Metallurg Novokuznetsk vs. Bars: VHL match forecast

Current form

Metallurg is having a great season this year and despite the fact that the club did not make it to the playoffs in the previous championship, it is considered one of the contenders for the Petrov Cup. The last match against Neftyanik was productive. The Novokuznetsk club lost 1:2 in the first period, but scored two goals in the second 20 minutes, and in the third half the team strengthened its advantage and brought the match to victory - 4:2 in total. The game before, Metallurg emerged victorious in the confrontation with Chelny (2:1). The coaching staff headed by Andrey Lunev was pleased with the recent results of their charges, who have won seven victories in a row, and before today game they motivated them for another success. At this stage, the club from Novokuznetsk has 52 points, sixth place in the tournament table and is six points behind the first Dynamo from St. Petersburg, but has played one match less.

Interesting trends for betting

• Metallurg has outplayed its opponent from Kazan in its last three games
• The team has suffered only one defeat in its last 10 games.

Current form

The Kazan club can count the last game period as a success. The team seems to be showing meaningful hockey, fighting at the proper level, but alternates victories with defeats. In the last five matches, the team has won three victories, two of which were beyond 60 minutes of play. Alexander Stepanov charges beat Barnaul Dynamo-Altai (3:2 OT) in the last match on the away ice. The Kazan team was winning after the second period 2:0, but slowed down and conceded two unanswered goals from the opponent in the last 20 minutes. But in overtime, they finished off the home team. The team lost to Yuzhny Ural (2:5) the previous game. Since the beginning of the championship, Bars has won 17 victories and scored 102 goals, with 20 defeats and 116 goals conceded. After 37 games played, the team is in 20th place in the standings with 41 points and is only three points behind its TOP-16 rivals, which can easily be won back if it does not make ridiculous mistakes, especially in matches with weaker rivals.

Interesting trends for betting

• On average, the club concedes 3.1 goals per game
• The team has failed to win in regulation time in four games in a row