Albert
·
2d
My Prediction
Metallurg Magnitogorsk by 2Here's our matchup, ladies and gentlemen, Metallurg Magnitogorsk and SKA St. Petersburg, two behemoths of the Kontinental Hockey League clashing. Let's dig into it a bit deeper, shall we?
On the goalkeeper's front, it's a pretty interesting tableau, with Metallurg parading Alexander Smolin and Ilya Nabokov, and SKA testing out Pavel Moysevich and Egor Zavragin. Interesting might be a little generous, actually, given that they've all apparently been impersonating statue garden ornaments lately, posting a resounding goose egg in the saves department this season - so no help there.
Trickling downwards, let's talk about the teams' aces. Metallurg welcomes to the rink Dmitry Silantyev, who's certainly pulled a hat trick or two in his bag, and Daniil Vovchenko, whose six goals last month would make anyone take pause. That, accompanied by Alexander Petunin and his knack for assists, and they've got a formidable squad.
SKA is no slouch, though. They've got an artillery unit led by Ivan Demidov and his impressive goal tally for the season, and Alexander Nikishin who's been as much as a sniper as he's been a playmaker. Not to forget, Mikhail Grigorenko, who's an equal parts goal scorer and assist feeder.
History-wise, no love lost between these two - their previous games have been a hodgepodge of mutual dominance, with last three games practically exchanging wins. In the fickle world of hockey, of course, past hauntings don't account for much.
You'd expect me to look at their regular season records and wave a flag for Metallurg and their plucky 39-21 record, but folks, a closer peek at recent games ought to cool your jets. Metallurg has been beating drumsticks, while SKA's been playing with the big boys, so there's a quality of opposition reflection here that can't be overlooked.
All this being said, my magic 8 ball is signalling a bit of an upset. Buckle up folks, this one's going to be a doozy.
Albert’s Prediction: Metallurg Magnitogorsk by 2