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Severstal vs. Neftekhimik: KHL Match Prediction
On December 24, the local "steelworkers" will play another match in Cherepovets as part of the home series. The hosts have five victories in a row, and all of them were achieved within the regular time. Andrey Kozyrev charges are back in the fight for a place in the top five in the West, while the guests from Nizhnekamsk are trying their best to stay in the playoff zone in the East. Who will get the most important points? Read about it in our forecast
Command Analysis
Severstal Cherepovets
Russian FederationCurrent form
Severstal had been showing weak results for a long period of time and actually failed the end of autumn. Andrey Kozyrev charges got down to business before the break and returned to sixth place in the conference. Now the "steelworkers" have 46 points after 37 games played and they are very close to SKA and other leaders of the West. After the Channel One Cup, the Cherepovets team beat Sochi twice (4:2 and 2:1) and won a beautiful comeback victory over Avtomobilist, coming back from a 0:2 score at the start of the first period (3:2).
The Black and Yellows have been doing well on their own half of the ice this stretch of the season. They have conceded only six goals in the previous four games, and goalies Aleksandr Samoilov and Konstantin Shostak have significantly improved their save percentage. It was Samoilov who took to the ice in the last game against Avto and, after a poor start, regularly saved his teammates in the remaining time.
Kirill Pilipenko remains the top scorer of the club from the Vologda region. The forward scored 33 points (18+15) and occupies the sixth place in the list of the most productive hockey players in the NHL. Daniil Aymurzin, who is in excellent shape and has been involved in scoring goals for five games in a row, has come close to him. The young forward has 31 points (18+13) in the goal+pass system.
Disqualifications and injuries
The hosts will play with their full squad.
Interesting trends for betting
- Severstal gets five minutes of penalty time per match
The team is currently the most disciplined in the league.
- Severstal has 85.1% neutralization of the opponent power play
The Cherepovets team is in fourth place in the championship in terms of playing while short-handed.
Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk
Russian FederationCurrent form
Neftekhimik is trying to stay in the top eight in the East, but the Wolves' position in the playoff zone is gradually weakening. The team from the Republic of Tatarstan has scored 36 points in 37 games and is in eighth place in the conference. After a two-week break, Evgeny Mityakin team lost to Avangard on their home ice (3:4, OT), and a couple of days later they suffered a big defeat to CSKA in the capital (4:7). The visitors were let down by their defense, although they managed to open the scoring at the very beginning of the match.
Nizhnekamsk has been doing well in attack lately, and in the previous five games they have made 18 accurate shots. Andrei Belozerov has been scoring points for five games in a row and remains Neftekhimik top scorer. The forward has made 24 scoring actions this season (12+12) and is leading the list of the club best offensive players by a fairly large margin.
Filipp Dolganov appeared on the last line of defense in the match against the Army Men, but he stopped only 80% of the shots on his goal. It is very likely that the role of the starting goalie in Cherepovets will again go to Artem Zagidullin, who took to the ice in 17 games this season and was not too bad in December.
Disqualifications and injuries
Roman Abrasimov and Alexander Dergachev in Cherepovets.
Interesting trends for betting
- Neftekhimik has 19.8% of the majority sales
The Wolves are averaging one in five power play attempts.
- "Neft" gets 6.81 minutes of penalty time
Guests are usually sent off at least three times per match
Trends
Bet 2nd period: total under 2.5 goals
In the last nine matches involving Severstal, the second period has not been very productive
1.35Bet 1st period: Severstal will score
Cherepovets residents have scored in the opening period for five games in a row
1.52Tip and bets
Severstal have won five games in a row and are in great shape. In addition to Kirill Pilipenko, Daniil Aymurzin is also good in attack, having scored goals in five games in a row. The Steelworkers always perform very well in the Vologda Region and now they have everything they need to continue their winning streak. Neftekhimik scored a lot, but was very weak in defense. We think that the Wolves will not be able to cling to points in Cherepovets. We offer a bet on the home team winning in regular time.
Forecast - Severstal win for 1.85
Bet on individual total
Severstal has improved its defense, and goalies Konstantin Shostak and Aleksandr Samoilov have gained good form. Neftekhimik made good use of its chances in December, but it will not be easy for the visitors to beat a team that has conceded only six goals in four games. We believe that the hosts will hold off their opponents and will not allow the Wolves to score three times.
We bet on Neftekhimik individual total under 2.5 goals with odds of 1.63
Total Bet
Meetings between the teams are usually not very productive. Since 2022, only twice in this pair were there at least six accurate shots. Severstal has improved in reliability and will force Neftekhimik to play its game. We think that the meeting will not be bright and will end with a confident victory for the hosts, who will not concede many. Let play a bet on the total under goals.
We take the total under 5.5 pucks for 1.77
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