CSKA vs SKA St. Petersburg Prediction
📣 On Wednesday, the CSKA Arena will host the second ice hockey showdown of the week between CSKA and SKA. Can the team from St. Petersburg snatch a victory before heading back to Saint Petersburg? We will find out soon enough.
Head-to-Head
During the regular season, the "Army Men" clashed four times, exchanging two victories each. However, the edge went to the team from St. Petersburg, as both of their wins came in regulation time. In playoff encounters, CSKA hold the upper hand: the last time they lost to the "Army Men from the Neva" in the postseason was during the 2014/2015 season. Overall, victories are nearly even, with the hosts claiming 55 wins and the visitors 56. On Monday, SKA failed to overcome the Muscovites, despite leading for most of the game. Forward Maxim Sorkin and defenseman Nikita Nesterov were standout performers for CSKA. Nesterov netted a crucial goal in the second overtime, becoming the top-scoring defenseman in KHL playoff history.
H2H Stats Matches and Previous Teams Results
CSKA Moscow Team Overview
CSKA average 2.39 goals per game and boast a solid defense, allowing opponents just 2.12 goals per match. In the first half of the regular season, the "Army Men" struggled, but they managed to regroup in the latter part, climbing to fourth place in the West and securing home ice advantage for the playoffs. Igor Nikitin continues to emphasize defensive hockey with his squad. As we saw in their first clash with St. Petersburg, the team can press the opponent's net and turn the tide if they're trailing. On Monday, Sorkin and his teammates outshot their rivals from the northern capital and played more disciplined hockey in overtime. It's worth noting that CSKA's injury list still includes Provolnev and Moiseyev, while Vladislav Kamenev is suspended.
Match Results: CSKA Moscow
SKA St. Petersburg Team Overview
SKA didn't have everything going smoothly in the regular season either, but after Leonid Tambiev joined forces with Igor Larionov, the team managed to string together several winning streaks in February and March. This helped them outpace direct competitors and avoid facing Yaroslavl's Lokomotiv in the first round. On average, Korotkiy and his teammates score 3.1 goals per game, while Savikov and his defensive colleagues allow opponents to net 2.51 goals per game. It's worth noting that the "Army Men from Neva" often ramp up their activity in the second period. This was evident on Monday when Goldobin and Sapego found the back of Dmitry Gamzin's net during the second twenty-minute stretch. In the first game of the series, the St. Petersburg side fell short in all key metrics, from shots on target to physical play. Forward Valentin Zykov is unlikely to feature for the visitors on Wednesday.
Match Results: SKA St. Petersburg
🏒 Projected Lineups
CSKA: Gamzin - Nesterov, Ebert - Guryanov, Karnaukhov, Drozdov
SKA: Pleshkov - Phillips, Sapego - Wilson, Plotnikov, Goldobin
🥅 Goalies
Dmitry Gamzin has been a rock for CSKA this regular season, guarding the net in 40 games and posting an impressive goals-against average of 1.49, along with 8 shutouts. His backup, Samonov, is ready to step in at any moment. In the first playoff game, Gamzin stopped 30 shots from the St. Petersburg side.
Artemiy Pleshkov shared the crease with his colleague Ivanov throughout the season, and both are poised to support each other when needed. Over 31 regular-season appearances, Artemiy recorded a solid goals-against average of 2.01. In the clash against the Moscow team, he was outstanding, turning away 43 shots from Sorkin and his teammates.
⭐ Editorial Prediction
Taking into account that the total under 1.5 goals in the first period has hit in 9 consecutive games involving CSKA, we once again opt for this as our primary bet. Even in CSKA's most high-scoring October clash, the two-goal total in the first twenty minutes wasn't surpassed. It's possible that Igor Larionov will instruct Goldobin and his teammates to press the opponent's net in the opening segment, but historically, SKA's goal-scoring peak tends to occur in the second period.
Betting Tips: CSKA Moscow - SKA St. Petersburg
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