Sochi vs Severstal Cherepovec Prediction 26 January 2025

🔊 Will Severstal continue its meteoric rise? The Cherepovets club is currently in 3rd place in the "West," trailing CSKA Moscow by just 1 point. The upcoming away match against Sochi seems like a manageable challenge for the "Steelmen." The "Leopards" are indisputably the worst team in the conference, primarily supported by their results. Bookmakers' predictions are also quite telling: Sochi's victory - 4.05, Severstal's win - 1.77.

📊 H2H

The upcoming match will be the 4th encounter between the teams this season. Previously, the "Steelmen" won twice (4:2, 2:1), and the "Leopards" succeeded once (1:0). The penultimate head-to-head clash at the Bolshoy Sports Palace is still fresh in memory. Back then, the "Lynxes" left no chance for the Sochi team (10:1).

🟡 SOCHI

Last Thursday, the Sochi team suffered another crushing defeat on home ice against Salavat Yulaev (1:8). Sergey Zubov's team is at the bottom of the "West" standings. Simultaneously, the "Leopards" have the most "porous" defense in the conference - conceding about 3.26 goals per game. A weak point for Sochi is their penalty kill. Only in 78.4% of cases does the team manage to keep their net untouched (21st result in the league). Moreover, the Sochi team frequently gets penalized - spending an average of 5 minutes and 38 seconds per game shorthanded (20th result in the KHL).

⚫ SEVERSTAL

Severstal continues to delight not only its fans but also neutral KHL viewers with its hockey. Andrey Kozyrev has molded the "Lynxes" into a capable team that can compete on equal terms even with the league's top clubs. Smart play in uneven strengths and excellent on-ice interaction between players have allowed the team to reach 3rd place in the "West." Severstal is one of the most effective teams in the league when playing shorthanded - with 84.1% successful neutralization attempts (4th result in the KHL).

📌 ESTIMATED LINEUPS

Sochi: Ivanov - Ibragimov, Volkov - Khokhlachev, Yaremchuk, Bitten

Severstal: Samoylov - Shchuchinov, Kaldis - Pilipenko, Aimurzin, Ilyin

🥅 GOALIES

Sergey Ivanov has participated in most of Sochi's matches this season. Despite some mistakes, the 20-year-old goaltender possesses obvious talent and has a bright future in the KHL. His average statistics are as follows: 90.70% save percentage, GAA - 3.15, 2 shutouts.

Alexander Samoylov had a fantastic match against Kunlun (3:0). The 27-year-old goalie managed to make 34 saves while keeping his net untouched. This was his third shutout in the current regular season. His other statistical indicators are also quite impressive (91.56% save percentage, GAA - 2.44).

📝 MATCH PREDICTION

Severstal is in fantastic form, and it's unclear who can stop Andrey Kozyrev's squad. The "Leopards" are just playing out the season and cannot hope to make it to the Gagarin Cup playoffs. Considering Sochi's significant defensive issues, our editorial team anticipates a confident victory for the "Lynxes" with a large number of goals scored. The key bet is Severstal's individual total over 3 goals.