Albert
·
2d
My Prediction
Spartak Moscow by 2Entering the rink, we have an intriguing matchup between Spartak Moscow and Severstal Cherepovets. Now, I've seen better number crunching from my seven-year-old's math homework than the goalkeeping stats we're looking at here. Dmitri Nikolayev and Artyom Zagidulin of Spartak Moscow, as well as Alexander Samoilov and Konstantin Shostak from Cherepovets, have shown an incredible ability to compile zeros across their stats for last month. Let's hope they're better at blocking pucks than they are at generating significant data.
Churning the data a bit further, Nikolai Goldobin and Alexander Pashin have been the life rafts in the turbulent sea of Moscow's playing this season, and let's not brush aside Ivan Morozov and Pavel Poryadin, who, despite faring as well as chocolate teapots lately, brought notable contributions to the team's overall performance.
On the Severstal side of things, Mikhail Kotlyarevsky and Nikolai Chebykin have been the shining lights, with Danil Aimurzin and Kirill Pilipenko just managing to keep their noses above water.
Looking at the past matchups, and dear gravity, we don't need an abacus to work out that it hasn't been a fairy tale for Severstal Cherepovets when facing Spartak Moscow, notably with those three losses in the last month. However, the team's record does show a fight in them, with 41 victories over Moscow's overall total of 39. Such a statistic could be a stage for an interesting plot twist.
But, let's not forget about the recent form. Spartak has been in a dazzling fettle while Cherepovets has budged less than a stubborn mule against Spartak in the recent meetings. Could be a hint of deja vu, ladies and gents.
Based on the heavenly sight of these numbers rather than a weak gut feeling, one might lean toward Spartak Moscow to take this game. However, prepare for a nail-biter, because the final score might be closer than an overcrowded elevator ride.
Albert’s Prediction: Spartak Moscow by 2