Lokomotiv vs. Traktor: KHL Match Prediction
The second series of confrontations between the conference leaders and the best KHL teams at the moment will take place on November 28 in Yaroslavl. According to Igor Nikitin, Lokomotiv has burned out and has not scored a single goal in the last two matches. Traktor, on the other hand, alternates victories and defeats and has not yet been able to return to its previous level of play. Not long ago, the clubs met each other in Chelyabinsk, and it was the “railwaymen” who celebrated their success. What will the match be like this time? Will the Urals team take revenge? Find the answers to these questions in our prediction for the confrontation

Command Analysis

Lokomotiv Yaroslavl

Current form
Lokomotiv continues to lead the West, but now the position of Igor Nikitin team does not look as secure as before. The club from the capital of the Golden Ring has 52 points after 32 matches, but now the Yaroslavl team is not in the best shape and can let its competitors get closer. The Railwaymen have lost three of the previous five matches and did not score a single goal in each of them. For the first time this season, the "locomotives" suffered two defeats in a row just at the end of November. After a tough victory over Vityaz (2:1, OT), Alexander Elesin team was routed by Torpedo (0:3) on the ice of Arena-2000, and two days later they were unable to beat Hunter Miska and lost with the same score in Moscow to the local Dynamo (0:3).
In the second half of November, the hosts acted almost without mistakes in defense, but now they have lost a little in terms of reliability. In the last five games, the Volzhane club allowed their opponents to turn on the red light behind their goal nine times. Daniil Isaev frankly failed in the previous matches and missed five goals after 35 shots, worsening his indicator of reflected attacks to 92.44%.
Artur Kayumov (10+10) and Maxim Berezkin (6+14) have not scored points in recent matches because the team has not scored in principle. In the last five matches, Loko has only scored two accurate shots in regulation time, which is the worst result in the league.
Disqualifications and injuries
All Yaroslavl players managed to heal their ailments before the game against the leader of the Eastern Conference.
Interesting trends for betting
- Lokomotiv gets 6.41 minutes of penalty time
Yaroslavl players demonstrate disciplined play and on average are sent off no more than three times per match
- On average, Lokomotiv takes at least 32 shots per match
Lokomotiv plays actively in attack and tries to make shots from any position

Traktor

Current form
Traktor has been at the top of the Eastern Conference for quite a long time. The Chelyabinsk team has scored 44 points in 30 starts and has let its competitors get close, losing half of their games in November. In the second half of the month, Benoit Groux charges alternate victories and defeats. Before the start of the current away tour, the Ural team failed to cope with the onslaught of Moscow Dynamo (3:4, OT) and suffered a sensational defeat to Kunlun (1:4) with the support of their home fans, having to settle for only a victory in the match against CSKA. The away game began for the Bears with a difficult match in Minsk. The visitors took the lead three times, but were ultimately able to finish off their opponents only in overtime (4:3, OT).
The "black and white" play in attack almost without any slumps and consistently score at least three goals. In the five previous matches, the "bears" have made 16 accurate shots, and Maxim Shabanov continues to chase Nikita Gusev in the scoring race. The young talent of the guests has 30 (12+18) effective actions, and his partners in the person of Alexander Kadeikin (15+8) and Vitaly Kravtsov (8+14) help the leader in every possible way.
The Traktorists have given up on defense and have conceded 12 goals in their previous four starts. Despite this, Zachary Fucale remains the undisputed number one goalie in the club from the Chelyabinsk region. The goalie has blocked 93.18% of shots in his possession, but recently he has allowed Sergei Mylnikov to show his worth.
Disqualifications and injuries
Traktor will arrive in Yaroslavl with its optimal line-up.
Interesting trends for betting
- According to statistics, Traktor shoots 35 times per game on average
The visitors put a lot of pressure on the opposing goalkeepers in every match.
- The Bears are winning 53.3% of their faceoffs.
The Chelyabinsk team plays strongly at the point and often wins duels.
Trends
Bet 1st period: total under 1.5 goals
In the last seven matches involving Lokomotiv, no more than one goal was scored in the first period
1.65Bet 2nd period: Traktor will score
Traktor scored in the second period in six of the previous eight matches
1.72Tip and bets
Lokomotiv is on the decline, which is clearly reflected in the team results. The Railwaymen are still leading the conference and league tables, but now their advantage over their competitors does not seem overwhelming. Traktor was not stable in November, but the visitors constantly score a lot and have sagged only in defense. Benoit Groux charges have not yet forgotten the defeat to Alexander Elesin team on home ice. We believe that they will give it their all and take revenge in Yaroslavl. We suggest betting on the victory of the visitors with a zero handicap.
Prediction - Traktor win with Asian handicap (0) for 2.25
Bet on individual total
Traktor consistently uses its chances and very rarely scores less than three times per match. Lokomotiv has slowed down in terms of reliability, and Daniil Isaev has lost his former form and made a lot of mistakes in recent starts. We think that the visitors are capable of upsetting the Railwaymen at least three times and suggest playing a bet on the individual total of the second.
We bet on the individual total of "Traktor" more than two goals for 1.75
Total Bet
The rivals already met each other in early November and the meeting was extremely productive. At the same time, at that time, the Yaroslavl team played well in attack, but now the situation has changed. Last season, the teams did not score much in face-to-face meetings. We do not expect open hockey from the hockey players on the ice of the Arena-2000 this time. We are betting on the total under.
We take the total under five goals with a coefficient of 1.70