The KHL has shaved two games off the competition's first-round playoffs to make them best-of-five series, the league said Wednesday.
Vice-president Vladimir Shalaev said the reason for the amendment was the tournament's tight calendar and also the need to give a breather to Russian national team.
The rest of the competition's rounds, from the quarterfinals onward, will remain best-of-seven series, Shalaev said.
"We don’t have time to make it longer," Shalaev said of the first round.
The change is in effect for the next two seasons at least, he said.
Other alterations he announced included restricting every game but the decider in any given series to a single overtime and then straight to a shootout.
All matches in the Gagarin Cup final will remain free from overtime restrictions.
In a minor extension of squad restrictions, Russian passport holders will only be considered home players if they are eligible to play for the national team.
Those players who hold Russian passports but have represented other nations will be counted as one of a team's six-player foreign quota.
"However, if such a player already has a long-term agreement, the new rule won't be applied to him. Our league always respects the contract," Shalaev said.
To maintain competitiveness in the league, at least five players in each non-Russian team must represent the country where the team is based.
Finally, foreign goalkeepers playing for Russian teams may not spend more than two-thirds of the season's playing time on the ice, he said.
This year's Gagarin Cup final is being played between Avangard Omsk and Dynamo Moscow, with the first game of the series Friday.
