JHT beat FPS 6:2 in the Sumi-sarja on Thursday evening, a result that finally put something positive on the home side's record. The visitors travel with a heavier burden still, sitting at the bottom with five defeats and no points to show for their opening campaign.
Our prediction called for a home win at 69 per cent confidence, and the scoreline delivered exactly that. To be fair, the gap in quality showed through quickly, and the hosts never looked back once they took control.
By then the match had settled into a pattern neither side could reverse. JHT started with something to prove after four losses, and FPS arrived with nothing to lose — a combination that rarely ends well for the away side.
Both teams sit at the foot of the table with five games played and zero points between them. The difference now is that JHT have a result to build on, however small, while FPS remain winless and running out of games in the early stages.
The recent form tells the same story. JHT lost three of their last four before this, while FPS have lost every match they've played this season, including a heavy 6:0 defeat to LeKi and a 7:8 thriller against Riemu.
The host side extended their unbeaten run to eight — well, not quite, because they lost four in a row before this, but they finally broke the cycle. The away end never stopped, though that meant little when the scoreboard refused to budge in their favour.
