LiontipsKunlun - SKA. Forecast and bets on the KHL match
Command Analysis
Current form
Kunlun played very poorly in October and managed to win only three games in the entire month. Mikhail Kravets' team scored only one point on home ice and still have not won in Mytishchi in regulation time. The Dragons are gradually losing motivation for the season. Now the Beijing club is in the penultimate line in the West with 16 points after 22 starts. In the last series of games in the Moscow region, Parker Fu team suffered several crushing defeats, but in the end miraculously snatched one point from CSKA (3:4, OT). Red Star played well away and earned two points in Astana, drying out the local Barys (2:0). Before returning to home ice, the Stars were defeated in Cherepovets (2:7). By the end of the second period, the Beijing team was losing with a score of 0:5 and did not have a single chance of a comeback.
The visitors remain the team with the weakest defense in the league. On average, Kunlun concedes 3.91 goals per game, while the goalies of the club from China reflect only 88.2% of shots on their own territory. Kyle Keiser, Jeremy Smith and Konstantin Volkov are more like "whipping boys", because the Chinese team defenders regularly allow shots on the goal, which is guarded by the goalies.
Tomáš Jurčo has been the Red Star top scorer throughout the fall. The Slovakian forward has scored 13 points (6+7) in the goal+pass system, while his closest pursuer, Tyler Graovac, is not even in the top 100 most productive players in the KHL.
Disqualifications and injuries
Ryan Merkley continues to recover from an injury he suffered in early October.
Interesting trends for betting
- Kunlun opponents average 33 shots on goal per game
The home team goalies usually have a lot of work to do and they were able to stop only 88.2% of the shots.
- The Chinese win 52% of faceoffs
Mikhail Kravets' charges play well on the spot and win most of the duels after breaks.
Current form
SKA had a great second half of October and significantly improved its position in the conference table. Today, the team from St. Petersburg is in second place in the West, having scored 31 points in 23 starts. However, after seven victories in a row, the visitors began to give in and lost two games in a row, letting competitors Spartak, Severstal and CSKA get very close to their positions. Roman Rotenberg team began to have problems at the end of October, when the "army men" returned home in a good mood. The "red-blues" confidently beat Sibir (6:3), but then could not cope with the onslaught of Lokomotiv (2:3), which the St. Petersburg team successfully held off for two periods. The current away tour began for Alexander Nikishin team with an extremely unpleasant defeat in Ufa (2:4).
"Army Club" is the most prolific scorer in the league by a huge margin. In two months, SKA has scored 94 goals, and forward Arseniy Gritsyuk is one of the three most prolific players in the championship. The young forward has scored 22 goals (8+14), but Tony DeAngelo is already breathing down his neck. The American is showing incredible play and is already sharing the lead in the KHL assist race.
At the same time, the Petersburgers are not so menacing to watch in the last two matches. They scored only two goals each against the league giants and were unable to contain the rival leaders. Egor Zavragin took Nikita Serebryakov place and ousted Artemy Pleshkov from the starting lineup. The former Sochi goalkeeper has already played nine matches in the Army uniform and has blocked 91.6% of shots.
Disqualifications and injuries
Artem Zemchenok will not be able to help St. Petersburg residents in Mytishchi.
Interesting trends for betting
- SKA earns 7.4 penalty minutes per game on average
The Army Men play quite often in the minority, but they “kill” four out of five penalties.
- The Red-Blues make 14 power moves per game
The visitors have quite a lot of possession of the puck and do not make contact with the opponent that often.
Trends
Bet 1st period: SKA will score
In their last eight home games, Kunlun have conceded in the first period
1.30Bet 2nd period: total over 1.5 goals
In the last five games between the clubs, the second periods have been productive
1.45Tip and bets
SKA will be determined to crush their opponent in Mytishchi, as the visitors have not scored points in two games in a row. The Army Men know that if they underestimate their opponent, they can lose again, as they did in St. Petersburg at the end of September. Kunlun still concede a lot and play terribly on their home ice. Mikhail Kravets' team has never won in the Moscow region in regulation time. It is unlikely that they will be able to do so now. We believe in a confident victory for the Red-Blues and suggest betting on the minus handicap of the visitors.
Forecast - SKA win with Asian handicap (-2) for 1.75
Bet on total
SKA is the best team in the league in terms of goals scored, and Kunlun plays the worst defense. At the same time, the Army Men have made a lot of mistakes throughout the season, and the young goalies of the Red-Blues do not always save their partners. The Chinese always score their goals and should not leave the court without their minimum this time either. Let play the total over.
We bet on a total of more than six goals for 1.73
Bet on individual total
The Petersburgers score a lot in every game, but in the last two matches they failed to realize a huge number of chances. The key point is that Alexander Nikishin team regularly plays on the opponent half of the court and will certainly dominate such a weak opponent. We do not believe that the Chinese are capable of playing reliably.
We take the individual total of SKA more than four goals with a coefficient of 1.72
