Oh, the thrill of Kontinental Hockey League action as HC Sochi pays Barys Astana a visit. Now, before we get lost in the details, let's take a look at the goalkeepers.
The HC Sochi side has Sergei Ivanov and Zavragin Yegor between the pipes. Unfortunately, they've been more of a colander than a dam this season, without a single save between them. Same story on the Barys Astana side, with both Nikita Boyarkin and Johan Mattsson dutifully modeling zero save percentage sweaters. No netminder's paradise, this league!
But let's move north of the blue line and take a look at some skaters making a name for themselves. Sochi's Timur Khafizov is having a bit of a hot streak with 5 goals on the season. Daniil Seroukh has been the playmaker here, having set up 6 goals, but he's been as allergic to shooting the puck into the net as I am to gym membership renewal calls. On the Astana side, Michael McLeod and Alikhan Omirbekov are standout performers, although they've put up numbers that wouldn't make a calculator sweat.
In their past head-to-head, Barys Astana had the last laugh both times. HC Sochi, on the other hand, have had a bumpy regular season ride with a 2-5 record, but they'd probably call that 'character building.' Astana boasts a record of 1-6, which would give even the most optimistic fan pause.
Taking into account recent results, HC Sochi seems to be in a score-allowance competition while Barys Astana has also been generous in net. Seeing the puck fly into their nets seems to be a common hobby for both teams.
Considering the odds and ends of the upcoming match, and taking into account as many variables as a high school math exam, I find myself leaning - ever so slightly - towards Barys Astana.
Albert's Prediction: Barys Astana by 1