Ak Bars Kazan - SKA Saint Petersburg predictions and free betting tips [14/11/2023]

Continental Hockey League regular tournament 2023/2024. Unquestionably the main game of the day and a battle in Kazan, where a possible rehearsal for the Gagarin Cup final might take place, much to the chagrin of supporters of other teams. At any rate, Ak Bars will be hosting SKA from Saint Petersburg on their home turf.

Ak Bars Kazan

Currently, the Kazan team is having problems. Before, it was suggested that Ak Bars could kick into gear at any moment and win. But now, they are facing issues with their gameplay. Indeed, they pulled together against SKA and CSKA, but those teams were on a decline. They have now encountered Lada and Metallurg, teams that are doing well, hence the challenges. Especially considering these two squads are Ak Bars' direct competitors in the East's upper table. As it stands, Ak Bars has descended from being the conference leader for a long time in terms of lost points. Currently, after playing 29 games, Ak Bars holds 38 points and is fourth in the tournament table. They achieved this through 13 regular time wins, five in overtime, and two losses during the same, with the other nine games resulting in a loss with no points. Additionally, Ak Bars is second in the East for goals scored, along with Avangard, and third in goals conceded after Traktor and Salavat Yulaev.

SKA Saint Petersburg

The current crisis within SKA seems unstoppable. We witness back-to-back wins against reputable teams such as Traktor and Neftekhimik, but they are far from perfect. Roman Borisovich Rothenberg's outburst at Saint Petersburg's journalists during press conferences speaks volumes about the tension. So, SKA has won three out of their last four games but still lacks confidence in the future. These victories have temporarily improved their tournament standings. After 28 encounters, SKA is seventh with 30 points, achieved through 13 regular-time wins, two beyond, and 13 losses with no points. There is still much for SKA to improve. On the plus side, they have a robust defence - third place in the West after Dynamo and Lokomotiv with 66 conceded goals. The issue arises with the scoring; the mere sixth place in the conference is disastrous for SKA.

Head-to-head

Ak Bars and SKA have had 39 matches together. SKA has a slight advantage with 20 victories, while Ak Bars has only 19. However, in this season, Ak Bars managed to overcome SKA with a score of 3:2.

Forecast

SKA's victory in a match, meanwhile, comes with odds of 2.05. If you're feeling risky, you could bet on SKA's victory, but it's an incredibly challenging decision.