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.

Our Expert Predictions & Analysis on Metallurg vs CSKA

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.

Metallurg vs CSKA

Statistics

Until the current season, fate only once brought these two clubs to the playoffs of the Gagarin Cup. In the 2015/16 championship, CSKA and Metallurg also met in the final, and that confrontation dragged on to the maximum possible. Metallurg turned out to be stronger, winning the seventh game with a score of 3-1. In total, the history of the confrontation between Metallurg and CSKA has 41 matches, of which 22 were won by Metallurg, and 19 were left for the army team.

ODDs from download 1xbet

For the first time in the course of the final series, the bookmaker does not see a clear favorite in the upcoming match, setting the same odds of 2.39 for each team to win. The option with a draw at the end of regular time can be taken for 3.85. As for the overall performance of the teams, this time the quotes are as follows: Total over (4.5) - 1.77, Total under (4.5) - 2.02. Install the 1xbet app and place a bet on the favorite!

Game Totals Prediction

Metallurg has a great chance to put a beautiful end to this season by winning the Gagarin Cup in front of its own fans. There is everything for this. The coaching duel of Ilya Vorobyov and Sergei Fedorov is still under the dictation of the coach Metallurg. Vorobyov, more experienced in terms of coaching, outright outplays the debutant Fedorov, confidently controlling the course of the final series. After two victories in Moscow, Metallurg's hockey players are on a roll, plus the traditionally strong support of the fans - everything goes to the fact that the Urals triumphantly end the season on Tuesday. Our prediction is that Metallurg will win with overtime at odds of 1.82.

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