Current form
Ak Bars had a great regular season. Since the start of the season, the team has consistently earned points, avoiding protracted slumps, which allowed it to rise to third place in the Eastern Conference table, with a significant advantage over its nearest opponent by as much as ten points. In particular, of course, it is worth noting the very reliable defensive play of Kazan, on average they conceded only 2.4 goals per match, which is one of the best indicators in the league. Combined with good performance, this made it possible to cope with almost all rivals in its path.
Remarkably, the club approached the Gagarin Cup in great form. Before the curtain fell on the regular season, the Leopards were able to rehabilitate themselves in front of the fans for the defeat from Severstal (2:4), first winning a landslide victory over Sochi, and then completely beating an opponent of their level, represented by Dynamo Moscow, with a score of 7:5. Striker Todd showed an incredible game, scoring a hat-trick and providing two assists.
Disqualifications and injuries
Ak Bars has no problems with the squad. Absolutely all the players are in formation.
Interesting betting trends
Current form
Tractor looked much worse in this regular season than last year, but still the team was able to earn a ticket to the Gagarin Cup without any problems, finishing sixth in the Eastern Conference table and having 75 points. Throughout the season, the Chelyabinsk team too often experienced problems in defense, conceding a large number of goals, and mainly due to the very high-quality implementation of moments in attack, it was possible to achieve the desired results.
Before the playoffs, the club played a series of home matches, in which it showed great results and proved that it was coming to the draw in great shape. Serious problems arose only in the duel with Torpedo, in which Victoria had to be beaten in overtime (3:2). In the remaining meetings, the team prevailed with a one-goal difference over SKA (2:1) and Admiral (1:0), and also left no chance for the leader of the Eastern Conference in the person of Metallurg, defeating him with a score of 6:2.
Disqualifications and injuries
Only goalkeeper Mylnikov will not be able to participate in the upcoming match due to injury.
Interesting betting trends
Both teams came to the draw in excellent shape, which may make it seem difficult to determine the winner. Yes, Chelyabinsk had an excellent home series before the curtain of the regular season, but it should be borne in mind that the club is performing very poorly on the road this season, and also consistently suffers defeats in face-to-face meetings with Ak Bars. Kazan, with the support of the fans, demonstrate their best hockey, so they are quite capable of confirming the status of clear favorites and winning the opening match of the series.
Our betting tip is for Ak Bars to win in 1.99
We believe that we should not expect a large number of abandoned goals in the upcoming match. Ak Bars has a very reliable defense and will play to its strengths. In playoff matches, any mistake can play a crucial role, so teams will try to perform very carefully, without making unnecessary actions, which will also affect their performance for the worse.
Betting Tip - total less than 5.5 goals in 1.72
First Goalbet: Ak Bars
In four of the six face-to-face matches, Ak Bars opened the scoring
There is no goalbetin each period.
In four face-to-face matches out of six, the teams failed to score a goal in each period.
Ак Барс продолжает борьбу за выход в следующий раунд плей-офф КХЛ и сегодня попробует взять верх над Трактором. Как сложится эта встреча? В первом раунде плей-офф казанцы выиграли три из пяти матчей у Нефтехимика, а челябинцы одолели своего оппонента, Сокол, четыре раза из пяти.
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