Former FONBET KHL club general manager Leonid Weisfeld shared his thoughts on the Gagarin Cup final series between Lokomotiv and Ak Bars.
“Their playing philosophies are roughly the same. The difference is that Ak Bars’ semifinal series against Metallurg did not drain as much energy as Yaroslavl spent against Avangard. Plus, Ak Bars had extra days of rest. However, it’s unclear whether that is good or bad for Kazan. Lokomotiv is in good shape right now. As for recovery, you always recover quickly after wins. I assume it is not in Lokomotiv’s interest to drag out the series. If it does get extended, theoretically the advantage shifts to Ak Bars.”
When asked about the goaltending, defense, and offense lines, Weisfeld said: “It’s pretty much even across the board. The only advantage I see is Bob Hartley’s experience. For Anvar Gatiatulin, this will be his first career final. On one hand, that’s a factor, but on the other, everyone has a first time.”
Regarding the expected style of play, he commented: “Theoretically, it should be a tight, defensive game. But you can theorize all you want. Did anyone expect the Yaroslavl-Omsk series to unfold like that? Or that Kazan would sweep Minsk Dynamo in four games? Could anyone have predicted that? So I’ll state the obvious: it’s hockey, anything can happen.”
