Cup campaign, BelTA has learned.

The fourth game of the best-of-seven series took place in Kazan. In the first period, the players got into several fights, with both teams racking up nearly forty minutes of penalty time combined, while the only goal of the period was scored by the home team at even strength. Toward the end of the first thirty minutes of game time, Ak Bars doubled their lead.

Late in the second period, Vitaly Pinchuk twice found the back of Kazan’s net, but both goals were disallowed due to infractions. With one minute left before the intermission, the home team scored a third goal. In the final minutes, Vadim Shipachev and Daniil Lipsky narrowed the visitors’ deficit, but the Bisons couldn’t complete the comeback. The final score 2-3 in the game and 0-4 in the series – HC Dinamo Minsk are out of the playoffs.

In the regular season, Dmitry Kvartalnov’s squad posted the best result in the club’s KHL history, finishing second in the Western Conference. In the first round of the Gagarin Cup, Minsk swept HC Dynamo Moscow (4-0). One year ago, the Bisons also reached the Gagarin Cup quarterfinals, where they lost to HC Traktor Chelyabinsk (1-4).