Gornyak-UGMK Verkhnyaya Pyshma vs Norilsk Prediction 2 April 2025
📢 Can the "Bears" secure their third consecutive victory and wrap up the away series? The fifth game of the Petrov Cup Round of 16 is set for Wednesday. Currently, Norilsk lead the series against Verkhnaya Pyshma 3-1.
Head-to-Head
During the regular season, the rivals faced off four times, with the home teams always coming out on top. The "Bears" secured two home victories (3-0; 5-4 OT), while the "Miners" claimed both wins on their own ice (6-3; 4-2). The playoff series kicked off in the Sverdlovsk region and didn't start well for the "Miners." In the first game, they only managed to edge out their opponents in overtime (2-1 OT), but in the second matchup, the team from Verkhnyaya Pyshma suffered a heavy defeat, losing 6-2. On March 28 and 30, the Norilsk side added two more victories to their tally (4-0; 3-2).
Head-to-head statistics Gornyak-UGMK Verkhnyaya Pyshma - Norilsk
Gornyak-UGMK Verkhnyaya Pyshma Team Overview
The Miners concluded their regular season in fourth place, amassing 87 points. It's worth noting that last season, the team from Verkhnyaya Pyshma failed to even make the playoffs, finishing 19th. After defeating the Bears in their first home game of the current series, Alexey Alexeev's squad couldn't counter their opponents in the following three matches.
In Sunday's clash, the coaching staff was forced to make several lineup changes. Danil Mylnikov, a 22-year-old, replaced Maxim Makhrin on the third line, while defender Arman Iritsyan stepped in for Daniil Karpovich. Changes also affected the goaltending position, with 28-year-old Leonid Fomin taking the spot between the pipes for Verkhnyaya Pyshma.
The club's top scorers in the current playoffs are Daniil Valitov, Ilya Ovchinnikov, Andrey Grishakov, and Vasily Filyaev, each tallying 3 points. It's notable that many of these players have had opportunities to play for Avtomobilist in the KHL at various stages of their careers.
The Miners' main issue is their penalty-killing performance: they have conceded 6 goals during the playoffs, the worst record among the top 16 teams.
Match Results: Gornyak-UGMK Verkhnyaya Pyshma
Norilsk Team Overview
The regular season saw Norilsk finish 13th in the standings. The team managed to accumulate 77 points, scoring 195 goals while conceding 184. It's worth noting that this is a relatively young team, having been established on April 17, 2023. In their debut playoff appearance in 2024, Norilsk couldn't advance beyond the round of 16, losing to Tyumen Rubin (1-4 in the series).
Under the guidance of Vladimir Gusev, the team demonstrated impressive scoring prowess in these playoffs, netting 14 goals against Gornyak. In terms of goals scored, Norilsk trails only Voskresensk Khimik and Kurgan Zauralie. The "Bears" tend to get penalized frequently but have conceded half as many goals as the "Miners" over four games.
In Sunday's match, the coaching staff made one change: Denis Gorbunov, who missed Friday's game, replaced second-line forward Artem Antipov on the ice.
The top scorer for the "Bears" is 26-year-old Sergey Golodnyuk. The forward has tallied 4 goals and 3 assists during the playoffs. Golodnyuk also showcased excellent scoring ability during the regular season, with 22 goals and 21 assists to his name.
Match Results: Norilsk
🏒 Projected Lineups
Gornyak: Fomin - Dumchenko, Valitov - Ovchinnikov, Filayev, Grishakov
Norilsk: Nikitin - Makeyev, Isaev - Kolesnikov, Kaletnik, Dyadenkin
🥅 Goalkeepers
Gornyak's goaltenders Anton Zyuzin and Leonid Fomin have each appeared in two games for the Verkhnyaya Pyshma side during these playoffs. It seems likely that the coaching staff will opt for the more experienced Leonid Fomin for the fifth game of the series. Currently, he has stopped 34 of 37 shots.
Norilsk's goalie Vadim Nikitin has played all four playoff games, securing three victories with an impressive goals-against average of 1.49. This stat places him behind only two other goalies: Alexey Krasikov and Nikita Podskrebalin, who are well-known to hockey fans from their performances in the KHL.
Editorial Prediction
The most reasonable bet for the upcoming match would be backing Norilsk with a +1.5 handicap. Throughout the series, Vladimir Gusev's squad have shown more composure, only falling to the "miners" in overtime during the opening game. The statistics also favor Norilsk: in eight matches, the "bears" have only failed to cover this spread twice. The stellar performance of goalkeeper Vadim Nikitin and the impressive scoring ability of forward Sergey Golodnyuk could be the keys to wrapping up the series successfully this Wednesday.No comments
Betting Tips: Gornyak-UGMK Verkhnyaya Pyshma - Norilsk
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