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Avtomobilist vs. Traktor: KHL match forecast
The fifth series of the Ural derby will take place on December 26 in Yekaterinburg. At the beginning of the season, Avtomobilist beat Traktor twice, but the last two games were won by the bears. The Chelyabinsk team is trying with all its might to maintain its leadership in the East. The hosts have not been successful in December, so now Nikolay Zavarukhin team has fallen to fifth place in the conference. Who will get the important points? Read our forecast
Command Analysis
Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg
Russian FederationCurrent form
Avtomobilist is currently in fifth place in the Eastern Conference with 44 points. The team was recently on a long winning streak, after which it is expected to be on the decline. In December, the hosts still have only one victory, while they have lost six of the previous seven matches. In a long away series, the "machinists" looked very bad and were able to unexpectedly turn on in Yaroslavl, where they managed to beat the local Lokomotiv (3:1). A day later, Nikolay Zavarukhin charges could have won against Severstal in Cherepovets, but after quick goals they relaxed and missed a positive result (2:3).
Anatoly Golyshev team is still very dependent on the play of their goalies. Vladislav Galkin and Evgeny Alikin have lost their former form and have not been helping their partners out lately. The younger Galkin brought an important victory in Yaroslavl from a psychological point of view and now he has better statistics. The Ural alumnus has reflected 92.32% of shots this season and made three shutouts in 20 starts.
Stephane Da Costa was recently the league top scorer. The Frenchman currently has 36 points (8+28) in the goal+pass system and continues to provide assists to his teammates in large quantities. He is followed by Brooks Macek, who has 27 scoring actions (13+14) and has been the most successful finisher of Avtomobilist attacks.
Disqualifications and injuries
Nick Ebert will not play in the next match.
Interesting trends for betting
- Avtomobilist wins 46.4% of faceoffs
The Yekaterinburg team looks weak at the point and often loses to its opponents in this indicator
- "Auto" receives an average of 7.89 minutes of penalty time
The team is usually sent off at least four times per match
Traktor
Russian FederationCurrent form
Traktor nominally remains the leader of the East, but the position of the team from Chelyabinsk looks very weak. The visitors have 52 points after 38 matches, but Salavat Yulaev, which has one match in reserve, has earned exactly the same amount. In the second half of November, the team under the leadership of Benoit Groulx seriously slowed down and alternated victories and defeats. After the roar in the Channel One Cup, the Bears lost on their home ice to Dynamo Minsk (1:3), and two days later beat Barys (3:2) with the support of their fans. Having received a couple more days to rest, the Black and Whites achieved success in Astana (5:3), taking the lead in the score at the very beginning of the confrontation.
The Traktorists have improved in terms of realizing their chances and have scored eight accurate shots in the last two matches. Vladimir Tkachev team remains the most scoring in its conference, and Maxim Shabanov remains the club best forward. The young forward earned 37 points (16+21) and often makes a significant contribution to the guests' success.
Zach Fucale started the season very strongly, but gradually slowed down and began to make more mistakes. The Canadian goalie stopped 92.59% of the shots in his possession, although not long ago he was the best in the KHL in this parameter. The overseas goalie left the ice five times without allowing a single puck.
Disqualifications and injuries
All the visiting leaders will play in Yekaterinburg.
Interesting trends for betting
- On average, Traktor wins 53.1% of faceoffs
The Bears win more than half of their faceoffs.
- The Black and Whites block 16 shots per game on average
The team plays well in the first period and often scores goals in it
Trends
Bet 2nd period: total over 1.5 goals
In three out of four matches involving Traktor, the second period was productive
1.80Bet 1st period: “Tractor” with handicap (0)
Chelyabinsk residents have not lost in the first period for three games in a row
1.75Tip and bets
Avtomobilist is clearly out of sorts, as evidenced by the results the team has been demonstrating in this period of the season. Nikolai Zavarukhin charges do not score many goals and regularly rely on the actions of their goalies. Traktor is gradually getting into shape, and the visitors do not intend to part with their status as the leader of the Eastern Conference. In the last two games between the teams, it was the Bears who celebrated success. We think that the Chelyabinsk team will take the lead in the series of matches between the rivals. We offer a bet on a zero handicap for the visitors.
Prediction - Traktor win with handicap (0) for 1.78
Bet on individual total
Traktor is gradually gaining momentum and has become better in attack after the international break. Maksim Shabanov is in excellent shape and has scored in three previous games. Avtomobilist has not played its best defense in December, and goalies Evgeny Alikin and Vladislav Galkin have become less likely to bail out their partners. We think that the visitors will score at least three times.
We take Traktor individual total of more than two goals for 1.95
Total Bet
This season, the teams have played each other four times and only once in this pair were at least five goals not scored. Traktor began to put more pressure on the opponents' goal, and Avto makes more mistakes in defense. We think that the visitors will force Nikolay Zavarukhin charges to open up and the meeting will be bright. Let play a bet on the total over.
We bet on a total of over 4.5 goals with odds of 1.77
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