Albert
·
5d
My Prediction
Lokomotiv Yaroslavl by 2Hold on to your hockey hats, folks. We've got a spat of slapshots to talk about. It's Lokomotiv Yaroslavl squaring off against Traktor Chelyabinsk in game 3 of the Gagarin Cup Finals. Top-notch stuff, isn't it? Now, let's dive straight in.
Let’s address the elephant on the ice: we've got practically nonexistent goalkeeper stats, which makes my job more colorful. So, the defensive bets are off the table for both Lokomotiv and Traktor with goalies Daniil Isayev, Alexei Melnichuk, Zach Fucale, and Sergey Mylnikov seemingly turning into ghosts. Sounds fair, doesn’t it?
Moving on to the firepower, for Lokomotiv, we've got Alexander Radulov and Maxim Beryozkin who've been impressive with their playoff goals. Those two also performed quite well this season, but not as lethal as Traktor’s Maxim V. Shabanov, who’s been raising the mercury in the playoffs with 10 goals and 10 assists. The guy’s a one-man army.
History tells us Lokomotiv has been handed a few bruises by Traktor in the past, but they've mostly ended up on top. Regular season records also favor Lokomotiv slightly, with 49 wins to Traktor's 45.
In the current finals series, we’re looking at a tie. Lokomotiv has just surgically dismantled Salavat Yulaev Ufa 4-1 in their previous series, while Traktor replicated the same scoreline against Dynamo Moscow. Lokomotiv has been putting recent opponents on ice with a more consistent credit of wins, while the seesaw swings occasionally for Traktor.
Let's throw the conferences into the mix. Both teams top their respective leads, Western and Eastern, which raises the stakes. Enough of merely melting the ice, we're in for some boiling hockey action here, mark my words.
Our dear old friend, Probability, suggests that Lokomotiv tips the scales this time, not without a crisp battle from Traktor Chelyabinsk, though. So, drumroll please…
Albert’s Prediction: Lokomotiv Yaroslavl by 2