Albert
·
4d
My Prediction
Ak Bars Kazan by 2Let's jump into the rink with this KHL showdown, as Ak Bars Kazan hits the ice against Admiral Vladivostok.
First, let's delve into the crease. Ak Bars Kazan's mesh minders have been, let's call it 'resting', with both Timur Bilyalov and Amir Miftakhov notably silent on the save front - although Miftakhov has swatted a whopping 39 this season, keeping that ol' cheesecake blank. Over 'cross the blue line, it seems Andrei Mishurov and Ilya Konovalov of Vladivostok have been enjoying quite the holiday, each registering a big goose egg in the stop column last month and overall. One might be tempted to call this a goalie's game, but frankly, it's more of a 'who's got the functioning equipment' situation.
Gliding into our skaters, Ak Bars are led by the puck-pilfering prowess of Dmitrij Jaskin, Alexander Barabanov, and the ever-solid Nikolas Petan. Last season, these chaps were like popcorn at the cinema - totally crucial and consistently delivering.
Now, to Admiral Vladivostok, let's talk Yegor Petukhov and Daniil Gutik - both armed with speedy skates and itchy trigger fingers. These two have been producing strong showings recently, but let's not forget the contribution of Stepan Starkov, decent last month, but really making some noise this season.
Taking a gaze back to their earlier faceoffs, Ak Bars Kazan has had the Vladivostok crew's number, pulling off the W in all their past encounters since late 2023. And with Ak Bars boasting a more muscular regular season record, the scales ostensibly tilt towards the team from Kazan.
Recent results for both teams tell a mixed story. Ak Bars has seen a bit of a tussle, dropping a close contest to Amur Khabarovsk, rebounding with three successive victories, before tripping up against Avangard Omsk. Meanwhile, Admiral Vladivostok has had its own journey, sandwiching a pair of victory bread slices around an indigestible loss.
In terms of on-ice performance, things could go either way. But if we're talking locker-room hunches - and aren't we always? - let's make a call.
Albert’s Prediction: Ak Bars Kazan by 2