2023–24 KHL season

The2023–24 KHL seasonwas the 16th season of theKontinental Hockey League.There were 23 teams that competed in 68 regular season games, with a record-breaking 165 playing days, having begun on 1 September 2023 and ended on 26 February 2024.

2023–24 KHL season
League	Kontinental Hockey League
Sport	Ice hockey
Duration	1 September 2023 – 26 February 2024 (regular season)
Number of games	68
Number of teams	23
TV partner(s)	Match TV KHL-TV
Regular season
Continental Cup winner	HC Dynamo Moscow
Season MVP	Nikita Gusev(HC Dynamo Moscow) (89 points)
Playoffs
Playoffs MVP	Ilya Nabokov
Finals champions	Metallurg Magnitogorsk
Runners-up	Lokomotiv Yaroslavl

In the Finals,Metallurg Magnitogorskcompleted theseries sweepagainstLokomotiv Yaroslavlto win their third Gagarin Cup trophy.

Season changes

For the 2023–24 season, the competition welcomed the return ofLada Togliatti,marking their third stint in the KHL having last played in the league in 2018.

The regular season was expanded to feature 782 games scheduled for a record-breaking 165 gamedays, with each club to play 68 regular season engagements. The regular season had just one break, from 8–18 December 2023 in which the 2023 All-Star Week took place.For the first time the league changed the playoff format for theGagarin Cupplayoffs by introducing a cross playoff system in which teams participated in the Conference Quarterfinals before a cross conference switch and re-seeding took place from the second round.

Teams

The 23 teams are split into four divisions: theBobrov Divisionand theTarasov Divisionas part of theWestern Conference,with theKharlamov Divisionand theChernyshev Divisionas part of theEastern Conference.

Lada Togliatti was assigned to play in the Kharlamov Division in the Eastern Conference with every other participant remaining in their previous season allotment.

Western Conference		Eastern Conference
Bobrov Division	Tarasov Division	Kharlamov Division	Chernyshev Division
SKA Saint Petersburg	CSKA Moscow	Ak Bars Kazan	Admiral Vladivostok
HC Sochi	Dinamo Minsk	Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg	Amur Khabarovsk
Spartak Moscow	Dynamo Moscow	Lada Togliatti	Avangard Omsk
Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod	Kunlun Red Star	Metallurg Magnitogorsk	Barys Astana
Vityaz Podolsk	Lokomotiv Yaroslavl	Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk	Salavat Yulaev Ufa
	Severstal Cherepovets	Traktor Chelyabinsk	Sibir Novosibirsk

Each team plays 68 games: in the Western Conference team play every other team home-and-away (44 games), plus an additional 20 intra-conference games (10 home and 10 away games). The remaining 4 games were slated against opposition selected with a view to increasing the number of high-profile match-ups (2 home, 2 on the road). In the Eastern Conference team play every other team home-and-away (44 games), plus an additional 22 intra-conference games (11 home and 11 away games). The remaining 2 games were slated against opposition selected with a view to increasing the number of high-profile match-ups (1 home, 1 on the road).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 game-winning shots. One point was awarded for losing in overtime or game-winning shots, and zero points for losing in regulation time.

Opening Cup

The 2023-24 KHL season started on 1 September 2023 with the Opening cup. The 2023–24 Opening Cup was contested between CSKA Moscow the2022-23Gagarin Cup Champions and Ak Bars Kazan the 2022-23 Gagarin Cup runner up.

1 September 2023(2023-09-01)

CSKA Moscow	2–5	Ak Bars Kazan

CSKA Arena, Moscow

Standings

Western Conference

Pos	Team	Pld	W	OTW	OTL	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Dynamo Moscow(Z, T)	68	31	15	6	16	215	160	+55	98	Conference winner and Home advantage in Conference Quarterfinals ofGagarin Cup Playoffs
2	SKA Saint Petersburg(B)	68	40	6	3	19	220	139	+81	95	Home advantage in Conference Quarterfinals ofGagarin Cup Playoffs
3	Lokomotiv Yaroslavl	68	34	10	5	19	174	139	+35	93
4	Spartak Moscow	68	36	4	8	20	233	189	+44	88
5	Severstal Cherepovets	68	30	6	8	24	203	185	+18	80	Advance toGagarin Cup Playoffs
6	CSKA Moscow	68	30	4	8	26	193	166	+27	76
7	Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod	68	27	7	7	27	189	180	+9	75
8	Dinamo Minsk	68	26	6	5	31	180	178	+2	69
9	Kunlun Red Star	68	15	10	6	37	159	222	−63	56
10	HC Sochi	68	19	4	7	38	168	254	−86	53
11	Vityaz Podolsk	68	14	6	8	40	133	224	−91	48

Source:KHL
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) games won in regulation time; 3) games won in overtime; 4) games won in shootouts; 5) goal difference; 6) number of goals scored; 7) drawing of lots.
(B)Won Bobrov Division;(T)Won Tarasov Division;(Z)Won Continental Cup

Eastern Conference

Pos	Team	Pld	W	OTW	OTL	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Metallurg Magnitogorsk(C, Y, K)	68	35	9	7	17	212	167	+45	95	Conference winner and Home advantage in Conference Quarterfinals ofGagarin Cup Playoffs
2	Avangard Omsk(H)	68	31	12	6	19	211	181	+30	92	Home advantage in Conference Quarterfinals ofGagarin Cup Playoffs
3	Salavat Yulaev Ufa	68	36	6	6	20	196	143	+53	90
4	Ak Bars Kazan(O)	68	33	8	2	25	175	140	+35	84
5	Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg	68	26	11	8	23	163	157	+6	82	Advance toGagarin Cup Playoffs
6	Traktor Chelyabinsk	68	27	10	6	25	182	167	+15	80
7	Lada Togliatti	68	24	8	14	22	165	170	−5	78
8	Amur Khabarovsk	68	23	6	13	26	159	178	−19	71
9	Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk	68	20	7	15	26	158	200	−42	69
10	Sibir Novosibirsk	68	20	8	11	29	148	180	−32	67
11	Admiral Vladivostok	68	14	7	12	35	148	197	−49	54
12	Barys Astana	68	12	9	8	39	137	205	−68	50

Source:KHL
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) games won in regulation time; 3) games won in overtime; 4) games won in shootouts; 5) goal difference; 6) number of goals scored; 7) drawing of lots.
(C)2023-24 Gagarin Cup Champions;(H)Won Chernyshev Division;(K)Won Kharlamov Division;(O)Won Opening Cup;(Y)Won Conference

Continental Cup

Pos	Team	Pld	W	OTW	OTL	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Dynamo Moscow(Z)	68	31	15	6	16	215	160	+55	98	Continental Cup winner and first overall seed inGagarin Cup Playoffs
2	SKA Saint Petersburg	68	40	6	3	19	220	139	+81	95
3	Metallurg Magnitogorsk(C)	68	35	9	7	17	212	167	+45	95	2023-24Gagarin Cup Champions
4	Lokomotiv Yaroslavl	68	34	10	5	19	174	139	+35	93
5	Avangard Omsk	68	31	12	6	19	211	181	+30	92
6	Salavat Yulaev Ufa	68	36	6	6	20	196	143	+53	90
7	Spartak Moscow	68	36	4	8	20	233	189	+44	88
8	Ak Bars Kazan(O)	68	33	8	2	25	175	140	+35	84	2023-24Opening Cupwinner
9	Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg	68	26	11	8	23	163	157	+6	82
10	Severstal Cherepovets	68	30	6	8	24	203	185	+18	80
11	Traktor Chelyabinsk	68	27	10	6	25	182	167	+15	80
12	Lada Togliatti	68	24	8	14	22	165	170	−5	78
13	CSKA Moscow	68	30	4	8	26	193	166	+27	76
14	Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod	68	27	7	7	27	189	180	+9	75
15	Amur Khabarovsk	68	23	6	13	26	159	178	−19	71
16	Dinamo Minsk	68	26	6	5	31	180	178	+2	69
17	Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk	68	20	7	15	26	158	200	−42	69
18	Sibir Novosibirsk	68	20	8	11	29	148	180	−32	67
19	Kunlun Red Star	68	15	10	6	37	159	222	−63	56
20	Admiral Vladivostok	68	14	7	12	35	148	197	−49	54
21	HC Sochi	68	19	4	7	38	168	254	−86	53
22	Barys Astana	68	12	9	8	39	137	205	−68	50
23	Vityaz Podolsk	68	14	6	8	40	133	224	−91	48

Source:KHL
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) games won in regulation time; 3) games won in overtime; 4) games won in shootouts; 5) goal difference; 6) number of goals scored; 7) drawing of lots.
(C)2023-24 Gagarin Cup Champions;(O)Won Opening Cup;(Z)Won Continental Cup

Gagarin Cup playoffs

The Gagarin Cup playoffs started on 29 February 2024. Metallurg Magnitogorsk won the Gagarin Cup on 4 April 2024 by sweeping the finals series.

Bracket

Conference Quarterfinals

Round 2

Semifinals

Gagarin Cup Finals

E1

Metallurg Mg

4

E8

Amur

2

E1

Metallurg Mg

4

W4

Spartak

2

E2

Avangard

4

E7

Lada

1

E1

Metallurg Mg

4

E5

Avtomobilist

3

E3

Salavat Yulaev

2

E6

Traktor

4

W2

SKA

1

E5

Avtomobilist

4

E4

Ak Bars

1

E5

Avtomobilist

4

E1

Metallurg Mg

4

W3

Lokomotiv

0

W1

Dynamo Msk

4

W8

Dinamo Mn

2

W1

Dynamo Msk

0

E6

Traktor

4

W2

SKA

4

W7

Torpedo

1

W3

Lokomotiv

4

E6

Traktor

0

W3

Lokomotiv

4

W6

CSKA

1

E2

Avangard

3

W3

Lokomotiv

4

W4

Spartak

4

W5

Severstal

1

• After the Conference Quarterfinals a conference cross-over and re-seeding commenced
• During the Gagarin Cup Finals the team that finished with higher seed in their conference had home ice (if both teams finished with the same seed the team that earned most points during the regular season had home ice)
• source: KHL

External links

• Official website