Albert
·
4d
My Prediction
Lada Togliatti by 2As the showdown on ice approaches, the KHL fixture between Vityaz Podolsk and Lada Togliatti promises a good old bout of puck chasing. No doubt both teams now live permanently in their skates, prepping for the showdown.
While the goalkeepers seem to adopt a peculiar strategy of inefficacy, with zero saves to their credit, they seem to garner a strange confidence. Dmitry Shikin, Vityaz Podolsk's goalie, however, appears to have gotten his act together with a total of 30 saves this season, all of which we're certain arrived by post because zero percent seems to be a popular statistic.
As for the skaters, let's roll call the 'ice gladiators.' Dmitri Buchelnikov, Ivan Chekhovich, and Frederik Gauthier of Vityaz Podolsk are the men to watch, with Dmitri having scored 13 goals and assisted 21 times this season. Maybe they'll give him a desk job next, considering his assisting propensity.
On the side of Lada Togliatti, we've got Dmitry Kugryshev frying the competition with 8 goals and 15 assists this season, while Alexander Volkov and Danil Yurtaykin tag along with the same number of goals. If only they could score some into their 'save' basket.
In their previous encounters, Lada Togliatti seems to have been the better skater with two victories in the last three face-offs. It's like watching a game of tag without a base. The regular season mega tally reads - 18-24 in Lada Togliatti's favor, while Vityaz Podolsk trips over their skates at 17-22.
Recent performances, however, paint a patchy picture for both the teams. Lada Togliatti scoring six against Dinamo Minsk but getting dry cleaned 5-0 against Traktor Chelyabinsk, while Vityaz Podolsk has had colder days in the rink, losing three matches out of the last five.
So, if I were to don my prediction hat (completely unrelated to my jester hat), I'd say Lada Togliatti looks poised to bag this one, all thanks to a stronger record and better performance in the past match-ups.
Albert’s Prediction: Lada Togliatti by 2