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Lokomotiv — Kunlun: forecast for the KHL match
Lokomotiv is returning home after an unsuccessful series of matches on the road. On February 20, Igor Nikitin's team will play against Kunlun on the ice of their home arena in Yaroslavl. The hosts are unlikely to miss the first place in the conference, but recently they have not shown their former level of hockey, which can have a bad effect on their performance in the playoffs. The Chinese still have a theoretical chance of reaching the final of the tournament, but they must not lose to do this. Who will be stronger? This is stated in the forecast for the confrontation
Command Analysis
Lokomotiv Yaroslavl
Russian FederationCurrent form
Lokomotiv retains its lead in the Western Conference table, but is gradually losing more and more points. The team led by Igor Nikitin scored 85 points in 57 matches and is already only 12 points ahead of Dynamo in second place, while the Muscovites played one less match. The Volga team has made a great start to the new calendar year and won six matches in a row, but now the guests have only three wins in nine matches. The Railwaymen are returning home after a disappointing away series. They lost in Minsk (1:3), then they celebrated their success in Cherepovets (5:1), and a day later they did not put the squeeze on Salavat Yulaev in Ufa (2:3, OT).
Alexey Melnichuk remains the main goalkeeper of Lokomotiv after Daniil Isaev's injury. He made three shutouts in 22 starts, but blocked a modest 91.19% of shots and was reliable only in games against underdogs. The first number of the hosts is already training with their partners, but the coaching staff is still protecting one of the leaders and giving the second goalkeeper the opportunity to get game practice.
Artur Kayumov retains his leadership in the club's goalscoring list and has scored three points in the last four games. The forward scored 39 points (18+21) in the goal+pass system and is already three points ahead of Maxim Berezkin (13+23), who has long been the best striker in the home team. So far, the rest of the attackers are not too good, because of this, the results of the Yaroslavl team have seriously deteriorated.
Disqualifications and injuries
Mark Ulyev will not be able to help his teammates in the game against the Dragons.
Interesting betting trends
- Lokomotiv gets 6.53 minutes of penalty time
Yaroslavl players demonstrate a disciplined game and are eliminated no more than three times per match on average.
- On average, Loko makes at least 31 shots per match.
Lokomotiv actively plays offensively and tries to make shots from any position.
HC Red Star Kunlun
ChinaCurrent form
Kunlun does not intend to give up and continues to fight for entry into the playoffs, but lately it has been moving further away from the eighth place in the West. Mikhail Kravets' team has been in ninth place in the West for a long time and has 53 points in its piggy bank after 56 matches. The Beijing team slowed down after a strong start to the new calendar year and lost six out of ten matches. The Dragons started at home with a victory over Traktor (4:3, OT), but after it they lost to Sochi (2:4), Ak Bars (3:6), Avtomobilist (1:2, OT) and Dynamo Moscow. The Stars got the right time to rest and analyze their game, and after returning, they sensationally outplayed Salavat Yulaev (4:2), but a day later they ingloriously lost to Torpedo (1:4). The Pekingese were able to quickly recover from the defeat and beat Vityaz in the shootout (5:4, B).
Kunlun remains the worst defensive reliability team in the conference. On average, Kunlun concedes 3.25 goals per game, while at home they concede 3.47 goals per match. At the same time, the Stars have recently made serious gains in their half of the court and have become much less likely to make mistakes on defense. Patrick Rybar proved himself well in the duel against the Uralians and reflected 92.99% this season. Jeremy Smith remains the number one in the Beijing team. It was he who helped his partners beat Vityaz in the last match.
Tomas Jurcio was Kunlun's top scorer for a long time, but now he is injured. The Slovak striker scored 29 goals (9+20) and is ranked 83rd on the KHL scoring list. Spencer Fu scored two more points (15+16) and is also one of the top 100 offensive players in the league. Along with them, Tyler Graovac (11+15) is among the top league leaders.
Disqualifications and injuries
Tomas Jurcio, Semyon Sinyatkin and Fu Jang are injured and will not play against the Steam Locomotives.
Interesting betting trends
- According to statistics, Kunlun allows you to hit your goal with at least 33 shots.
Red Stars usually don't play their best defense and don't have time to cover shots.
- Kunlun gets eight 7.91 minutes of penalty time
A team is usually eliminated more than four times per match.
Trends
Bet 1st period: total less than 1.5 pucks
In the last four games with Loko, the first period was not productive.
1.65Bet 3rd period: Kunlun will score
The Pekingese scored in the third period in five out of six games.
2.15Tip and bets
Lokomotiv is no longer so motivated for the rest of the season, because Igor Nikitin's team has secured a place in the playoffs and is unlikely to miss the first place in the Western Conference table. Yaroslavl residents have often lost lately, and if they win, it's with great difficulty. Kunlun is good in the second half of the season, and the Chinese team did not have enough points to qualify for the playoffs, which the Dragons lost in early autumn. We think that the "stars" will put up a fight against their opponent and at least not lose outright. We offer a bet on the victory of the guests with a plus handicap.
Prediction - Kunlun wins with Asian handicap (+2) for 1.68
Betting on an individual total
Kunlun was left without an attack leader, but this did not prevent the guests from scoring in recent games. The team from the Chinese capital scores only 2.46 per game, but now it can take advantage of the weakness of the Loko goalkeeper line, which has lost Daniil Isaev. This winter, Yaroslavl players regularly make mistakes in their half of the court and let them score.
We bet more than 1.5 pucks on the individual total of Kunlun with a coefficient of 2.00
Bet on the total total
Matches between these rivals rarely turn out to be boring. This season, the teams have played three matches against each other and in only one they failed to score at least five times between the two. The visitors need to move forward and prove their right to qualify for the playoffs. Lokomotiv always creates a huge number of chances, so we expect at least five accurate hits from the hockey players.
We take a total of more than 4.5 goals for 1.75
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