HC Dinamo Minsk to face HC Ak Bars Kazan in KHL playoff second round

MINSK, 2 April (BelTA) – HC Dinamo Minsk have learned their opponent for the second round of the 2026 Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) playoffs, BelTA has learned.

Dmitri Kvartalnov’s team will compete for a spot in the Gagarin Cup semi-finals against his former team, HC Ak Bars Kazan. Following the regular season, Minsk finished second in the Western Conference, while the Kazan club came third in the Eastern Conference, having gained six points more.

In the first playoff round, HC Dinamo Minsk dispatched HC Dynamo Moscow in four straight games, while HC Ak Bars Kazan beat HC Traktor Chelyabinsk – the team that knocked out the Minsk Bisons last season – 4-1 in the series. Kazan boast three Gagarin Cup titles, whereas the Minsk side has never made it past the quarter-finals.

The best-of-seven series gets underway at Minsk Arena on 9 April, with game two set for the same venue on 11 April. The rivals will then head to Kazan for games on 13 and 15 April. If needed, games five, six and seven will take place on 17, 19 and 21 April. HC Dinamo Minsk and HC Ak Bars Kazan have never faced each other in the playoffs before.