More options are listed in the expert's forecast below. A statistical assessment is not an investment recommendation. 18+
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Metallurg's winning streak unexpectedly ended in a home clash with Salavat Yulaev. Magnitogorsk had a two-goal advantage, but failed to hold it and lost in shootouts. Siberia is also approaching the upcoming match after the defeat, and Novosibirsk conceded six goals from SKA at once. Now Yaroslav Luzenkov's team will have to play against one of the most productive clubs in the Eastern Conference. In our betting tip, we will figure out how seriously the latest setback will affect the hosts, and choose the appropriate bid
Command Analysis
Metallurg Magnitogorsk
Magnitogorsk could not extend the series of five victories, although in the previous meeting against Salavat Yulaev everything worked out in their favor for a long time. By the first break, the wards of Andrei Razin? No, Metallurg created a 3-1 advantage thanks to accurate shots from Daniil Vovchenko, Nathan Todd and Vladimir Tkachev. However, in the final twenty minutes, Ufa gradually recovered and even took the lead. Luke Johnson saved the hosts from defeat a minute before the siren, but the opponent turned out to be more accurate in the shootout. As a result, Metallurg lost with a score of 4:5.
Prior to this, Magnitogorsk residents looked much more confident. The team consistently beat Salavat Yulaev (7:1), Torpedo (3:2 OT), Dinamo Minsk (3:1) and Avtomobilist (4:2). The offense regularly creates dangerous moments, and Nathan Todd continues to be one of the club's most productive hockey players. In the last match, the hosts scored 45 shots on target, which once again indicates a high level of activity ahead. However, the defense does not always cope with the rapid attacks of rivals, and the meeting with Ufa showed this problem well.
Sibir Novosibirsk
Novosibirsk played a very unusual match against SKA, which ended in a 3-6 defeat. By the eighth minute, Siberia was leading 3-1 thanks to goals from Egor Korshkov, Sergey Popov and Anton Kosolapov. It seemed that the guests were able to develop an advantage, but then the initiative completely passed to the residents of St. Petersburg. Even before the first break, SKA scored three times and took the lead, and increased the difference in the second and third periods. Novosibirsk's defense was particularly unsuccessful, allowing the opponent to return to the game too quickly.
At the same time, Siberia's previous results were noticeably better. The team managed to beat Dynamo Moscow in shootouts (3:2), and before that they had several fairly successful meetings. Novosibirsk played confidently on the road for a while, but the match in St. Petersburg interrupted a good series. Darren Dietz remains one of the team's performance leaders among defenders, and Stepan Nikulin regularly helps create chances ahead. However, after six goals conceded, questions about defense become relevant again. In addition, it is much more difficult to play against Metallurg on his court.
Failure in the confrontation with Salavat Yulaev is unlikely to seriously affect the condition of Magnitogorsk residents. The team continues to attack a lot, regularly creates dangerous moments and has a strong enough squad to quickly correct mistakes. The situation in Siberia is much more complicated. Novosibirsk played well in the previous segment of the championship, but six missed goals from SKA showed how vulnerable their defense can be. It was especially alarming how quickly the team lost the two-goal advantage.
On his own court, Metallurg will probably try to immediately seize the initiative and force the opponent to spend a lot of time on defense. The guests will have opportunities to counterattack, but it will not be easy to constantly contain the pressure of the hosts. At the same time, it is important for Magnitogorsk to avoid repeating the mistakes of the last meeting and not allow the opponent to return to the game after conceding goals. We believe that the advantage in class and attacking potential will help the hosts achieve victory.
Our betting tip is that Metallurg will win in 1.53
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