CSKA clinch historic KHL double

CSKA Moscow claimed their first ever KHL Gagarin Cup after a ?? victory over Metallurg Magnitogorsk.

The seven-game series between the two teams has ebbed and flowed, with CSKA holding a 2-1 advantage after Game 3 before Magnitogorsk turned things around to lead 3-2 by the fifth game.

Last Sunday’s sixth meeting saw CSKA secure a hard fought 3-2 overtime success to set up the deciding match.

CSKA had reached the final in impressive fashion, losing just once in twelve Western Conference play-off games.

They defeated Slovan Bratislava 4-0 in the quarter-final and followed up with a 4-1 semi-final success against Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod.

CSKA swept aside reigning champions SKA Saint Petersburgh 4-0 in the conference final to reach the Gagarin Cup Finals for the first time.

Magnitogorsk also enjoyed a comfortable route to the final, overcoming Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg 4-2 in the Eastern Conference quarter-final, before easing past Sibir Novosibirsk 4-1 in the semi-final.

Salavat Yulaev Ufa proved no match in the conference final as Magnitogorsk claimed a 4-1 series victory.

CSKA are the first team to win the KHL double, having already claimed the Kontinental Cup courtesy of finishing the regular season with the best record.

Magnitogorsk’s previous Gagarin Cup success came in 2013/14 when they triumphed 4-3 over Lev Praha.