Metallurg Magnitogorsk vs. Lokomotiv: KHL Match Prediction

Current form

Last season, Metallurg decided to restructure, not only appointing a new head coach, Andrei Razin, but also seriously rejuvenating the roster. The club, as always, was aiming for the highest awards, but few could have expected that this year Magnitogorsk would not only win the conference, but also win the Gagarin Cup. Indeed, the changes in the roster paid off almost from the start, and as the regular season progressed, the team became stronger and stronger and approached the final stage at the peak of its form, thanks to which it achieved success.

As expected, the team has remained virtually unchanged during the offseason, retaining all of its key players. Indeed, the roster looks completely balanced and, at first glance, has no weaknesses. The young and promising goalie Ilya Nabokov is in goal, having had a fantastic last season, with a 93.4% save percentage and seven shutouts. The defensive line has played a significant role in Ilya's success, not only consistently doing its job, but also actively supporting Metallurg's attack, allowing it to become one of the most productive teams in the league.

The Foxes played as many as eight preseason games, most of which they suffered defeats. Indeed, Magnitogorsk did not perform well in friendly tournaments, but it is worth noting that Razin actively rotated the roster, constantly experimenting and trying to find new player combinations, which resulted in not the best result. The home tournament, the Ivan Romazan Memorial, was not without scandal at all: in a match with Neftekhimik, Razin led the team off the ice after an unsuccessful power move by the opponent and an injury to key player Daniil Vovchenko, explaining this by his reluctance to play with such an aggressive opponent. By the way, Vovchenko suffered a concussion and will not have time to recover by the start of the regular championship.

Latest news from Metallurg

Forward Daniil Vovchenko, who was injured in the match against Neftekhimik, has already been discharged from the hospital and will return to training in 7-10 days

Injuries and disqualifications

Vovchenko (concussion)

Interesting trends for betting

• Last season, Metallurg allowed just 31 goals while shorthanded, the best result in the league.

Indeed, Metallurg, thanks to its strict defensive play, consistently played out the minority without consequences, which became one of the reasons for the club’s stunning success last season.

• Metallurg scored an average of 3.11 goals per game

Metallurg has become one of the most productive teams in the league year after year, as it prefers open attacking hockey and is used to achieving results precisely due to the number of goals scored.

Estimated composition

Nabokov, Smolin, Yakovlev, Orekhov, Press, Maklyukov, Khabarov, Minulin, Eremenko, Silantyev, Grass, Bashkirov, Mikhailis, Kozlov, Petunin, Vovchenko, Geraskin, Wilson, Akolzin, Johnson, Korobkin