Story Summary
Kometa Brno enter the international break with a more settled side and points from eight of their last nine Czech Extraliga games, but coach Kamil Pokorný believes the return needs to contain more victories. The club have avoided the sharp swings in performance that marked the starts of previous seasons, yet they have not won more than two straight games or lost more than two in succession.
Pokorný said the team had made points progress and stabilised, while stressing the need to recharge before another nine-game stretch leading to the next international break. The settling of the line-up has been a marked change from the opening weeks, when combinations were frequently altered.
Kristián Pospíšil has been one of the beneficiaries. After a hesitant start, he signed a new contract in mid-October and has produced eight points in seven games since, including six across his last three appearances. He has formed an increasingly productive line with captain Jakub Flek and Robert Leino, Kometa’s leading scorer on 15 points.
There remain unresolved areas. Kometa have scored only four power-play goals in 17 games, the lowest total in the competition, despite hiring Martin Erat as a specialist for that work. Goaltenders Eugen Rabčan and Aleš Stezka have split the workload almost evenly, while young Kometa youth product Jan Kavan has made five appearances on alternating starts for first-tier side Přerov.
Key Facts
- Kamil Pokorný said Kometa had taken points in eight of their last nine games but wanted more two- and three-point results.
- Kometa have not won more than two games in a row or lost more than two consecutively this season.
- Kristián Pospíšil has recorded eight points in seven games since signing a new contract in mid-October, with six of those points coming in his last three outings.
- Robert Leino leads Kometa with 15 points and has joined Pospíšil and captain Jakub Flek in a productive line.
- Eugen Rabčan has a 92.91 save percentage and six wins, compared with Aleš Stezka’s 90.52 save percentage and two wins.
- Kometa have scored four power-play goals in 17 games, the lowest total in the Czech Extraliga.
- Kometa will be without Libor Zábranský, Radek Kučeřík, Flek, Michal Kunc and Rabčan during the international break because of national-team commitments.
IHM Discussion
The central theme around Kometa is steadiness rather than a dramatic turnaround. Pokorný’s side are collecting points regularly and are avoiding long losing runs, which gives the club a firmer platform than it had during uneven starts to earlier campaigns. That is meaningful progress, even if the coach’s wording makes clear that point accumulation alone is not the desired endpoint.
The top line offers the clearest illustration of the improved continuity. Pospíšil’s surge has coincided with his new deal and with a settled partnership alongside Flek and Leino. Leino has been Kometa’s most productive player and the leading summer attacking addition, while Pokorný highlighted the existing understanding between Flek and Pospíšil.
The goaltending picture is also competitive rather than fixed. Rabčan has earned a Slovakia call-up for the forthcoming Deutschland Cup after posting the stronger early save percentage and more wins, while Stezka’s recent displays have been improving. That gives Kometa two active options during a period in which the skaters are still seeking a more reliable path from competitive games to wins.
Why It Matters
Kometa’s next challenge is to turn a stable run into a more rewarding one. Their record of avoiding extended slumps protects them from falling away quickly, but the absence of a winning streak longer than two games limits the momentum available to a team trying to gain ground.
The power play is the most obvious statistical pressure point. Four goals in 17 games from numerical advantages is a small return, and Kometa failed to score on six power plays against Olomouc. Their third goal in that game arrived shortly after a power play had expired, showing that pressure can still be created, but it does not alter the competition’s weakest power-play record.
The international break also interrupts several positive individual threads. Flek, Kunc and Rabčan will be away with their national sides, while the club then begins a run of three consecutive road games. Kometa will need the settled shape described by Pokorný to carry over when the schedule resumes.
Mini Q&A
Why does Kamil Pokorný see progress at Kometa?
Kometa have taken points in eight of their last nine games and have avoided the major performance dips seen during the starts of previous seasons.
Who has driven Kometa’s recent scoring?
Kristián Pospíšil has eight points in seven games since mid-October, while Robert Leino leads the club with 15 points and has formed a line with Pospíšil and Jakub Flek.
What is Kometa’s biggest special-teams concern?
Kometa have scored only four power-play goals in 17 league games, leaving them last in the Czech Extraliga on the power play.
When do Kometa return to action after the break?
Kometa are scheduled to play at Pardubice on Friday 13 November, the first of three straight away games.
Coach Mark Comment
The sequence against Olomouc tells you why Kometa’s power-play issue is not simply a matter of never creating danger. They went 0-for-6, then scored their third goal just after a man advantage had ended, with the pressure still carrying into five-on-five play.
That can be frustrating for a bench because the attacking work has not completely vanished, yet the special-team unit is still missing the finish that changes a game on its own terms. Four power-play goals through 17 games leaves every opportunity feeling heavier than it should. Kometa do not need to treat the post-power-play goal as a solution; it is a reminder that their possession has to become a goal before the penalty expires.
What Comes Next
After the international break, Kometa begin three consecutive away games with a visit to Pardubice on Friday 13 November.
IHM Final View
Kometa have created a more dependable base without yet finding the winning rhythm Pokorný wants. Pospíšil’s resurgence, Leino’s production and a competitive goaltending split are encouraging signs, but the power play remains the clear weakness.