# 2018–19 KHL season

The 2018–19 KHL season was the 11th season of the Kontinental Hockey League. The season started on 1 September 2018 and ended on 19 April 2019. Continental Cup winners CSKA Moscow became the first team to win the Gagarin Cup finals in a series sweep, defeating Avangard Omsk in four games to win their first Gagarin Cup, after two previous Finals defeats.

## Season changes

For the 2018–19 season, 25 teams competed in the KHL – down from 27 in 2017–18. The two teams that were excluded from the league were HC Lada Togliatti and HC Yugra, with both teams moving to the Supreme Hockey League. As well as this, Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod were moved from the Western Conference, to the Eastern Conference; as a result, the Western Conference consisted of 12 teams and the Eastern Conference consisted of 13 teams.
The 2018–19 season featured the most games of any KHL season to date, with each team scheduled to play 62 games, up from 56 in 2017–18.

### KHL World Games

This season witnessed the first time that KHL games were played in Austria and Switzerland, as part of the KHL World Games. Slovan Bratislava played in both Austrian games (on 26 and 28 October) at the Albert Schultz Eishalle in Vienna – home to the Vienna Capitals of the Austrian Hockey League – losing 9–0 to CSKA Moscow, and 7–0 to SKA Saint Petersburg. The Swiss games were played at the Hallenstadion in Zürich – home to the ZSC Lions of the Swiss National League – with Dinamo Riga playing in both games (on 26 and 28 November), losing 3–1 to SKA Saint Petersburg, and 5–0 to CSKA Moscow.

## Teams

The 25 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. On 24 April 2018, the KHL announced re-alignment after both Lada Togliatti and Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk left the league.
| Western Conference | Eastern Conference |
| Bobrov Division | Tarasov Division | Kharlamov Division | Chernyshev Division |
| Dinamo Riga | CSKA Moscow | Admiral Vladivostok | Ak Bars Kazan |
| Dynamo Moscow | Dinamo Minsk | Amur Khabarovsk | Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg |
| Jokerit | HC Sochi | Avangard Omsk | Metallurg Magnitogorsk |
| Severstal Cherepovets | Lokomotiv Yaroslavl | Barys Astana | Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk |
| SKA Saint Petersburg | Slovan Bratislava | Kunlun Red Star | Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod |
| Spartak Moscow | Vityaz Podolsk | Salavat Yulaev Ufa | Traktor Chelyabinsk |
| | | Sibir Novosibirsk | |

## League standings

Each team played 62 games, playing each of the other twenty-four teams twice: once on home ice, and once away from home. As well as this, each team played a further two games against each of their divisional rivals, and four games total against non-divisional teams.
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 a shootout. One point was awarded for losing in overtime or a shootout, 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 | 62 | 43 | 10 | 0 | 9 | 191 | 75 | +116 | 106 | Advance to Gagarin Cup Playoffs |
| 2 | SKA Saint Petersburg | 62 | 45 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 209 | 80 | +129 | 103 | Advance to Gagarin Cup Playoffs |
| 3 | Lokomotiv Yaroslavl | 62 | 34 | 6 | 6 | 16 | 159 | 118 | +41 | 86 | Advance to Gagarin Cup Playoffs |
| 4 | Jokerit | 62 | 32 | 5 | 6 | 19 | 197 | 164 | +33 | 80 | Advance to Gagarin Cup Playoffs |
| 5 | Dynamo Moscow | 62 | 27 | 6 | 6 | 23 | 153 | 139 | +14 | 72 | Advance to Gagarin Cup Playoffs |
| 6 | HC Sochi | 62 | 19 | 9 | 10 | 24 | 145 | 155 | −10 | 66 | Advance to Gagarin Cup Playoffs |
| 7 | Spartak Moscow | 62 | 21 | 7 | 8 | 26 | 156 | 158 | −2 | 64 | Advance to Gagarin Cup Playoffs |
| 8 | Vityaz Podolsk | 62 | 23 | 5 | 7 | 27 | 134 | 169 | −35 | 63 | Advance to Gagarin Cup Playoffs |
| 9 | Dinamo Riga | 62 | 18 | 8 | 10 | 26 | 129 | 155 | −26 | 62 | |
| 10 | Severstal Cherepovets | 62 | 14 | 9 | 5 | 34 | 124 | 178 | −54 | 51 | |
| 11 | Dinamo Minsk | 62 | 15 | 2 | 8 | 37 | 119 | 180 | −61 | 42 | |
| 12 | Slovan Bratislava | 62 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 44 | 101 | 213 | −112 | 33 | |
* ↑ 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 | Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg | 62 | 39 | 8 | 1 | 14 | 191 | 125 | +66 | 95 | Advance to Gagarin Cup Playoffs |
| 2 | Barys Astana | 62 | 28 | 10 | 10 | 14 | 190 | 149 | +41 | 86 | Advance to Gagarin Cup Playoffs |
| 3 | Metallurg Magnitogorsk | 62 | 35 | 6 | 2 | 19 | 182 | 132 | +50 | 84 | Advance to Gagarin Cup Playoffs |
| 4 | Avangard Omsk | 62 | 29 | 10 | 5 | 18 | 177 | 133 | +44 | 83 | Advance to Gagarin Cup Playoffs |
| 5 | Ak Bars Kazan | 62 | 34 | 4 | 6 | 18 | 165 | 139 | +26 | 82 | Advance to Gagarin Cup Playoffs |
| 6 | Salavat Yulaev Ufa | 62 | 24 | 7 | 10 | 21 | 158 | 140 | +18 | 72 | Advance to Gagarin Cup Playoffs |
| 7 | Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod | 62 | 20 | 7 | 10 | 25 | 176 | 193 | −17 | 64 | Advance to Gagarin Cup Playoffs |
| 8 | Traktor Chelyabinsk | 62 | 18 | 9 | 4 | 31 | 102 | 151 | −49 | 58 | Advance to Gagarin Cup Playoffs |
| 9 | Sibir Novosibirsk | 62 | 19 | 5 | 6 | 32 | 148 | 192 | −44 | 54 | |
| 10 | Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk | 62 | 15 | 8 | 6 | 33 | 130 | 164 | −34 | 52 | |
| 11 | Kunlun Red Star | 62 | 19 | 1 | 11 | 31 | 142 | 190 | −48 | 51 | |
| 12 | Admiral Vladivostok | 62 | 18 | 5 | 5 | 34 | 139 | 176 | −37 | 51 | |
| 13 | Amur Khabarovsk | 62 | 17 | 3 | 9 | 33 | 126 | 175 | −49 | 49 | |
* ↑ Teams leading a division hold one of the first two places of their 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 | Avtomobilist | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 8 | Traktor | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 8 | Traktor | 0 | | | 1 | Avtomobilist | 1 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | 6 | Salavat Yulaev | 4 | | | | | | | |
| 2 | Barys | 4 | | | 6 | Salavat Yulaev | 4 | | | | | | | |
| 7 | Torpedo | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 7 | Torpedo | 3 | | | | | | 6 | Salavat Yulaev | 2 | | | | |
| Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | 6 | Salavat Yulaev | 2 | | | | |
| Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | 4 | Avangard | 4 | | | | |
| 3 | Metallurg | 2 | | | | | | | | | 4 | Avangard | 4 | | | | |
| 6 | Salavat Yulaev | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 6 | Salavat Yulaev | 4 | | | 2 | Barys | 1 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | 4 | Avangard | 4 | | | | | | | |
| 4 | Avangard | 4 | | | 4 | Avangard | 4 | | | | | | | |
| 5 | Ak Bars | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 5 | Ak Bars | 0 | | | | | | | | | | E4 | Avangard | 0 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | W1 | CSKA | 4 |
| 1 | CSKA | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | | | W1 | CSKA | 4 |
| 8 | Vityaz | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 8 | Vityaz | 0 | | | 1 | CSKA | 4 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | 5 | Dynamo | 1 | | | | | | | |
| 2 | SKA | 4 | | | 5 | Dynamo | 1 | | | | | | | |
| 7 | Spartak | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 7 | Spartak | 2 | | | | | | 1 | CSKA | 4 | | | | |
| Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | 1 | CSKA | 4 | | | | |
| Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | 2 | SKA | 3 | | | | |
| 3 | Lokomotiv | 4 | | | | | | | | | 2 | SKA | 3 | | | | |
| 6 | Sochi | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 6 | Sochi | 2 | | | 2 | SKA | 4 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | 3 | Lokomotiv | 1 | | | | | | | |
| 4 | Jokerit | 2 | | | 3 | Lokomotiv | 1 | | | | | | | |
| 5 | Dynamo | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | | |

## Final standings

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

## Player statistics
### Scoring leaders

The following players led the league in points, at the conclusion of the regular season. 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 |
| Nikita Gusev | SKA Saint Petersburg | 62 | 17 | 65 | 82 | +39 | 10 |
| Nigel Dawes | Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg | 60 | 28 | 41 | 69 | +20 | 12 |
| Vadim Shipachyov | Dynamo Moscow | 61 | 20 | 48 | 68 | +22 | 30 |
| Dmitri Kagarlitsky | Dynamo Moscow | 61 | 24 | 37 | 61 | +22 | 40 |
| Brian O'Neill | Jokerit | 62 | 13 | 45 | 58 | +7 | 30 |
| Sergei Mozyakin | Metallurg Magnitogorsk | 61 | 23 | 32 | 55 | +14 | 10 |
| Matt Ellison | Metallurg Magnitogorsk | 62 | 20 | 35 | 55 | +12 | 34 |
| Dan Sexton | Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg | 61 | 25 | 28 | 53 | +22 | 6 |
| Darren Dietz | Barys Astana | 62 | 15 | 38 | 53 | +30 | 59 |
| Mikhail Grigorenko | CSKA Moscow | 55 | 17 | 35 | 52 | +33 | 10 |

### Leading goaltenders

The following goaltenders led the league in goals against average, at the conclusion of the regular season.
| Player | Team | GP | TOI | W | L | GA | SO | SV% | GAA |
| Igor Shestyorkin | SKA Saint Petersburg | 28 | 1680:51 | 24 | 4 | 31 | 10 | 95.27% | 1.11 |
| Lars Johansson | CSKA Moscow | 24 | 1406:51 | 20 | 3 | 27 | 9 | 94.50% | 1.15 |
| Ilya Sorokin | CSKA Moscow | 40 | 2327:53 | 28 | 6 | 45 | 11 | 94.04% | 1.16 |
| Magnus Hellberg | SKA Saint Petersburg | 34 | 2048:13 | 24 | 7 | 45 | 8 | 93.98% | 1.32 |
| Jakub Kovář | Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg | 50 | 2958:08 | 38 | 9 | 88 | 8 | 93.90% | 1.78 |
| Ilya Konovalov | Lokomotiv Yaroslavl | 45 | 2416:58 | 25 | 15 | 76 | 10 | 92.96% | 1.89 |
| Ivan Bocharov | Dynamo Moscow | 38 | 2113:41 | 19 | 16 | 68 | 3 | 93.27% | 1.93 |
| Artyom Zagidulin | Metallurg Magnitogorsk | 25 | 1102:49 | 12 | 7 | 36 | 4 | 92.44% | 1.96 |
| Igor Bobkov | Avangard Omsk | 49 | 2682:16 | 25 | 17 | 89 | 8 | 91.44% | 1.99 |
| Juha Metsola | Salavat Yulaev Ufa | 48 | 2761:22 | 25 | 20 | 93 | 4 | 93.44% | 2.02 |

## Awards
### Season awards

The KHL's end-of-season awards ceremony was held on 28 May 2019 in Barvikha.
| Award | Recipient(s) | Team |
| Best Sniper Award (most goals) | Kirill Kaprizov | CSKA Moscow |
| Coach of the Year | Igor Nikitin | CSKA Moscow |
| General Manager of the Year | Igor Yesmantovich | CSKA Moscow |
| Gimayev Prize (for loyalty to hockey) | Alexander Popov | CSKA Moscow |
| Golden Helmet | Juha Metsola | Salavat Yulaev Ufa |
| Golden Helmet | Darren Dietz | Barys Astana |
| Golden Helmet | Nikita Nesterov | CSKA Moscow |
| Golden Helmet | Mikhail Grigorenko | CSKA Moscow |
| Golden Helmet | Teemu Hartikainen | Salavat Yulaev Ufa |
| Golden Helmet | Ilya Mikheyev | Avangard Omsk |
| Playoffs Most Valuable Player | Ilya Sorokin | CSKA Moscow |
| Rookie of the Year | Ilya Konovalov | Lokomotiv Yaroslavl |
| Top Scorer Award (most points) | Nikita Gusev | SKA Saint Petersburg |
| Continental Cup | CSKA Moscow | CSKA Moscow |
| Eastern Conference winner | Avangard Omsk | Avangard Omsk |
| Vsevolod Bobrov Prize (most team goals) | SKA Saint Petersburg | SKA Saint Petersburg |
| Western Conference winner | CSKA Moscow | CSKA Moscow |

### Players of the Month

Best KHL players of each month.
| Month | Goaltender | Defence | Forward | Rookie |
| September | Jakub Kovář (Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg) | Darren Dietz (Barys Astana) | Anatoly Golyshev (Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg) | Nikita Mikhailov (Sibir Novosibirsk) |
| October | Juha Metsola (Salavat Yulaev Ufa) | Paul Postma (Ak Bars Kazan) | Nigel Dawes (Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg) | Ilya Konovalov (Lokomotiv Yaroslavl) |
| November | Ilya Sorokin (CSKA Moscow) | Darren Dietz (Barys Astana) | Nigel Dawes (Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg) | Nikita Mikhailov (Sibir Novosibirsk) |
| December | Henrik Karlsson (Barys Astana) | Vojtěch Mozík (Vityaz) | Vadim Shipachyov (Dynamo Moscow) | Kristian Vesalainen (Jokerit) |
| January | Ilya Konovalov (Lokomotiv Yaroslavl) | Viktor Svedberg (Barys Astana) | Nikita Gusev (SKA Saint Petersburg) | Mārtiņš Dzierkals (Dinamo Riga) |
| February | Anton Krasotkin (Admiral Vladivostok) | Staffan Kronwall (Lokomotiv Yaroslavl) | André Petersson (Barys Astana) | Ilya Konovalov (Lokomotiv Yaroslavl) |
| March | Ilya Sorokin (CSKA Moscow) | Mat Robinson (CSKA Moscow) | Nikita Gusev (SKA Saint Petersburg) | Daniil Misyul (Lokomotiv Yaroslavl) |
| April | Juha Metsola (Salavat Yulaev Ufa) | Mat Robinson (CSKA Moscow) | Mikhail Grigorenko (CSKA Moscow) | Not awarded |