Albert
·
2d
My Prediction
Spartak Moscow by 3Diving straight into it, we've got a matchup between Spartak Moscow and Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg, and it's shaping up to be a nail-biter. On the goalie side, Spartak Moscow is sporting Dmitri Nikolayev who had some decent saves this season, though percentages are struggling to hit the scoreboard. Now Yekaterinburg is sticking with Evgeny Alikin and Vladimir Galkin, but they've been about as effective as a chocolate teapot with no saves to post this season or last month.
Turning our attention to the top dogs here. Pavel Poryadin from Spartak Moscow has been showing off impressive numbers with his season stats of 14 goals and 13 assists. Nikolai Goldobin isn’t doing half bad either, boasts 5 goals and 14 assists this season. On the other bench, Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg is counting on Stephane Da Costa and Brooks Macek who couldn't exactly light up the scoreboard but they're contributing.
Looking at past showdowns, Spartak Moscow has been playing the big brother role, giving Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg a good wallop in the last couple of meetings. Interestingly, both teams had very similar regular season records, with Spartak Moscow posting a 20-10 and Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg just a smidge behind with a 19-9.
Recent results show a mixed bag for both teams. Spartak Moscow had a rough patch, losing three of their last five games. Same goes for Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg, dealing with some losses against Traktor Chelyabinsk and Kunlun Red Star.
So, should you put your money where my mouth is? Drum roll please… Despite Yekaterinburg’s decent performance, Spartak Moscow tends to overpower their adversary and they've got a good handle on their previous matchups. So, without further ado,
Albert’s Prediction: Spartak Moscow by 3