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Slovakia are a host of this tournament, and today's so-called final will be played in a full arena in Banska Bystrica, where the Slovaks feel great and want to prove themselves. Their team had problems lately, so this tournament served to boost their self-confidence, and I don't doubt they'll go for all today. They're playing with an experienced and strong team here, made up from KHL players and players who play the Czech league, they've got lots of talent, but also experience, unlike the Swiss. Switzerland came here with young players, 21, 22-year-olds, and for eight of them, yesterday was the first time they played for the national team. They only have a handful of famous names, like Pestoni, but even he's not the best that Switzerland could have brought here. The Swiss have an obvious goal here - to test young players from the national league. They defeated Germany yesterday, but their game wasn't as brilliant as the result would suggest, and they were convincingly outshot by the end. The Slovaks had some rest yesterday, the Swiss played, so that's another advantage on the tournament that is set for the Slovaks. The quality and experience is far on their side, and add to that great audience, filled up arena, and bigger motive, this becomes a very good bet. Details

The difference in quality between these two teams is such that I'll easily play on Slovakia to win. They are hosting the tournament, and have rounded up the strongest possible lineup they can right now, with five Slovan players including Nagy, currently one of the best KHL attackers. The team also lists the Amur duo of Hascak and Miklil, and some more great Czech league players who are among the best there. They have an extremely experienced goalie, and their defense is led by Granak, Sersen and guys from Sparta Prague. The Germans are bringing five first-timers and a somewhat weaker team than the one that beat the Slovaks three months ago, this team containing only a few names from the one before. The arena at Banska Bystrica is sold out, the Slovaks are saying they don't want to disappoint their fans, and they have the ideal situation. The previous results and defeats, as well as duels, are irrelevant, as the players are often shuffled and rotated in national team matches. Today the Slovaks are bringing their best team, similar to what they'll bring to the WC, while the Germans are coming to try out some combinations. The Slovaks have quality, experience and fan support on their side, and I expect them to beat the young and weaker Germans, whose team is put together from DEL league players. A mixed up DEL team cannot handle the best players from the best European leagues. Details

Atlant have a lot going for them today. They are still in the race for playoffs and though the chance might be slim, it's still better than Medvescak's for example. A win today would increase the chance significantly. Atlant beat Slovan ten days ago away, Medvescak and Ska away, and put up a greater fight against Jokerit and Riga than Slovan, who finished the two games with a 0-10 goal difference. Slovan are the only team in the West not standing any chance of reaching the playoffs and clearly don't have any motivation left. They lost 6 out of the last 7 games convincingly and their team seems to be slowly falling apart. Key players like Bartovic, Nedorost, and two other defendsemen are injured, while Vondrka and Ruzicka left for the Czech league a few days ago. That say it all about their ambition at the moment. To summarize, Slovan are weak, lacking motivation, without form, and I don't expect a good performance from them today. It's getting more obvious that they won't be playing KHL next season. Atlant are in fine form, they're playing home, and just won Slovan recently. I daresay that they seem to be better than Slovan in each and every segment of the game. Details

Pittsburgh will have to do without Crosby and Malkin today, which is pretty much like Barcelona without Messi and Neymar. The Pens are decimated by injuries again and not even complete are they top in the East this season. They are to meet the Jets today and have the same number of points like Pittsburg, but in the much fiercer competition that is the West Conference. Pittsburgh were not in a good form prior to All Star, they were on a 4-game losing run, with their two top players on the team. Winnipeg are in great form and won 5 games, which is why I expect another great performance by them today. With Pittsburgh complete, these two teams are not much different, but the Jets have the upper hand today due to their good form and absences at the Pens, which makes these odds valuable. Hornqvist, Letang, and Comeau are still injured and questionable, which will cause the home team even more problems. Details

SaiPa celebrated 6-2 against Lahti yesterday, and only a week before, 4-1, which proves SaiPa are a much better team than their opponent of today. The teams are in different situations, Lahti are at the bottom, they could easily be eliminated, and they don't stand a chance for the playoff. Lahti are also out of form with four defeats in a row, and five in the last six matches, while SaiPa have three wins in a row, and four of last five, so they definitely have that on their side. What's important here is that Lahti are struggling with injuries, and some of the important players, the captain Leimu and the forward Sopanen, are out. SaiPa confirmed to be a better team than Lahti throughout this season, with 20 points more, and they're also really motivated today because a fight for the top six, which would take them directly to the quarterfinal. So, everything's on the guests' side, motivation, previous matches, form, and Lahti are also weakened by the injuries, so we should pick this pair today. Details

SKA and CSKA have played two matches over this margin this season; one was on nine, and other on seven goals. The reason lies in the fact that these are two of the most efficient KHL teams, and the rivalry is so huge that each team has something to prove. Not to list them all, but on the one hand we have masters such as Kovalchuk and Panarin, while on the other we have the most productive man of the league, Alex Radulov, who is pumped up for this derby. SKA has the most overs in KHL while CSKA somewhat less because they have better defense, but they didn't fare well in all of the meetings when we have the big Ilya on the other side. Both teams are on top. This match is not important score-wise, but both are after the prestige. Both teams have shown they can go over, and today I again expect a beauty of a game only these two teams can offer us. Twice have we seen their goal manias this season, and I expect a third one for which the odds are very nice and shouldn't be missed. Details

Ugra cannot afford to fail today. They are in the race for the playoffs in the East and face the bottom table team today. Amur have been written off, stand no chance of reaching the playoffs and have conceded a total of 18 goals in the last 3 away games. Despite being the worst-performing team in the league, Amur won only 4 out of 21 away games. They concede 4 goals on average away and have been defeated to Ugra this season already (3-1 home) Ugra's rivals are playing very tough games today and Ugra are being presented with a great chance. If they fail today, the playoff might become unreachable. They are the better team, have defeated Amur a month ago within this handicap and have the motivation to win again today. Details

The difference in quality between these two teams is huge, and everything favors the away team today, so anything other than their victory would be a huge surprise today. Schwenninger are one of the two worst teams in the league, ranked next to last without a chance to get to the playoff and in terrible shape with 11 defeats in their last 12 games. On the other side we have Iserlohn, a top 6 team who cannot allow themselves to lose games such as these in order to stay among the top 6, which is motive enough. Iserlohn are in great shape with three consecutive victories and 7 in their last 10 games. The two they lost were against the leading two teams, so their situation is clear. Apart from that, Iserlohn already beat today's home team twice this season, and it would be a major surprise if they failed to do so again now, as their form, class and motivation all speak in their favor. Details

Everything is in favor of Avtomobilist today, and anything but a decisive victory for them would be a surprise. The home team are hot in pursuit of the playoff, currently in seventh place but only three points ahead of the first team outside the playoff zone and they have no room for error. Here they have to go for the win, so they'll be highly motivated, which I see as a major factor in this match. They are a typical home team, suffice to say they recently beat Bars, Jokerit, Ufa and Omsk at home, all teams far ahead of Niznekamsk. Avto have been solid all season long, and will most likely get to the playoff, and the previous two matches against Niznekamsk were 3-0 and 4-1 victories, so they like this matchup. Here I'd just like to add that the away team are weaker now than they were in those matches, as their team is falling apart due to financial issues, so they no longer have two of their three best attackers from that period, and their main defender Eronen is injured, a player who was also good in organizing and offensive plays. Niznekamsk have no chance to get to the playoff anymore, they know it, and their only goal right now is to survive financially, as they're among the teams who've been hit the worst by the crisis. Another important detail is that they've been ill over the holidays, as a virus struck down the team, and almost all of them were bedridden, so Avto are in much better shape there. Avtomobilist have the class, previous record and great shape in home games all working in their favor. Highly motivated against a bottom quality team, I believe they are worthy of backing in this handicap. Details

Vityaz have a must win situation in front of them today, and if they miss it, they could miss the play-offs. Let's start with their opponents. The day before yesterday they conceded six goals against Lokomotiv. Atlant fell apart because of finances; six key players left them, among them their best scorer, captain and others. To make things worse, they have four injuries (two of which are important players), so they are a completely different team, a lot weaker; coach Kudashov says himself he can't do anything, he has no team, and it's hard in the middle of the season. Vityaz are a team who were better or the same as Atlant during the season, but now the quality is on their side, they have the home court and great motivation. Vityaz are on ninth place in the table, one point behind Sochi and they don't have the right to make mistakes. Their shape is not that good lately, but they've played against stronger opponents than themselves, and they also had a 10-day break after which they've lost in an away game against the super strong Lokomotiv. But, they've shown a good game so it's obvious they've worked on their shape and important part of the game. Although they're in the middle of the table, Vityaz have often been described as a talented team. Their win seems like a good choice today, considering their state and Atlant's. Everything is on the hosts' side, I don't see a reason not to take this by very good odds. Details

I don't see the sense in favorizing Dynamo so much. They're not a team for the top this season; they don't have the motive and they're arriving without a few key players. They're missing their first and best goalie Eremenko without whom they're a different team; they don't have first scorer and best player Daugavins, defenseman Robinson and another key forward Kokarev. Dyanmo were convincingly defeated at Severstal's where they didn't show a special game. They're fourth on the table, they practically can't go into the play-offs and I'm not sure they'll break their backs for a win here. Torpedo is another story: they're fighting for the play-offs and points are really important for them. Currently they're ranked seventh, but the point difference is not big. They need the points and I don't doubt their motives at home. They're on home ice and have support, they've already beaten Dynamo at home this season and I see this as a 50-50 match at least. Dynamo can't gain much by winning, while Torpedo can. By beating the uncomfortable Sochi, Torpedo have the confidence and don't have the reason not to win this. The odds are too high and you should use that to your advantage. Details

Prior to the break Atlant were a good team, but you can forget that now. Their owner stopped financing them, so they had to sell seven players to save finances, six of which were very important. They lost their main defender Nemec, best scorer Enqvist who scored 14 goals, forwards in the first two lineups Vrana and Mayorov, and very experienced Radulov and Koltsov, who were also a major piece of their team. To make things worse, there are rumors of more sales, so the situation in Atlant is very bad. Apart from the departures, important defender Dyblenko and forward Potapov are absent too, which all combines in a huge handicap.
Lokomotiv are an elite team who belong to the very top of the league despite being ranked eighth in the West.They were in the same position last season, and ended up in the final, led by this same coach. They brought in excellent Loktinov and Kontiol, who clicked in the very first game where Lokomotiv beat Vityaz with this handicap, a team far ahead of Atlant right now. Loko were also in good form prior to the break, continued in the same vein playing a great game, and I have no reason to believe they won't get a clean victory here as well. They are motivated enough, being at the edge of playoff zone and badly needing the three points since not making the playoff would be a huge failure for this team, though the chances of that happening are very slim indeed. One of the best teams of the conference in great shape against a disintegrating Atlant, missing 8 backbone players, makes for a pretty clear bet, and Lokomotiv also beat Atlant 2-0 at home back when Atlant had all those players. Details

Niznekamsk were one of the worst performing teams in the league before the break and with some of the key players leaving the team, got even worse. Top scorer Stapelton, key center Harkimov, and one of key forwards Makarov left and the atmosphere on the team isn't very good at the moment. There was a strike caused by finances recently, which resulted in a defeat to Medvescak. Slovan are better than Medvescak this season and have been doing very well lately. They beat Jokerit, and lost to Lada in overtime, but we need to mention that shots ratio was 48-20 for Slovan, meaning Lada got very lucky. Niznekamens are giving up on their season, the best players are leaving, forward Sexton seems to be in search of a new club too, there's not way they can reach the playoffs and I think Slovan will win today. The visitors conceded more goals than any other team in the league so far, while Slovan play well lately and have the quality that is at least one level higher than Niznekamenk's. They are after the playoffs and cannot afford a slip home, especially not against teams such as Niznekamensk. A large number of fans is expected to support Slovan today. They already beat Niznekamens 3-1 this season away.
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Let us start with Carolina who have been performing really badly lately. They're on a five-game losing run (all five convincingly) in which they never scored more than one goal per game. Carolina are bottom table in the East, having won only 3 our of the last 15 games, while at the same time being the worst visitor in the Conference. The reason behind those poor performances in the fact they are forced to do without Semin and Tlusty, who is their top scorer this season (10 goals). They can't really cope with his absence and are now set to face one of the beat teams in the league - Montreal. After finishing the road-trip, Montreal got back on the winning track by beating the Canucks in an impressive manner and the Kings by 6 goals. Montreal are a tough team home, having won 11 out of the 15 games. I expect them to win today, what with Carolina poor form and lack of confidence. A win at Montreal is turning into a very good bet. Details

Let's start with three head-to-head games these two teams played this season in which Chaux beat Thurgau all three times in this handicap, despite the fact visitors had a much better team back then. Thurgau will have to do without five important players, two of which are two top defensemen and top forward Irmen. A few other players that are questionable will most likely not play today. Thurgau played their bottom table rivals last round without all those players to concede six goals in the end. Stats-wise, this pick would have made sense even without all the absences at Thurgao since Chaux lost only to top table Langnau in the last 3 months home. It was a very close defeat, while all of their other games this season finished as with within this handicap. Thurgau are bottom table as the worst team in the league this season. On top of that, they're the worst performing team when it comes to away games. The difference in quality between these two team is great even when the visitors have all the players at their disposal, and in a situation such as this one, anything but a convincing win for Chaux would be a huge surprise. Details

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The visitors have a better situation ahead of this game but the bookmakers don't really realize it. The difference in quality is great between these two teams, with Frisk being a top table team in great shape and 10 wins in the last 12 games. Lillehamer are only a mediocre team from the bottom part of the table with 5 defeats in the last 6 games. They lost even to Kongsvinger who are by far the worst team in the league. The visitors have form and quality, and good head-to-head record with Lillehamer. They beat them in both head-to-head games this season 3-0 and 4-2. Frisk are a very reliable team that loses only to the leading teams. These two defeats in the last ten games are to Stavenger and Lorenski, two top table teams. Frisk beat everyone else. The visitors are a heavier favorite than the odds suggest here. Details

The home team had nine defeats in a row, all in the regular part. The team lost their self-confidence, but it was never really high to begin with because they're a young team chained to the bottom of the confference and who play the weakest offense of the league. They're the second worst team of the league right now, with no self-confidence, and now they'll host Traktor who woke up lately. The Chelyabinsk team defeated Lada, played ties against Kazan and Magnitka which is a pretty big deal, actually, and defeated Sibir in the away game two days ago, where Sibir didn't score a single goal. They earned my trust with how they played lately, and they're a talented team with strong players and one of the best goalies in the league, Garnett. They took time to find their game, they obviously found i tnow, and their class is another advantage beside their form. Traktor are at least a level stronger and tougher than the home team, and for a cherry on top, they have motive today. Traktor are fighting for the playoffs, they are the same as Yugra now who are eighth, and they have to go for three points here, which I believe they will get. If they wont to get to the playoffs, Traktor have to win games like these, and they're aware of it. So, with form, class, and motivation, these high odds get a real nice value today. Details

Let's start with the fact the Devils don't have 4 out of 6 forwards to count on as they take on Toronto in Canada today. That would have been a huge problem for any team, especially the less than convincing New Jersey attack. Three players got injured as they met the Pens last round, including their key player Jagr. Elias, Gionte, Zajac and Havlat are all out, having gotten injured recently. Team captain Salvador is out from before, just forward Clowe. That means they are to face Toronto without half the team, which is a very ugly situation. I think that will prevent them from creating any trouble for the home team, and not only because of all the injuries. New Jersey have been out of shape for a while now. They're on a 5-game losing run, having won only one game the last 8 rounds. Toronto, are on the other hand, very convincing lately, having won 4 out of the last 5 games easily. The attack is productive, their confidence running high, and 8 out of their 10 home games were wins in regulation time. They are better than the Devils this season, have 7 points more and a game less. Given the Devils' current predicament, this is a pick we cannot miss out on. Details

Players and coaches at Avtomobilist came down with a virus that forced them to postpone the game with Traktor last round because there weren't enough players left to make up a team. KHL will not allow such a thing. Five players were sent home, the rest of the team is displaying symptoms and no one can be sure who will be able to play today. They took a few youngsters from their youth ranks to get through this game somehow. They lost the Yugra game 4-0 when the situation was quite similar. They will have to do without even more important players today. Lada are not weaker than Avtomobilist even when the visitors have all the players at their disposal, they are right behind in the table (both in the play-off zone) and Lada need to take advantage of this situation. They lost the last game to Magnitka, but it's not shame losing to such a good opponent. Lada recorded 5 wins in the last 7 games, and given the situation, the odds are great and definitely worth trying. Details