HC Dinamo Minsk - Lokomotiv Yaroslavl predictions and free betting tips [20/09/2023]

KHL regular championship for the 2022/2023 season. With an unusual kick-off time, as is tradition in Minsk. In their first home match, Dinamo will host Yaroslavl's Lokomotiv.

Dinamo Minsk

In the Kontinental Hockey League, there are not many non-Russian teams left, especially those that also play in other countries. There are only two such outfits, and after a very long six-match road trip and a five-day break, one of them, Dinamo, will finally play at home. Naturally, a prolonged away series has had an impact on the team's results. Out of 6 away games, Dinamo has won only two, both at the very start of the trip. Afterwards, they managed to just force one of the four matches into overtime, so at the moment Dinamo are only ahead of Vityaz and, surprisingly, SKA Saint Petersburg in the Western Conference. However, their point deficit is not that bad, so a fruitful home series could change the dynamics, and we could start talking about Dynamo not merely as a playoff contender, but as a team vying for top-4 spots in the West. 

Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 

Lokomotiv's situation is far more favourable. At the start of the season, they seemed to be in trouble. A defeat in their opening match and a shaky performance against Traktor raised questions about Lokomotiv's present strength. However, the Yaroslavl team pulled themselves together, got the better of SKA and only faltered once in subsequent matches. Although that single slip-up was indeed painful when Sochi demolished Lokomotiv on their home soil, things worked out great against other teams. Two wins over Kunlun and a victory over CSKA in the last match propelled Lokomotiv to fourth place in the tournament table with 10 points, only Sochi, Torpedo, and Dinamo Moscow have more. But Lokomotiv have a game in hand against Sochi, so they could move even higher after this match. The question is whether they will falter again, as happened against Sochi, especially since this is the third away match for the team and fatigue could set in. 

Head-to-head

Dynamo Minsk and Lokomotiv Yaroslavl have played each other 53 times. The team from Yaroslavl have prevailed 35 times, while the team from Minsk have come out on top 18 times.

Prediction

Betsiti sees the Yaroslavl team as the favourite in this match, with odds of 2.33 for their victory. On the other hand, the odds for a win by the home team, Dinamo, stand at 2.75. Here, I suggest backing the home team for victory, as this is their first home match of the season, whereas for the visitors, this is their third away match.