On September 12, in the fifth round Avangard will play Ak Bars. The current season's leader hosts last year's Gagarin Cup champion. The game promises to show hockey in all its colors. FutZon has prepared its own forecast and review of the upcoming event.
"Vanguard"
Avangard started in Balashikha with a victory over Neftekhimik with a score of (4-2). The match was an even fight until the 3rd period. In the last 20 minutes, the hosts pumped things up, took three times as many shots and finished the game with a comfortable win. Pokka managed to score in the minority. Overall, the Hawks demonstrated a championship performance. How it happened is below in the review. Hartley's team is undefeated so far, takes first place in the East and is not going to give up its position.
Avangard's next opponent is not an easy one, the KHL champion. At the same time, Kazan does not demonstrate a game equal to last year. Omsk is able to bring the matter to victory again, the main thing is not to reduce the quality in defense. The opponent is no less strong in attack, but concedes much more. While the hosts allowed 4 own goals, the guests allowed themselves to concede 14. This will be the main factor in the success of some and the failure of others.
"Ak Bars"
Ak Bars has 2 wins and the same number of losses. But even so, Barys managed to beat Barys by only one goal - (4-3). Kazan looked worse and shot less, but successful execution in the 2nd period provided the necessary groundwork for the rest of the game. In a sense, the Leopards rebounded. You can see the goals and chances further in the review:
The guests are slack, they don’t show even half of their capabilities. Frequent removals do not allow you to catch your breath; you constantly have to play defensively without raising your head. Saves another important element— winning the throw-in. In this, Ak Bars is more successful than its opponent. True, now we have to play the first match of the away series of the year, how will the champion cope with this? The pressure is already enormous, and then there’s the conference leader. One thing is for sure - the match will be spectacular.
Statistics of confrontations: “Avangard” - “Ak Bars”
Previously, Ak Bars performed successfully in Omsk. Only Avangard is already based in another place, in Balashikha near Moscow. This will make its own adjustments to the outcome of the upcoming meeting.
Omsk will continue to put pressure, Avangard is sure to be determined to maintain its leadership position despite the opponent. It is important for the Bars to overcome failures and change the direction of the game in a different direction. Nobody wants to give in. We expect a fight from the game, the attack will come to the fore. Considering the capacity of the guests, the total must be broken.
Best team in the league at the moment against best team last season. Who will win in a head-to-head duel? We believe that Avangard will be closer to victory.
Pre-match information
Hockey. Continental Hockey League. Regular season.
"Avangard" - "Ak Bars"
Arena: “Arena-Balashikha named after Yuri Lyapkin” (Balashikha). 09/12/2018. Start of the match: 19:30 (Moscow time).
Team form
Bob Hartley's players continue to amaze the hockey community. Four confident victories at the start of the championship, in which Avangard leaves no chance for its rivals. It seemed that in the last match Neftekhimik had good chances to at least reach overtime, but the Omsk club calmly took away all hopes from Andrei Nazarov's team, scoring two unanswered goals in the third period. Avangard enjoys the game. They don't work, they enjoy. No matter how strong the opponent’s defense is, in every match the Omsk team finds an opportunity for a huge number of dangerous moments.
The Kazan club is not even close to optimal shape yet. Zinetula Bilyaletdinov never sought to bet on the beginning of the championship, so this should not come as a surprise. Ak Bars failed the match for the Opening Cup, losing to SKA - 1:6. This was followed by two difficult victories against Dynamo Minsk and Barys, as well as an ordinary defeat against Vityaz, with whom the Kazan team traditionally plays poorly. Despite bad results, there is no doubt that Ak Bars is going according to plan.
History of personal meetings
Within KHL teams met each other 36 times. The Omsk club won 14 victories in them, and Ak Bars had 22 victories. The goal difference is also in favor of the Kazan club – 102:69. Last season, Ak Bars and Avangard played two head-to-head matches, in which Omsk won: the score was 3:4 in Kazan, and 5:3 in Omsk.
Betting options
It is difficult to say what will happen to the teams during the decisive matches of the season, but it is obvious that Avangard has currently gained great shape, and Ak Bars, after a short off-season, is entering the season with difficulty. Based on this, Bob Hartley's team, which is still unbeaten in the championship, is the clear favorite in the upcoming meeting.
The Omsk club scored 17 goals (4.25 per game) against its opponents in its four matches. If we leave out the match with Dynamo Minsk, in which the Kazan club beat the opponent 2:0, in the remaining three meetings Zinetula Bilyaletdinov’s team conceded 14 goals (4.67 per game). Updating the defensive line at Ak Bars is painful.
Omsk Avangard goalkeeper Igor Bobkov plays without substitutions after Kari Ryamo’s injury, which is gradually starting to take its toll. In the first game of the season, he scored a goal, in the second and third matches he missed one goal each, and in the match against Neftekhimik he missed two goals already, and it’s hard to say that it was impossible to save the scoring shots. Considering that last season the teams had very effective matches, scoring 8 and 6 goals against each other, we should also expect large quantity abandoned pucks.
12.09.2018
On the next game day of the KHL regular championship, Avangard in Balashikha will play with Ak Bars. The match will take place on September 12 at 19-30 Moscow time.
Content:
the site notes that in the last championship both meetings ended with victories for Avangard.
Vanguard
Avangard managed to make it to the playoffs last season, but already in the 1/8 finals the team turned out to be weaker than Salavat Yulaev in a 7-game confrontation. At the same time, the club from Omsk started the current season very confidently, winning all four meetings, and is among the leaders in the East. Let us note that in the last match the squad beat Neftekhimik at home 4-2, and before that they won away victories three times.
Ak Bars
Ak Bars, in turn, is the winner of the Gagarin Cup. Note that in the final series the team was stronger than CSKA Moscow. In the same championship, the team from Kazan is not yet distinguished by its stable play. In the opening match, the club lost heavily at home to SKA 1-6, and then beat Dynamo Minsk 2-0 and Barys 4-3, and also lost to Vityaz 3-5.
Avangard - Ak Bars expert forecast
Avangard is showing a strong performance at the start of the season, and moreover, recently the club from Omsk has not lost to Ak Bars at home. From here the site makes a forecast for the match Avangard - Ak Bars: Victoria of the Hawks with a zero handicap.
Also, note good game The avant-garde is in attack, and we’ll bet on the hosts’ total goals to be more than two. Along with this, there is a high chance that the number of goals scored in the match will exceed 3.5.
Important statistics and interesting facts
- Note that in the last ten head-to-head matches, Avangard won four times and Ak Bars won six times.
Omsk Avangard made an impeccable start in the KHL championship, winning four victories in a row. But will Omsk cope with the current champions – Kazan Ak Bars?
September 12. 19:30. Hockey. KHL. Regular season. "Avangard" - "Ak Bars". Stadium "Arena Balashikha" (Balashikha). Live broadcast on the KHL TV channel.
Omsk Avangard is a team that cannot return to its previous level. For six years now, the “hawks” have not been able to overcome the barrier of the quarterfinals of the Gagarin Cup. Moreover, in recent years there have been a lot of intrigues surrounding the Omsk team, damaging the image of the club. However, the start of this season shows that all this is in the past. Avangard won four victories with a total difference of 17:4.
IN last match It wasn’t easy for Bob Hartley’s team with Neftekhimik. The “Wolves” play similar hockey to the “Hawks”, so it was not possible to push them through in the opening of the match. And yet, the Omsk team, as befits a great team, were able to put the finishing touches on their opponent. In the third period, Avangard materialized a serious game advantage of two unanswered goals, winning with a score of 4:2.
The Avangard selection looks very rational. The team refuses hockey players who do not fit the style, for example, Vitaly Menshikov. At the same time, the “hawks” are signing very decent newcomers. Thus, defenders Alexey Emelin and Cody Fransson joined the team. The Hawks' attacking potential will also be enhanced by star forward Kris Wesrtig.
“Ak Bars” in the current off-season is a quiet champion’s haven. The team from Tatarstan retained 80% of its winning team. The Tatarstanians replaced the departed hockey players with good newcomers, namely Andrei Pedan, Paul Postma and Pavel Padakin. True, such a rational selection did not allow the Leopards to start the season successfully. The champions were humiliated by SKA in the Opening Cup, and also lost to Vityaz.
There are two forwards in the Ak Bars infirmary - Andrey Popov and Alexander Svitov. Goalkeeper Kari Rämö will definitely not help Avangard. The health status of Mikhail Fisenko, who was injured in the match with Neftekhimik, is unclear. Statistics face-to-face meetings in recent years indicates the advantage of Avangard. In four of the six previous matches, Omsk won victories over Leopards.
Estimated team compositions:
"Vanguard": Goalkeeper: Igor Bobkov;
Defenders: Ville Pokka, Nikita Pivtsakin, Evgeny Medvedev, Nikita Lisov, Maxim Berezin, Alexey Emelin, Cody Fransson, Maxim Chudinov;
Forwards: Denis Zernov, Kirill Petrov, Sergey Shirokov, Andrey Stas, Ansel Galimov, Dmitry Maltsev, Ilya Mikheev, Semyon Koshelev, Alexander Perezhogin, Valentin Pyanov, Kirill Semyonov, Chris Versteeg, Artyom Manukyan;
"Ak Bars": Goalkeeper: Emil Garipov;
Defenders: Andrey Markov, Andrey Pedan, Mikhail Sidorov, Albert Yarullin, Paul Postma, Nikita Lyamkin, Rafael Batyrshin;
Forwards: Stanislav Galiev, Artem Lukoyanov, Vladimir Tkachev, Pavel Padakin, Anton Lander, Mikhail Glukhov, Jiri Sekach, Justin Azevedo, Alexander Burmistrov, Alexey Potapov Rob Klinkhammer, Vladislav Kara, Daniil Voevodin;
Conclusion:
Avangard impressed at the start of the season, Ak Bars did not convince. However, you should not blindly believe impressions from previous matches. “Leopards” know how to squeeze out results by playing pragmatic and boring hockey. This is exactly the scenario that seems likely for the next match. Therefore, as a forecast for the match Ak Bars - Avangard, we recommend TM 5, rated by BC Leon with a coefficient of 1.56.
Avangard is very good. But Ak Bars is much more dangerous than it seems
"Ak Bars" will be careful when leaving the zone, and "Spartak" will lose to "Dynamo" Minsk
"Avangard" - "Ak Bars"
Rates: “Ak Bars” will not lose in regular time for 1.87, “Ak Bars” victory in the first period with a zero handicap for 2.28, a goal in the first 10 minutes - no for 2.10, “Ak Bars” will open the scoring for 2.15, total less than 1, 5 power play goals for 1.68.
“Avangard” rushed at the start of the season so dashingly that it was impossible not to be impressed. Four victories in four matches, three of which were won away, is not so bad. After all, in the short term, anyone can win several matches in a row with a bit of luck. But this is clearly not the case here.
The Hawks were indeed noticeably better than their opponents in each of the four matches. Bob Hartley's team is the best in terms of quality of play at the start of the season, and this looks much more serious and convincing than just the number of points scored. The Omsk players are strangling their opponents with high pressure all over the court to the envy of a boa constrictor. Judging by the level of coherence and systematicity of this pressure, it is impossible to say that it is only the first half of September.
Avangard consistently does not leave the ice without 4-5 goals, creates a lot of chances and does not allow opponents to raise their heads in their zone, and Igor Bobkov was recognized best goalkeeper first week of the regular season. A deep roster, high-profile signings in recent weeks - now the Hawks look like an almost perfect killing machine.
But Ak Bars is rolling into the season without haste, but with a bunch of annoying symptoms. Two victories in four home matches, 1:6 from SKA, worsening problems with the goalkeeper crew and an unconvincing game in the majority - against this background, the outcome of the upcoming meeting may seem obvious, but not everything is so simple.
Firstly, the Kazan team always and in any condition were able to squeeze out everything they needed in big matches. Secondly, the Leopards played their previous game on September 7, and the Omsk team played their previous game on the 10th. Three days of rest is a significant head start if you most often have to go to the site every other day. In addition, the “hawk” style is very energy-intensive and directly depends on movement.
“Ak Bars” not only had to be fresher, it had a three-day head start to prepare for a specific opponent. Considering the meticulousness of Zinetula Bilyaletdinov, the style and features of Avangard were probably fully studied.
Thirdly, Lokomotiv, Dynamo, Severstal and Neftekhimik are clearly not the strongest clubs in the league. Each of them has difficulty starting an attack and overcoming the middle zone, which Bob Hartley’s guys used to the fullest, provoking mistakes from their opponents over and over again.
Ak Bars will become Avangard's first top opponent this season, and a lot of time for preparation should help the Kazan team minimize the number of shots and sloppy passes when going from defense to attack. And Emil Garipov, who was experiencing health problems, went with the team to the away series.
This does not mean that the Leopards will certainly inflict the first defeat of the season on the Omsk team, because the team from Tatarstan has enough problems. But it’s still not worth overestimating the “hawks” after four victories over opponents of the “strong, but no more” level. Avangard's chances look preferable, but it is wrong to consider the hosts as clear favorites.
Since bookmakers underestimate Ak Bars, it is worth considering several options. “The guests will not lose in regular time” for 1.87, “the guests’ victory with a zero handicap” for 2.53, “the final victory for the guests” for 2.44 - these are quite workable bets. A frontal victory for the Kazan team costs 3.30 (too risky), and a victory with a handicap (+1) is estimated at 1.58 (too modest) - it is better to refuse these offers.
The guests, after Bilyaletdinov’s theoretical lessons on analyzing the opponent, should start the match competently, and therefore you can think about the following bets: “the guests will win in the first period with a zero handicap” for 2.28 and “a goal in the first 10 minutes - no” for 2.10 and “the guests will open the scoring » for 2.15.
Avangard still hasn’t scored a single goal in the power play, and Ak Bars’ special teams have scored only two goals. Perhaps, “total less than 1.5 goals in the power play” for 1.68 has excellent chances of passing. But it’s better to refrain from betting on small fines: both teams are far behind, but the fundamental status of the meeting can lead to heightened emotions.
"Dynamo Mn" - "Spartak"
Rates: the final victory of Dynamo Mn for 1.91, the individual total of Spartak is less than two goals for 2.15, the total is more than 8.5 minor penalties for 1.68.
The Minsk team remains the only team in the West without any points. In general, the level of play of the “bisons” is not high, but they definitely deserved a couple of points. “Spartak,” on the contrary, noticeably went overboard with points at the start of the season: either Nikita Bespalov would pull out a bunch of hard shots, or the opponent would score an own goal out of the blue.
Perhaps bookmakers underestimate Minsk residents. The team has strengthened its roster and will play on its own ice, and the chair swaying under Gordie Dwyer should add motivation to Dynamo. Spartak had an incredible easy calendar at the start of the season (“Amur”, “Admiral”, “Kunlun” and “Vityaz”), which led to a revaluation of the red and white. In fact, defensive failures and instability have not gone away.
The home team wins in regular time for 2.40, and taking into account overtime - for 1.91. “Individual total of guests less than two goals” for 2.15 also looks good. By the way, last season Spartak became 21st in the number of points on the road, and the Minsk team traditionally performs much better at home than away.
The meeting should be tense and tough. Both teams receive an average of 5.25 two-minute penalties per match, so “total more than 8.5 minor penalties” should be taken for 1.68. If you wish, you can think about TB 9.5 removals for 2.10.
