At 14:30 GMT, a regular VHL Championship match is set to start between teams who currently occupy places in different halves of the league table. Fans of Russian hockey are eager for the clash between "Metallurg" and "CSKA VVS".
The bronze medallist of the last Petrov Cup playoffs has participated in 17 official VHL Championship matches in the 2023-2024 seasons. "Metallurg" has earned 22 points from these 17 games, allowing them to hold the 15th spot in the table. There is more struggle ahead for the "Metallurg" players to clinch a spot in the Petrov Cup playoffs, any setback could see the Novokuznetsk team slipping out of the top-16.
"Metallurg" had a weak start to the regular championship, suffering 4 defeats in the first 6 games. Since then, "Metallurg" has only suffered 2 losses in the subsequent 11 games. In their last four championship matches, "Metallurg" defeated "Kristall", "Buran", HK "Rostov", and "Nefteyannik".
In the regular VHL Championship for the seasons 2023-2024, "CSKA VVS" have played 19 official matches. They have accumulated 16 points from these 19 encounters. After 19 played games, "CSKA VVS" occupies the 23rd spot, accruing 3 points less than "Gornyak" who settled in the 16th position in the league table. Seven games in this regular championship have ended successfully for "CSKA VVS", where they defeated HK "Rostov", "Dizel", "Izhstal", HK "Chelny", "Yugra", Moscow's "Zvezda", and "Dynamo-Altai". "CSKA VVS" often experienced defeats, yet, they did not sink into a rut of protracted series of losses. The maximum number of consecutive losses they incurred was four matches.
"Metallurg" and "CSKA VVS" have faced each other in 10 official matches. "Metallurg" came out victorious 7 times, while "CSKA VVS" took the upper hand in 3 meetings.
"Metallurg" will prevail within standard time. The club from Novokuznetsk has emerged from their crisis and begun their ascent in the league table, breaking into the playoffs zone. Their opponents lack consistency, "CSKA VVS" frequently alternates between peaks and drops, which impedes their challenge for the top-16.
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