Metallurg vs CSKA. Will this match be the last in the final series?
The fifth game of the final series of the Gagarin Cup between Metallurg and CSKA will again be held in Magnitogorsk. On Tuesday, April 26, the local Metallurgist has a great chance to win the honorary trophy in front of his own fans. The score in the series is 3-1 in favor of Metallurg.
After a six-year break, Metallurg are closer than ever to winning the main KHL trophy, the Gagarin Cup. The odds are perfect for Magnitogorsk - the score in the series is 3-1 and the upcoming game on home ice in Magnitogorsk. In the whole history of KHL history there was only one case when the losing team got back in the final with 1-3 score. That was the season 2011/12, when Dynamo from Moscow pulled off a similar upset, snatching the Gagarin Cup from under the nose of Avangard Omsk.
The main hero of the final series so far is the 39-year-old Metallurg goalie, Vasily Koshechkin. Having become the team's primary goalkeeper in the playoffs due to coincidental circumstances, with Finn Juho Olkinuora leaving the club for political reasons, Koshechkin has shown excellent playmaking form. Koshechkin had only one dry game during the regular season, while the experienced goalie scored three straight goals during the playoffs. Two of the games were played in the series finale against CSKA, moreover, Koshechkin's dry streak now stands at 120 minutes of playing time. In the fourth game of the series, held in Moscow, the Metallurg goalkeeper saved 31 shots, which largely determined the outcome of the game. In the opening of the second period, Zemchenok was in a striking position, scoring the only goal of the game. Thus, Metallurg played two away games to perfection, taking a 3-1 lead in the series.
CSKA
But the army team, after a successful start to the series, noticeably slowed down. The victory in the first match with a score of 3-1 set up CSKA fans in a major way, but in fact this is so far the only success of the capital club in the final. The wards of Sergei Fedorov again stopped working attack, which was already the Achilles' heel of the team throughout the regular season. The average performance indicator barely reached 2.5 goals per game, but in the playoffs the army team changed, bringing this figure to 3.5, but in the final the old problems worsened even more. In four matches of the final series, the army team scored only seven goals, that is, scoring an average of less than two goals per match.
Particularly disappointing for the army fans were two home games, outright lost with the results of 0-4 and 0-1. This season, this is the first time that CSKA players in two home games in a row cannot score at least one puck. Now only a miracle can save the army team, the team needs to win three victories in a row, while there is no room for error.
Our Expert Predictions & Analysis on Metallurg vs CSKA
MetallurgAfter a six-year break, Metallurg are closer than ever to winning the main KHL trophy, the Gagarin Cup. The odds are perfect for Magnitogorsk - the score in the series is 3-1 and the upcoming game on home ice in Magnitogorsk. In the whole history of KHL history there was only one case when the losing team got back in the final with 1-3 score. That was the season 2011/12, when Dynamo from Moscow pulled off a similar upset, snatching the Gagarin Cup from under the nose of Avangard Omsk.
The main hero of the final series so far is the 39-year-old Metallurg goalie, Vasily Koshechkin. Having become the team's primary goalkeeper in the playoffs due to coincidental circumstances, with Finn Juho Olkinuora leaving the club for political reasons, Koshechkin has shown excellent playmaking form. Koshechkin had only one dry game during the regular season, while the experienced goalie scored three straight goals during the playoffs. Two of the games were played in the series finale against CSKA, moreover, Koshechkin's dry streak now stands at 120 minutes of playing time. In the fourth game of the series, held in Moscow, the Metallurg goalkeeper saved 31 shots, which largely determined the outcome of the game. In the opening of the second period, Zemchenok was in a striking position, scoring the only goal of the game. Thus, Metallurg played two away games to perfection, taking a 3-1 lead in the series.
CSKA
But the army team, after a successful start to the series, noticeably slowed down. The victory in the first match with a score of 3-1 set up CSKA fans in a major way, but in fact this is so far the only success of the capital club in the final. The wards of Sergei Fedorov again stopped working attack, which was already the Achilles' heel of the team throughout the regular season. The average performance indicator barely reached 2.5 goals per game, but in the playoffs the army team changed, bringing this figure to 3.5, but in the final the old problems worsened even more. In four matches of the final series, the army team scored only seven goals, that is, scoring an average of less than two goals per match.
Particularly disappointing for the army fans were two home games, outright lost with the results of 0-4 and 0-1. This season, this is the first time that CSKA players in two home games in a row cannot score at least one puck. Now only a miracle can save the army team, the team needs to win three victories in a row, while there is no room for error.
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