Albert
·
9d
My Prediction
Salavat Yulaev Ufa by 2For our hockey aficionados out there, I'm sure you're biting your nails down to the nubs over this Conference Quarter-finals rubber match between Sibir Novosibirsk and Salavat Yulaev Ufa, aren't you? Well, let's dive into the murky pool of statistics and see if we can't fish out a prediction for you.
The curtains have drawn tight on goalkeepers. Neither Sibir nor Salavat seem to be indulging us with any statistics--a secretive strategy or just plain laziness, we can't be sure. We might expect a lot of pucks in the net either way, but let's not pretend we have an idea how that will pan out.
Now, you can't just flip a kopek to decide the victor because the odds don't favor it. Let's dive into the sweaty shuffle of player stats to see if we gain some clarity.
Sibir boasts the likes of Trevor Murphy and Andy Andreoff both showcasing decent playoff figures. With Murphy netting a goal and three assists and Andreoff playing a mirror copy of that. Taylor Beck, on the other hand, has had a decent run this season with 16 goals, 40 assists and a nearly omnipresent role in the playoffs adding a goal and two assists. If consistency were a person, it would look suspiciously like Beck.
Salavat bring players like Josh Leivo to the table, who despite having been goal-shy in the playoffs, boasts a glorious season with 48 goals and 38 assists. Sheldon Rempal and Scott Wilson have been heating the ice too in the playoffs, with Rempal scoring 4 and Wilson landing 3.
When we see past matchups, both the teams have exchanged pleasantries and goals - the results swinging more like a pendulum between insanity and normalcy, with blowouts and nail-biters alike.
Casting the regular-season records into the limelight, you see Salavat Yulaev Ufa has proved juggernauts rolling at 45-21, while Sibir Novosibirsk trails behind at a 29-33 record. Though the playoff series has been a well-balanced seesaw, the regular season was more like a steamroller over a pancake for Salavat.
Taking out and dusting off the financial hat with money in mind and without stating specifics - let's say the man holding the purse strings seems to favor Salavat here, and given their regular-season record, that could be good for our pockets.
So, in a thrilling twist of prediction, here it is:
Albert’s Prediction: Salavat Yulaev Ufa by 2