Former defender of several clubs KHL Nikita Shchitov told that this season several teams have equal chances of winning the Gagarin Cup.
On Tuesday, Yaroslavl Lokomotiv beat Metallurg Magnitogorsk (3:2) in the opening match of the FONBET KHL Championship of the 2024/25 season.
– A good and bright game. In the first half, the game was even, although Metallurg lacked a group of leaders. Lokomotiv looks good physically, a powerful team. Magnitogorsk played on the counterattack, played well in the middle zone and entered the attacking zone with passes. Lokomotiv scored three goals, the third was especially beautiful with a pass from (Arthur) Kayumov to (Maxim) Shalunov. The young team of (Andrei) Razin did not give up, they added a lot, they caused a lot of problems for the Yaroslavl team in attack and managed to score two goals.
The game kept the spectators in suspense until the last seconds; Metallurg could have equalized, but the goalkeeper was pulled. The team played well, the game was a success. Five goals scored to open the championship, that’s great. Good, fun hockey.
— Last season Lokomotiv played in the Gagarin Cup final, can we expect the same success from them? Or are there better teams in your opinion?
— I can’t pre-qualify anyone as the finalist of the season. We have a lot of equal teams, many of them have a good budget and have strengthened significantly in the off-season. Equal contenders for the championship are CSKA, SKA, Ak Bars, Traktor, Avangard, Metallurg, Lokomotiv and Spartak.
The level of the league players has now increased, the championship will be long. There are many factors that determine whether the championship will be traumatic, like last year with tight deadlines and frequent flights. The leaders will emerge from the second half of the championship, and then it will be possible to make predictions. For now, we will enjoy the start of the hockey season, “Shchitov told .
In their next match, Metallurg will face SKA on home ice on September 5, and Lokomotiv will meet Lada on the same day.
Watch FONBET live broadcasts of the KHL Championship on the Match holding channels.
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Source : MatchTV
I’m Emma Smith, a dedicated journalist and avid storyteller. I have been writing for news websites for the past 5 years, reporting on hockey news and delivering in-depth analysis of the sport. In my current role as Author at Athletistic, I write about hockey events from around the world to keep followers up-to-date with what’s happening in the sport.
