Metallurg Novokuznetsk vs Gornyak-UMMC prediction

The quarterfinals of the VHL kick off in Novokuznetsk with the home team, Metallurg, hosting guests from Verkhnyaya Pyshma. The first round of the playoffs didn't go as smoothly for the "blacksmiths" as their fans had hoped. Despite playing a team that finished the regular season in 16th place, the hosts dropped two games. One of the losses was due to a lackluster effort in Game 5. But they quickly turned things around on the road with a 3-2 victory, allowing Metallurg to advance.

Lunev's squad finished the regular season at the top of the standings with 106 points. Over 62 games, they only suffered seven regulation losses, essentially leading the league in scoring. On their home ice, Metallurg averaged almost four goals per 60 minutes of play. Fans can expect to see players like Naumov, Apalkov, Ovchinnikov, and Sheshin, pretty much the star-studded lineup that helped the team finish first. Fortunately, there are no injury concerns among key players.

The Gornyak finished their regular season journey in 8th place, gathering nearly three dozen points less than Metallurg. In the round of 16, the representatives from Verkhnyaya Pyshma faced the Molot and almost lost the series after winning the first three matches.

Just three days have passed since the seventh game of the series against Perm, which means the visitors are likely to be less physically prepared for the quarterfinal opener than the Novokuznetsk team, who had three extra days of rest.

All four wins over Molot came with a razor-thin margin, and there wasn't any evidence of dominating the play in the opponent's end. This isn't the best news for Gornyak, as they'll now face the league's best attack of the VHL season. Simply sitting back in their zone won't cut it, as it would only give the opponent more room to execute sharper attacks. This season, Gornyak has faced Metallurg twice, conceding eight goals in total and suffering two defeats.