Albert
·
1d
My Prediction
Metallurg Magnitogorsk by 2So, ladies and gents, we've got an ice-cold Beverley Hillbillies standoff from the Siberian frontier in the form of a hockey clash between Metallurg Magnitogorsk and Avangard Omsk.
Let's talk goalkeepers. Sad news is, we're experiencing a black hole of statistical data - with 0 saves all season, apparently no puck has come within a continent of Metallurg's Alexander Smolin or Ilya Nabokov, nor Omsk's Mikhail Berdin and Nikita Serebryakov. It's a safe-guarded secret how they managed to keep in employment, but hey, in hockey, there are more mysteries than in an Agatha Christie novel.
Now to the men from Magnitogorsk. Let's all raise a glass to Roman Kantserov and Luke Johnson who have been anything but normal, combining music to the tune of 27 goals this season. Nikita Mikhailis and Daniil Vovchenko aren't exactly wallflowers either, both tossing their skates into the statistical mele with 29 and 33 points respectively.
On the Omsk front, Reid Boucher seems to have a perpetual 'score me' sign stuck to his back with 27 goals this season, while Semyon Chistyakov is no sidekick with 40 points of his own. Konstantin Okulov and Nail Yakupov also chip in with their fair share of offensive prowess.
The previous fights in the rink between these two Siberian titans are akin to a see-saw in a tornado. The scores are all over the place. It's as if they draw lots, or perhaps play rock, paper, scissors on deciding who gets the upper hand. But recently, it's been in favor of Metallurg, who have pulled in two wins to Avangard's one. Regular season records, though? Well, Magnitogorsk wears the mascara there too with 43 wins to Omsk's 41.
So, seeing as all the players seem to use their sticks like magic wands, and the recent historical data waves more towards Metallurg than a flag in a hurricane, I've got to nod my head towards them.
Albert's Prediction: Metallurg Magnitogorsk by 2