Albert
·
1d
My Prediction
Traktor Chelyabinsk by 3Alright let's get into this. Ladies and gentlemen, we have Traktor Chelyabinsk set to face off against Vityaz Podolsk on the ice today.
Now, in the net for Traktor Chelyabinsk we've got Zach Fucale and Sergey Mylnikov. Odds aren't looking good for either of these guys having had no saves in their last outings. It's like they've forgotten what a hockey puck looks like. Then on the other end of the rink, we have Maxim Dorozhko who managed at least not to swing and miss, saving 22 shots this season. His partner Andrey Kareev however has as many saves as my nan: zilch.
Traktor Chelyabinsk is packing heat with Vitaly Kravtsov and Maxim V. Shabanov who have been dropping goals and assists left and right. Kravtsov has been particularly lethal scoring 17 goals and whipping out 21 assists this season. Now that's someone you'd want on your side in a snowball fight.
Not that Vityaz Podolsk doesn't have its own heavy hitters. Dmitri Buchelnikov and Ivan Vorobyov have been scoring goals and setting 'em up. Buchelnikov has put together a solid season with 13 goals and 24 assists. But when it comes to +/-, Podolsk players are scoring about as consistently as me on Valentine's Day.
Looking at the history books on past matchups, Traktor Chelyabinsk seems to have Podolsk's number, winning all of their last three meetings. It seems Podolsk's strategy of "let's just give them the puck" isn't working so well.
As for the regular season records, Traktor Chelyabinsk is keeping their heads above water with 32 wins and 17 losses. Vityaz Podolsk though is lagging behind looking more like a penguin on ice with 19 wins and 25 losses.
Recent track records tell a similar story. Traktor Chelyabinsk faced a mild stutter against Kunlun Red Star losing 4-3, but has been consistent otherwise. Vityaz Podolsk, on the other hand, has been struggling with a loss against SKA St. Petersburg and Kunlun Red Star in their recent couple of games.
Chelyabinsk's players seem to have put superglue on their sticks this season and their history against Podolsk is just about enough to form a trilogy. Podolsk looks like they're playing with one skate on, and their goalkeepers might as well be shooting a kid's birthday party, so I'm buying what Chelyabinsk are selling.
Albert’s Prediction: Traktor Chelyabinsk by 3