Metallurg vs Barys. Will Magnitogorsk take advantage of the home ice factor?
Like a year ago, Metallurg and Barys begin their journey for the Gagarin Cup with a face-to-face confrontation in the first round of the playoffs. The starting meeting of the series will be held on March 1 in Magnitogorsk.
According to the results of the regular season, Metallurg scored an equal number of points with Tractor, but bypassed the Chelyabinsk club in the Eastern Conference standings in terms of additional indicators. Metallurg also became the owner of the Continental Cup, awarded to the team that scored the most points in the regular season. Thus, the unexpected termination of the championship in January to some extent played into the hands of Metallurg, allowing the club to complete the first part of the championship with a trophy.
If we analyze the performance of Metallurg this season, then first of all we should pay attention to the noticeable progress in the attack. If last season the average performance of the team was around 2.5 goals per game, then in the current championship there was a qualitative breakthrough. 164 goals scored in 48 games, which is the most in the League. Forwards Nikolai Goldobin and Philippe Meile are the best in the goal+pass system as part of Metallurg, with 39 points each for performance. During the pause in the championship, Metallurg had three control fights, playing twice with the Belarusian national team (1-2 defeat and 5-2 victory), and also lost in the post-match shootout to the Chelyabinsk Tractor 2-3.
Barys
The team from Kazakhstan had a rather weak season, risking finishing outside the cup eight in the East until the last. To some extent, Barys was lucky, the unexpected finish of the championship served as a verdict for Avtomobilist, who lagged behind Barys by a minimum of points. The problematic point in Barys' game formations is still the game on the defensive. Having given Darren Dietz to CSKA, Barys not only lost a key player in defensive formations, but also was left without a team captain, which does not add optimism on the eve of the start of the playoffs.
If problems in the defense of Barys are visible to the naked eye, then the attacking line is equipped with fairly high-quality performers. Here it is worth paying attention to the last three transfers to the “entry”, as a result of which Anton Sagadeev, Tomas Jurcho and Linden Vey joined the ranks of Barys. The team's newcomers have already scored 12 goals, although they played a few matches for Barys. In February, Barys played two friendly matches with Moscow teams, scoring two victories. First, Spartak was defeated with a score of 7-2, and then Dynamo was beaten in a bitter struggle with a score of 4-3. It is worth noting that Barys spent both fights on the road, in Moscow, which only adds value to these victories.
Our Expert Predictions & Analysis on Metallurg vs Barys
MetallurgAccording to the results of the regular season, Metallurg scored an equal number of points with Tractor, but bypassed the Chelyabinsk club in the Eastern Conference standings in terms of additional indicators. Metallurg also became the owner of the Continental Cup, awarded to the team that scored the most points in the regular season. Thus, the unexpected termination of the championship in January to some extent played into the hands of Metallurg, allowing the club to complete the first part of the championship with a trophy.
If we analyze the performance of Metallurg this season, then first of all we should pay attention to the noticeable progress in the attack. If last season the average performance of the team was around 2.5 goals per game, then in the current championship there was a qualitative breakthrough. 164 goals scored in 48 games, which is the most in the League. Forwards Nikolai Goldobin and Philippe Meile are the best in the goal+pass system as part of Metallurg, with 39 points each for performance. During the pause in the championship, Metallurg had three control fights, playing twice with the Belarusian national team (1-2 defeat and 5-2 victory), and also lost in the post-match shootout to the Chelyabinsk Tractor 2-3.
Barys
The team from Kazakhstan had a rather weak season, risking finishing outside the cup eight in the East until the last. To some extent, Barys was lucky, the unexpected finish of the championship served as a verdict for Avtomobilist, who lagged behind Barys by a minimum of points. The problematic point in Barys' game formations is still the game on the defensive. Having given Darren Dietz to CSKA, Barys not only lost a key player in defensive formations, but also was left without a team captain, which does not add optimism on the eve of the start of the playoffs.
If problems in the defense of Barys are visible to the naked eye, then the attacking line is equipped with fairly high-quality performers. Here it is worth paying attention to the last three transfers to the “entry”, as a result of which Anton Sagadeev, Tomas Jurcho and Linden Vey joined the ranks of Barys. The team's newcomers have already scored 12 goals, although they played a few matches for Barys. In February, Barys played two friendly matches with Moscow teams, scoring two victories. First, Spartak was defeated with a score of 7-2, and then Dynamo was beaten in a bitter struggle with a score of 4-3. It is worth noting that Barys spent both fights on the road, in Moscow, which only adds value to these victories.
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