Avangard vs Lokomotiv. Will the Omsk club be able to equalize the series score?
The continuation of the cup confrontation between Avangard and Lokomotiv awaits hockey fans on March 18. The second meeting of the series will again be held in Omsk, on the ice of the local G-Drive Arena. At the moment the score in the series is 1-0 in favor of Lokomotiv.
After the final second place in the East, Avangard, as expected, easily overcame the barrier of the first round of the Gagarin Cup playoffs. Togliatti Lada, which returned to the KHL after several seasons in the VHL, tried to impose a fight on the Omsk club to the best of its ability, but the difference in class was still noticeable. The maximum that the Togliatti team could achieve was to win the fourth match of the series, winning with a score of 4-1. The remaining matches remained with Avangard (5-1, 3-2, 3-1 and 4-0).
The second opponent in the playoffs was Yaroslavl Lokomotiv, whose level is noticeably higher than that of Lada. Already in the first match, the Omsk hockey players were fully convinced of this. As hosts, Avangard started the game more actively, opening the scoring in the 13th minute of the first period. Ivan Nikolishin scored in the majority. The quick goal to some extent played a negative role for the Omsk team; Avangard completely sat on the defensive, giving the advantage to Lokomotiv. It was not possible to maintain the winning score; in the opening of the third period, Lokomotiv managed to equalize the score. It came to overtime, where luck once again turned against Mikhail Kravets’s team; in the 90th minute of the match, another puck hit the Avangard goal, which became the winning goal for Lokomotiv.
Lokomotiv
For the last three seasons, the Yaroslavl club's cup journey ended the same way. Lokomotiv reached CSKA and lost three times to the army team, twice after seven matches, once in four games. Third place in the West at the end of the regular season again sent Lokomotiv to a rendezvous with CSKA, at that time the current winner of the Gagarin Cup. The first game only emphasized the psychological uncertainty of the railway workers in the matches against CSKA. A 0-4 defeat on home ice seemed like a kind of death sentence. In the second match, the railway workers were also inferior in the score until the middle of the second period, but managed to turn the tide of the unsuccessful match, winning a strong-willed victory 2-1. This match became a turning point in the series, then the Yaroslavl team only won 3-2, 2-1 and 6- 3.
The Lokomotiv hockey players had to demonstrate their character during the first match with Avangard. Having conceded at the beginning of the match, Lokomotiv completely seized the advantage, putting methodical pressure on the goal of the Omsk club. This bore fruit in the third period, when Maxim Shalunov managed to equalize the score. Well, the decisive goal was scored by Maxim Berezkin, who scored the winning point in the 30th minute of overtime.
Our Expert Predictions & Analysis on Avangard vs Lokomotiv
AvangardAfter the final second place in the East, Avangard, as expected, easily overcame the barrier of the first round of the Gagarin Cup playoffs. Togliatti Lada, which returned to the KHL after several seasons in the VHL, tried to impose a fight on the Omsk club to the best of its ability, but the difference in class was still noticeable. The maximum that the Togliatti team could achieve was to win the fourth match of the series, winning with a score of 4-1. The remaining matches remained with Avangard (5-1, 3-2, 3-1 and 4-0).
The second opponent in the playoffs was Yaroslavl Lokomotiv, whose level is noticeably higher than that of Lada. Already in the first match, the Omsk hockey players were fully convinced of this. As hosts, Avangard started the game more actively, opening the scoring in the 13th minute of the first period. Ivan Nikolishin scored in the majority. The quick goal to some extent played a negative role for the Omsk team; Avangard completely sat on the defensive, giving the advantage to Lokomotiv. It was not possible to maintain the winning score; in the opening of the third period, Lokomotiv managed to equalize the score. It came to overtime, where luck once again turned against Mikhail Kravets’s team; in the 90th minute of the match, another puck hit the Avangard goal, which became the winning goal for Lokomotiv.
Lokomotiv
For the last three seasons, the Yaroslavl club's cup journey ended the same way. Lokomotiv reached CSKA and lost three times to the army team, twice after seven matches, once in four games. Third place in the West at the end of the regular season again sent Lokomotiv to a rendezvous with CSKA, at that time the current winner of the Gagarin Cup. The first game only emphasized the psychological uncertainty of the railway workers in the matches against CSKA. A 0-4 defeat on home ice seemed like a kind of death sentence. In the second match, the railway workers were also inferior in the score until the middle of the second period, but managed to turn the tide of the unsuccessful match, winning a strong-willed victory 2-1. This match became a turning point in the series, then the Yaroslavl team only won 3-2, 2-1 and 6- 3.
The Lokomotiv hockey players had to demonstrate their character during the first match with Avangard. Having conceded at the beginning of the match, Lokomotiv completely seized the advantage, putting methodical pressure on the goal of the Omsk club. This bore fruit in the third period, when Maxim Shalunov managed to equalize the score. Well, the decisive goal was scored by Maxim Berezkin, who scored the winning point in the 30th minute of overtime.
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