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SKA vs. Sochi: KHL Match Prediction
SKA will return to its home arena on November 7, where it will try to rehabilitate itself before the fans for its disastrous performances on the road. This time, the St. Petersburg team will meet Sochi, which has also had problems in recent matches. Will the Army Men be able to break their losing streak in a match with a clear underdog? Our experts have prepared a forecast that will help you decide on the most relevant bets
Command Analysis
SKA St. Petersburg
Russian FederationCurrent form
SKA was in excellent shape for a long time and was consistently earning points, and the winning streak reached seven matches. Remarkably, almost all the matches ended in regulation time, and minor difficulties arose only with Neftekhimik and CSKA, twice snatching victories in overtime. After another successful away series, the team returned to the home arena, where again they left no chance for their opponent, defeating Sibir with a score of 6:3. Once again, it is simply impossible to single out any of the players, since many of them showed high-class hockey. It seemed that the St. Petersburg team would continue to perform in the same spirit, but Lokomotiv stood in their way, which not only interrupted the winning streak, but also took away Rotenberg charges' confidence in their abilities, since after the defeat from Yaroslavl, they stopped producing incredible results.
The Army Men went to visit Salavat Yulaev, where they again tried to show an active game in attack, but the realization of the moments let them down, which led to a 2:4 defeat. It is worth noting that this problem haunted SKA at the beginning of the season, which is why it was unable to strengthen its leading position in the Western Conference table. What is even more remarkable is that the club then played with the obvious outsider Kunlun and lost again, scoring only one goal (1:2 OT). However, the lost points have not affected the team position in any way, it still remains in second place.
Disqualifications and injuries
SKA continues to play with almost its full fighting strength. Only defender Artem Zemchenok remains in the infirmary.
Interesting trends for betting
- SKA averages four goals per game
The club remains the most productive in the league, and by a huge margin.
- The Army Men receive an average of nine penalty minutes per match
It is also worth noting the very aggressive style of play of the St. Petersburg team, which often leads to deletions.
HC Sochi
Russian FederationCurrent form
Sochi slump has been going on for quite some time, with the team failing to achieve the desired result for four games in a row. The Leopards had an unsuccessful away series, losing to Salavat Yulaev in a shootout (2:3), and then suffered a defeat from Neftekhimik. As you can see, in both cases the team had every chance of winning, but was a little unlucky in converting their attacking opportunities, which has been a problem throughout the season. Returning to their home arena, Sochi faced a more powerful competitor in the form of Spartak and suffered a rout in the first match, and a clean sheet (0:4). This time, neither the defense nor goalkeeper Ivanov could help the team contain the pressure of one of the most productive clubs in the league. Zubov charges themselves showed a very modest game in attack.
What is noteworthy is that in the return match with the "red-whites" Sochi was able to adapt to the opponent and played much more actively in the attack, thanks to which it had every chance of success, but time after time the puck did not hit the target, which ultimately led to another defeat with a score of 1:3. The "Leopards" made 36 shots, but only one of them was successful. It seems that this season the club should not be expected to have successful results again, since after a quarter of the games played it continues to remain in the last line of the Western Conference table.
Disqualifications and injuries
It is also worth paying attention to the fact that Sochi has no problems with the roster. All players are currently in the lineup.
Interesting trends for betting
- Sochi scores an average of 2.2 goals per match
As we have already noted, the club’s main problem remains its very low attacking performance.
- The Leopards scored only ten goals on the power play
The team is not even able to take advantage of the numerical advantage and rarely scores a goal on the power play.
Trends
Bet First Goal: SKA
In four out of six head-to-head matches, SKA opened the scoring
1.40Goal in each period bet - yes
In four out of five head-to-head matches, the teams scored a goal in each period
1.45Tip and bets
It is quite expected that bookmakers do not believe in Sochi victory at all and give the minimum odds for SKA success. Indeed, at first glance, the St. Petersburg team looks two heads above their opponent, which means they should easily crush the Sochi team. Still, it is worth considering that the "leopards" like to give a worthy rebuff to serious opponents, which they do on a regular basis, and often on the road. We also suggest paying attention to face-to-face meetings, in which the "army men" do not always beat the Sochi team with a difference of more than two goals. It is also impossible not to take into account that the St. Petersburg team defeats clearly did not have the best effect on their self-confidence. It is for these reasons that we suggest taking a risk and betting in favor of the obvious underdog.
Our prediction is a handicap of (+2.5) goals on Sochi for 1.98
Bet on total
Still, given the nature of SKA game, we should expect productive hockey in the upcoming match. Indeed, the St. Petersburg team seems to forget about defense and devotes all their strength to attack, which consistently fills the matches with a large number of goals scored.
Forecast - total over six goals for 1.77
Bet on the outcome of the first period
SKA and its very strong start should not be underestimated. The Petersburgers often start matches with active actions in attack, thanks to which they earn an advantage in the first period.
Prediction - SKA win in the first period for 1.65
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