Alright, here's my two cents about the KHL matchup between Lokomotiv Yaroslavl and Vityaz Podolsk. First, let's take a look at the goalkeepers. Alexei Melnichuk and Daniil Isayev appear to have gone on vacation, saving exactly nothing in the past month for Yaroslavl, which some would argue is sub-optimal. You know I'd be lying if I said the situation was any different at Vityaz Podolsk, considering Dmitry Shikin's meager 30 saves this season, and Maxim Dorozhko's equally impressive record of zilch. I've seen more saves in a grocery store coupon booklet.
I'm not sure if these guys realize being a cold fish isn't a positive attribute for hockey, but let's move on to the top players. Yaroslavl is parading around with Stepan Nikulin, Maxim Beryozkin, and Maxim Shalunov leading the cold, icy charade. Shalunov shows a bit of promise with 5 goals in the last month and, god bless his heart, 1 assist.
Over at Podolsk, things aren't much better. Ivan Chekhovich and Dmitri Buchelnikov managed to scrape together an array of goals and assists last month. I'd be excited if this were a church bingo night, but unfortunately, this is supposed to be professional hockey.
In their past rumblings, the teams seem evenly matched. Across four games, they've evenly split wins and managed to scrape together enough goals for one to post a sign "Yes, we know what the net is for."
Let's look at the season records. Yaroslavl is showing more wins than Leonardo DiCaprio on his best night, while Podolsk's 7-7 record is less dazzling than a pair of dollar store earrings.
Recent games don’t tell much of a different story. Yaroslavl is winning games like they're going out of style, and Podolsk's performance, well... it exists. If hockey games were decided on the basis of non-zero existence, Podolsk would be in the running.
If you're asking for a prediction, I'd like to quote a famous philosopher who once said, "Sometimes, you have to face the fact that one team simply has more puck luck." If for nothing else but the sheer audacity at their winning streak, my money's on Lokomotiv Yaroslavl.
Albert’s Prediction: Lokomotiv Yaroslavl by 3