# 2017–18 KHL season

The 2017–18 KHL season was the tenth season of the Kontinental Hockey League. The season started on 21 August 2017 and ended on 22 April 2018.
The league accommodated a 33 day Olympic break, to allow its players to participate in the 2018 Winter Olympics in February.

## Team changes

The Croatian club Medveščak Zagreb relocated back to the Austrian Hockey League, and Russian club Metallurg Novokuznetsk was relegated to the Supreme Hockey League, to bring the total number of KHL teams to 27.
March 2018 KHL announced that two teams going to drop out after this season and next season have 25 teams. Yugra and Lada Togliatti are the teams that will not continue in KHL.

## Divisions and regular season format

In this season, like in the 2016–17 season, each team will play every other team once at home and once on the road, giving a total of 52 games (26 at home, 26 on the road), plus 4 additional games (2 at home, 2 on the road) played by each team against rival clubs from its own conference. Thus, each team played a total of 56 games in the regular season.
How the teams are divided into divisions and conferences is shown in the table below.
| Western Conference | Eastern Conference |
| Bobrov Division | Tarasov Division | Kharlamov Division | Chernyshev Division |
| Dinamo Minsk | CSKA Moscow | Ak Bars Kazan | Admiral Vladivostok |
| Dinamo Riga | Dynamo Moscow | Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg | Amur Khabarovsk |
| Jokerit | HC Sochi | Lada Togliatti | Avangard Omsk |
| SKA Saint Petersburg | Lokomotiv Yaroslavl | Metallurg Magnitogorsk | Barys Astana |
| Slovan Bratislava | Severstal Cherepovets | Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk | HC Kunlun Red Star |
| Spartak Moscow | Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod | Traktor Chelyabinsk | Salavat Yulaev Ufa |
| | Vityaz Podolsk | Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk | Sibir Novosibirsk |

## League standings
### Western Conference

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | SKA Saint Petersburg | 56 | 40 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 227 | 97 | +130 | 138 | Advance to Gagarin Cup Playoffs |
| 2 | CSKA Moscow | 56 | 35 | 9 | 1 | 11 | 175 | 89 | +86 | 124 | Advance to Gagarin Cup Playoffs |
| 3 | Jokerit | 56 | 29 | 4 | 8 | 15 | 151 | 108 | +43 | 103 | Advance to Gagarin Cup Playoffs |
| 4 | Lokomotiv Yaroslavl | 56 | 26 | 9 | 3 | 18 | 148 | 129 | +19 | 99 | Advance to Gagarin Cup Playoffs |
| 5 | Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod | 56 | 23 | 6 | 8 | 19 | 116 | 127 | −11 | 89 | Advance to Gagarin Cup Playoffs |
| 6 | HC Sochi | 56 | 22 | 7 | 7 | 20 | 130 | 138 | −8 | 87 | Advance to Gagarin Cup Playoffs |
| 7 | Spartak Moscow | 56 | 22 | 7 | 5 | 22 | 153 | 146 | +7 | 85 | Advance to Gagarin Cup Playoffs |
| 8 | Severstal Cherepovets | 56 | 18 | 9 | 11 | 18 | 131 | 145 | −14 | 83 | Advance to Gagarin Cup Playoffs |
| 9 | Dynamo Moscow | 56 | 19 | 9 | 5 | 23 | 134 | 139 | −5 | 80 | |
| 10 | Dinamo Minsk | 56 | 20 | 5 | 3 | 28 | 112 | 129 | −17 | 73 | |
| 11 | Vityaz Podolsk | 56 | 17 | 4 | 8 | 27 | 131 | 160 | −29 | 67 | |
| 12 | Slovan Bratislava | 56 | 15 | 3 | 7 | 31 | 119 | 187 | −68 | 58 | |
| 13 | Dinamo Riga | 56 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 31 | 105 | 153 | −48 | 50 | |
* ↑ 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 | 56 | 30 | 2 | 6 | 18 | 158 | 126 | +32 | 100 | Advance to Gagarin Cup Playoffs |
| 2 | Salavat Yulaev Ufa | 56 | 26 | 5 | 5 | 20 | 151 | 139 | +12 | 93 | Advance to Gagarin Cup Playoffs |
| 3 | Traktor Chelyabinsk | 56 | 26 | 7 | 4 | 19 | 129 | 121 | +8 | 96 | Advance to Gagarin Cup Playoffs |
| 4 | Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg | 56 | 25 | 6 | 8 | 17 | 165 | 137 | +28 | 95 | Advance to Gagarin Cup Playoffs |
| 5 | Metallurg Magnitogorsk | 56 | 24 | 8 | 7 | 17 | 150 | 135 | +15 | 95 | Advance to Gagarin Cup Playoffs |
| 6 | Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk | 56 | 27 | 3 | 7 | 19 | 135 | 135 | 0 | 94 | Advance to Gagarin Cup Playoffs |
| 7 | Avangard Omsk | 56 | 22 | 7 | 8 | 19 | 146 | 116 | +30 | 88 | Advance to Gagarin Cup Playoffs |
| 8 | Amur Khabarovsk | 56 | 21 | 8 | 9 | 18 | 132 | 141 | −9 | 88 | Advance to Gagarin Cup Playoffs |
| 9 | Sibir Novosibirsk | 56 | 23 | 8 | 2 | 23 | 136 | 135 | +1 | 87 | |
| 10 | Barys Astana | 56 | 19 | 5 | 7 | 25 | 148 | 164 | −16 | 74 | |
| 11 | Admiral Vladivostok | 56 | 16 | 5 | 5 | 30 | 120 | 145 | −25 | 63 | |
| 12 | Kunlun Red Star | 56 | 15 | 4 | 8 | 29 | 103 | 146 | −43 | 61 | |
| 13 | Lada Togliatti | 56 | 12 | 4 | 6 | 34 | 105 | 149 | −44 | 50 | |
| 14 | Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk | 56 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 32 | 93 | 167 | −74 | 48 | |
* ↑ Teams leading a division hold one of the first two places of its conference.

## Gagarin Cup playoffs

| Conference Quarterfinals | Conference Quarterfinals | Conference Quarterfinals | | | Conference Semifinals | Conference Semifinals | Conference Semifinals | Conference Finals | Conference Finals | Conference Finals | | Gagarin Cup Finals | Gagarin Cup Finals | Gagarin Cup Finals |
| 1 | Ak Bars | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 8 | Amur | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 8 | Amur | 1 | | | 1 | Ak Bars | 4 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | 5 | Metallurg Mg | 1 | | | | | | | |
| 2 | Salavat Yulaev | 4 | | | 5 | Metallurg Mg | 1 | | | | | | | |
| 7 | Avangard | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 7 | Avangard | 3 | | | | | | 1 | Ak Bars | 4 | | | | |
| Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | 1 | Ak Bars | 4 | | | | |
| Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | 3 | Traktor | 0 | | | | |
| 3 | Traktor | 4 | | | | | | | | | 3 | Traktor | 0 | | | | |
| 6 | Neftekhimik | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 6 | Neftekhimik | 1 | | | 2 | Salavat Yulaev | 3 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | 3 | Traktor | 4 | | | | | | | |
| 4 | Avtomobilist | 2 | | | 3 | Traktor | 4 | | | | | | | |
| 5 | Metallurg Mg | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 5 | Metallurg Mg | 4 | | | | | | | | | | E1 | Ak Bars | 4 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | W2 | CSKA | 1 |
| 1 | SKA | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | | | W2 | CSKA | 1 |
| 8 | Severstal | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 8 | Severstal | 0 | | | 1 | SKA | 4 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | 4 | Lokomotiv | 1 | | | | | | | |
| 2 | CSKA | 4 | | | 4 | Lokomotiv | 1 | | | | | | | |
| 7 | Spartak | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 7 | Spartak | 0 | | | | | | 1 | SKA | 2 | | | | |
| Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | 1 | SKA | 2 | | | | |
| Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | 2 | CSKA | 4 | | | | |
| 3 | Jokerit | 4 | | | | | | | | | 2 | CSKA | 4 | | | | |
| 6 | Sochi | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 6 | Sochi | 1 | | | 2 | CSKA | 4 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | 3 | Jokerit | 2 | | | | | | | |
| 4 | Lokomotiv | 4 | | | 3 | Jokerit | 2 | | | | | | | |
| 5 | Torpedo | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | |

## Final standings

| Rank | Team |
| 1 | Ak Bars Kazan |
| 2 | CSKA Moscow |
| 3 | SKA Saint Petersburg |
| 4 | Traktor Chelyabinsk |
| 5 | Jokerit |
| 6 | Lokomotiv Yaroslavl |
| 7 | Metallurg Magnitogorsk |
| 8 | Salavat Yulaev Ufa |
| 9 | Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg |
| 10 | Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk |
| 11 | Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod |
| 12 | Avangard Omsk |
| 13 | Amur Khabarovsk |
| 14 | HC Sochi |
| 15 | Spartak Moscow |
| 16 | Severstal Cherepovets |
| 17 | Sibir Novosibirsk |
| 18 | Dynamo Moscow |
| 19 | Barys Astana |
| 20 | Dinamo Minsk |
| 21 | Vityaz Podolsk |
| 22 | Admiral Vladivostok |
| 23 | Kunlun Red Star |
| 24 | Slovan Bratislava |
| 25 | Lada Togliatti |
| 26 | Dinamo Riga |
| 27 | Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk |

## Player statistics
### Scoring leaders

As of 1 March 2018
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | +/– | PIM |
| Ilya Kovalchuk | SKA Saint Petersburg | 53 | 31 | 32 | 63 | +12 | 26 |
| Nikita Gusev | SKA Saint Petersburg | 54 | 22 | 40 | 62 | +25 | 2 |
| Nigel Dawes | Barys Astana | 46 | 35 | 21 | 56 | +5 | 26 |
| Linus Omark | Salavat Yulaev Ufa | 55 | 16 | 39 | 55 | +6 | 60 |
| Linden Vey | Barys Astana | 50 | 17 | 35 | 52 | +1 | 64 |
Source: KHL

### Leading goaltenders

As of 1 March 2018
| Player | Team | GP | Min | W | L | SOP | GA | SO | SV% | GAA |
| Lars Johansson | CSKA Moscow | 21 | 1192:53 | 15 | 4 | 0 | 26 | 6 | .938 | 1.31 |
| Mikko Koskinen | SKA Saint Petersburg | 29 | 1718:12 | 22 | 4 | 1 | 45 | 5 | .937 | 1.57 |
| Ilya Sorokin | CSKA Moscow | 37 | 2182:35 | 25 | 8 | 4 | 58 | 8 | .931 | 1.59 |
| Igor Shestyorkin | SKA Saint Petersburg | 28 | 1592:34 | 20 | 4 | 4 | 45 | 7 | .933 | 1.70 |
| Ryan Zapolski | Jokerit | 39 | 2352:26 | 24 | 11 | 4 | 69 | 9 | .931 | 1.76 |
Source: KHL

## Awards
### Players of the Month

Best KHL players of each month.
| Month | Goaltender | Defence | Forward | Rookie |
| September | Stanislav Galimov (Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod) | Patrik Hersley (SKA Saint Petersburg) | Nigel Dawes (Barys Astana) | Eeli Tolvanen (Jokerit) |
| October | Ryan Zapolski (Jokerit) | Nikita Tryamkin (Avtomobilist Jekaterinburg) | Nigel Dawes (Barys Astana) | Eeli Tolvanen (Jokerit) |
| November | Vasily Koshechkin (Metallurg Magnitogorsk) | Nikita Tryamkin (Avtomobilist Jekaterinburg) | Zach Boychuk (Slovan Bratislava) | Alexander Petunin (Dynamo Moscow) |
| December | Ilya Sorokin (CSKA Moscow) | Oleg Piganovich (Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk) | Alexander Bergström (Sibir Novosibirsk) | Alexander Petunin (Dynamo Moscow) |
| January | Pavel Francouz (Traktor Chelyabinsk) | Philip Larsen (Salavat Yulaev Ufa) | Alexander Khokhlachev (Spartak Moscow) | Rafael Bikmullin (Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk) |
| March | Ilya Sorokin (CSKA Moscow) | Nick Bailen (Traktor Chelyabinsk) | Justin Azevedo (Ak Bars Kazan) | Vitali Kravtsov (Traktor Chelyabinsk) |
| April | Lars Johansson (CSKA Moscow) | Vasili Tokranov (Ak Bars Kazan) | Justin Azevedo (Ak Bars Kazan) | Vitali Kravtsov (Traktor Chelyabinsk) |