SKA St. Petersburg vs Shanghai Dragons Prediction
📣 This Friday, get ready for another derby as the local SKA hosts the Shanghai Dragons at the Ice Palace. The "Army Men" have already secured their playoff spot, while the Shanghai team is merely playing out the season with no competitive objectives in sight. How will this upcoming clash conclude? Let's explore this together.
Head-to-Head
This season, the neighbors have clashed in five head-to-head encounters, with SKA holding the upper hand, securing four victories. The Dragons' September triumph is still fresh in many minds, as the Shanghai team routed the St. Petersburg side with a commanding 7-4 scoreline. During that game, Quinnie and his teammates netted four goals against the "Army Men" in the second period, forcing them to change their goalie. Looking at the overall results in their head-to-head meetings, SKA clearly dominate: the current hosts boast 24 wins, while the visitors have managed just six victories.
H2H Stats Matches and Previous Teams Results
SKA St. Petersburg Team Overview
SKA, after a five-game winning streak, have suffered two consecutive defeats. This week, the "Army Men" couldn't handle Traktor (1-2) and Sibir (1-4). In the first match, Mikhail Grigorenko, familiar to Sergei Plotnikov and his teammates, scored twice against the St. Petersburg side. In the second game, the in-form "Snowmen" capitalized on two power plays. On average, SKA players score 2.87 goals per game (3.06 goals on home ice). Defensively, since Leonid Tambiev joined the coaching staff, the team have been solid, conceding an average of 2.34 goals per match. Currently, the St. Petersburg team sit sixth in the West and can no longer reach the top four. However, under certain circumstances, they could contend for fifth place. The hosts still have players like Murphy, Zaitsev, and Larionov Jr. on the injury list.
Match Results: SKA St. Petersburg
Shanghai Dragons Team Overview
The Shanghai Dragons continue to disappoint their fans, having lost both matches in the KHL World Games, followed by four more defeats. This week, the Shanghai side faced off against Avtomobilist and suffered a heavy 6-2 loss to the Yekaterinburg team. Kevin Labanc, who has been shining lately, found the net again, but he and his North American teammates continue to rack up penalties, leading to goals conceded while shorthanded. On average, the Dragons score 2.46 goals per game but concede 3.48 goals per match. The offseason will require significant work from management, the coaching staff, and players, with potential signings of new stars from the AHL not ruled out. On Friday, in their clash with their St. Petersburg neighbors, the visitors will be without Bischoff, Harpur, and Rybar.
Match Results: Shanghai Dragons
🏒 Projected Lineups
SKA: Ivanov - Zelenov, Phillips - Leipsic, Blandisi, Grimaldi
Shanghai Dragons: Tikhomirov - Somerby, Clendening - Popugaev, Sutter, S. Fu
🥅 Goalkeepers
This season, the Army Men's goaltending duo features Sergei Ivanov and Artemy Pleshkov. We expect Ivanov to start in net, having played 29 games this regular season with an average of 2.5 goals allowed per game. In their last outing against Sibir, the netminder made 31 saves.
Dragons' Slovakian goalie Patrik Rybar remains sidelined with an injury, leaving us with the Tikhomirov-Shikin tandem. After Shikin's subpar performance against Avtomobilist, we anticipate Tikhomirov will be between the pipes. The 30-year-old has a goals-against average of 3.31 after 22 games.
⭐ Editor's Prediction
In the upcoming match, we suggest betting on the Shanghai Dragons' individual total to exceed 1.5 goals. The Dragons have surpassed this total in 4 out of 5 head-to-head encounters with the St. Petersburg team this season. Considering the rivalry between these neighboring teams from St. Petersburg, along with the absence of defenders Murphy and Zaitsev in the "Army Men" lineup, this bet appears to be a reasonable choice.
Betting Tips: SKA St. Petersburg - Shanghai Dragons
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