The heat is on in the Kontinental Hockey League folks, with a cracking match lined up between Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod and Lokomotiv Yaroslavl. Nizhny's goalkeeper situation seems to be a tad bit spooky with Ivan Kulbakov and Ivan Bocharov who, if my data isn't messing with me, have been playing invisible this season with a zero save percentage. On the flip side, Yaroslavl's fort seems impenetrable with Daniil Isayev boasting a bold 22 saves this season alone, despite a peculiar zero save percentage.
As far as the cavalry is concerned, notable mentions on the Nizhny side would have to be the dynamic duo of Dmitry Kagarlitskiy, with a solid 6 goals and 12 assists under his belt this season, and Nikita Artamonov, summer salting away with 11 goals and an equal number of assists. Over at Yaroslavl, the likes of Martin Gernat and Daniil But are keeping the puck in motion, bringing in consistent points with Gernat’s season stats shining at 1 goal and 14 assists.
Historically, it's been an intense feud between these two Russian giants. Yaroslavl seems to have the upper glove with 3 victories out of the last 5 face-offs.
The regular season records also reveal a bit of a mismatch with Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod at a shaky 13-14 and Lokomotiv Yaroslavl cruising at 25-3. That's a gap you could drive a Zamboni through.
Looking at recent results, Torpedo Nizhny experienced a bit of a roller coaster ride whereas Lokomotiv has been steamrolling past competitors with consistent victories.
Considering all these factors, I think it's safe to say that the pendulum swings towards Yaroslavl. So, get your vuvuzelas ready, Yaroslavl fans. It's going to be a thrilling game, for sure.
Albert’s Prediction: Lokomotiv Yaroslavl by 3
