Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk vs Severstal Cherepovec Prediction 28 January 2025

🔊 Will Andrey Kozyrev be able to keep the fire in his players' eyes? Severstal has been victorious for 4 consecutive matches. The next stop for the "steelworkers" will be Nizhnekamsk and a clash with the local Neftekhimik. The "oilmen" are gradually moving away from the top-8 in the "East," which only increases the importance of the upcoming game for Oleg Leontyev's team. Our editorial team has thoroughly examined the current situation and is ready to present an objective prediction for your attention.

📊 H2H

At the end of last year, the "lynxes" hosted the "wolf pack" on the ice in Cherepovets. Back then, Andrey Kozyrev's team achieved a convincing victory in front of their home crowd - 4:1. The previous recorded instance of the teams meeting on Nizhnekamsk soil also ended positively for the "lynxes" - 5:3.

🔵 NEFTEKHIMIK

Nizhnekamsk finally managed to break their losing streak by defeating Lada (4:2) this past Sunday. Now, the "wolf pack" has reduced the gap from the playoff zone to 7 points. To be objective, Neftekhimik currently appears weaker than their competitors in the standings. This is largely due to rather mediocre hockey played by the lower lines. On a positive note, Andrey Belozerov has been consistently contributing to scoring in the last 4 matches.

🟡 SEVERSTAL

Severstal has not performed well on the road this season - 24 points after 23 matches (9th in the conference). However, they managed to achieve a positive result in their clash with Sochi (4:3 in shootouts). Now, the Cherepovets team is the closest pursuer of Lokomotiv, who leads in the "West." Andrey Kozyrev's tactical style is based on a combination game characterized by a high degree of discipline. Severstal is indeed one of the best teams in the league in penalty killing - 83.5% successful attempts (4th in the league).

🔗 PROBABLE LINEUPS

Neftekhimik: Dolganov - Pastukhov, Serikov - Belozerov, Di, Barber

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

🥅 GOALIES

It's hard to imagine the current Neftekhimik without Filipp Dolganov. Just last season, the Russian goalie made his KHL debut at the age of 25. Dolganov's average statistics this regular season are quite respectable (92.02% save percentage, GAA - 2.66).

Alexander Samoylov played a crucial role in Severstal's recent victories over Kunlun (3:0) and Sochi (4:3 SO). This season, the Russian looks much more convincing than his competitor for the position, Konstantin Shostak. Just take a look at Samoylov's statistics this regular season (91.56% save percentage, GAA - 2.44, 3 shutouts).

📝 MATCH PREDICTION

It cannot be denied that away games are not Severstal Cherepovets' strong suit. Moreover, their recent encounter with Sochi was not easy for the "steelworkers" and required a lot of effort. We suggest considering the following event - Neftekhimik will not lose.