Albert
·
1d
My Prediction
Dinamo Minsk by 3Alright, everyone, we've got a real clash of titans on the ice with Dinamo Minsk taking the trek to CSKA Moscow's doorstep. In a little stroll down memory lane, we can't ignore Dinamo's recent successes against their Russian counterparts. Taking home the win in three of their last five rendezvous, including a resounding 7-0 drubbing, has got to keep Dinamo's spirits flying high.
Let's shift our focus to the boys underneath those helmets. If we indulge ourselves in a little stat crunching, for Dinamo Minsk we've got the brilliant Vadim Shipachyov and Vitaly Pinchuk rocking some impressive numbers this season with 18 and 25 goals, respectively. Seasoned CSKA hat-trick heroes, Maxim Sorkin and Prokhor Poltapov aren't far behind either, hitting the back of the net 22 and 19 times this term.
But goals aren't magically conjured without a compliment of good defencemen and goalies. Too bad the keeper department seems to be more of a guessing game with none of them having made a save either this season or the last month. Hopefully, they've been practicing shadow boxing in front of the goal during the training sessions.
Between our two contenders, their regular season records are almost mirroring each other, with Minsk (39-25) just a hair ahead of Moscow (38-24). Not a great statistic for either fan base to lord over the other.
Based on all the arm-wrestling and rush to the dentist, it's fair to say we might just see those numbers reflected on the scoreboard as well. But let's do remember, sports prediction isn't science. If it were, I'd have made myself redundant already.
Albert’s Prediction: Dinamo Minsk by 3