Dynamo Moscow vs Severstal. Are guests capable of sensation?

The blue-and-whites start their regular cup campaign with a home match against Cherepovets Severstal. The first game of the series will take place on March 2 on the ice of the Moscow VTB Arena.

• Expert Predictions Analysis
• Dynamo Moscow vs Severstal facts
• ODDs
• Game Totals Prediction

Our Expert Predictions & Analysis on Dynamo Moscow vs Severstal

Dynamo Moscow

The blue and white have the right to complain about the early completion of the regular season, which left the team in the final fourth position in the Western Conference standings. At the same time, only two victories separated the White-and-Blues from the St. Petersburg army team, who finished first, while CSKA and Jokerita, who took second and third places, respectively, were only behind by additional indicators. By focusing on the attack in game formations, Aleksey Kudashov made the right decision. Dynamo became the second team in the League in terms of the number of goals scored, second only to Metallurg Magnitogorsk (159 goals against Metallurg's 164).

Traditionally, Vadim Shipachev remains the main acting force of the blue and white. The 34-year-old captain has 67 goals (24 goals + 43 assists). For comparison, Andrey Kuzmenko, the St. Petersburg forward Andrei Kuzmenko, who is second in the scorer race, is 14 points behind Shipachyov, having 53 points (20 + 33) in his asset. During the February break, Dynamo held three test matches. Omsk Avangard was beaten with a score of 4-1, but with Barys the blue-and-whites exchanged victories 3-4 and 6-3.

Severstal

If the results of Dynamo this season are quite in line with expectations, then Severstal, to some extent, has become a kind of opening of the season. A fairly modest budget, another loss of leaders in the off-season - there were no special prerequisites for a quality result. And here once again it is worth praising Andrei Razin, who managed to create a completely competitive team almost from scratch. Severstal finished fifth in the Western Conference, only one point behind Dynamo.

Severstal does not have any clear-cut leaders, here it is rather the case when well-coordinated team play brings results. Severstal also has its own Olympic champion. Forward Joonas Nyattinen played all six matches for the Finnish national team in Beijing, scoring three assists. Severstal also filled the February break with friendly matches. Andrey Razin's wards beat Ak Bars 4-3, Lokomotiv 4-0, tied with the same Lokomotiv 1-1, losing to Neftekhimik 4-5 and Lokomotiv 0-4.

Statistics

Last season, fate also brought these two clubs together already at the stage of the first round of the playoffs. Dynamo won the series in five matches, but this victory cannot be called easy. In three matches, the advantage of the blue and white was only one goal, which indicates an uncompromising struggle in this pair. During the current championship, the rivals met twice, eventually exchanging home victories. In Moscow, Dynamo won 3-2, to which Severstal responded with their own 4-2 home victory.

ODDs from download 1xbet

For the outcome of the first game of this confrontation, the bookmaker offers the following odds: the victory of the capital Dynamo - 1.64, a draw - 4.6, the victory of Severstal - 4.5. As for the expected performance, here the bookmaker tends to a large number of abandoned goals: Total over (4.5) - 1.64, Total under (4.5) - 2.23. Download 1xbet to your phone and place a bet on the favorite!

Game Totals Prediction

At first glance, everything is obvious in this pair, Dynamo is a clear favorite, and Severstal, at best, is capable of home exploits. But everything is not so simple, Razin has repeatedly proved that in terms of motivation he is now one of the best coaches in the League. So in the first match of these rivals, we suggest paying attention to performance. As mentioned above, Dynamo is one of the most scoring teams in the League, which has an excellent set of quality players in the attacking line. Severstal also cannot be considered a purely defensive team, even on the road the Cherepovites prefer to play aggressively. Our prediction - Total goals scored over 4.5 with odds of 1.64.