Amur Khabarovsk - Admiral Vladivostok predictions and free betting tips [21/11/2023]

Continental Hockey League regular tournament 2023/2024. Tuesday in the KHL is usually a big game day; there can be exceptions, but not this Tuesday. As per tradition, the game day will be kick-started with a match in the Far East, the second round of the derby. Amur in Khabarovsk will host Admiral from Vladivostok.

Amur Khabarovsk

Don't accuse me of being a harsh detractor of Andrey Martemyanov, but it's tough to behold the current state of Amur without shedding tears. On one hand, the team signed up players at a level unseen in Khabarovsk since the start of the 2010s during the off-season. One would anticipate results, or at least a qualitative strengthening of the team's play. But instead, Amur appears weaker than last season when they had young loanees on the roster. As a result, the team might seem stronger by its composition, is weaker in performance, and remains the same in results as the previous season.

Currently, Amur is in the tenth place, with 11 main-time victories, one penalty shootout win, and an additional six defeats with a single point, after 32 matches. The remaining 14 matches were losses without any additional points. If we talk about the game, it's noticeable through the number of goals scored - 68, the second-worst in the East, and defensively they rank seventh, with 85 goals conceded.

Admiral Vladivostok

While Amur occasionally puts together quality matches and leaders pull out results, the situation with Admiral is dreadful. The prime sensation of last season, Admiral lost all their attacking leaders in the off-season and, during the ongoing season, saw both their goalkeeper Nikita Serebryakov and main defensive legionnaire Kolby Williams depart. It seems as if Admiral's anticipation is already on the next season, nevertheless, there are still slim chances for the playoffs.

Plus, all of Admiral's remaining matches until next year are either in the Far East or in Novosibirsk, which isn't too far, so the decisive moment of the season for Leonid Tambiev's team has arrived. Admiral is currently 12th in the East, having gathered 22 points from 30 matches, through five main-time victories, three beyond its boundaries, and six matches with one point. The remaining 16 matches were losses without any additional points. Admiral scored the fewest goals in the East - 61, and conceded 88, making them fourth-worst in the East.

Head-to-Head

Amur and Admiral have played 51 matches against each other. Admiral proved to be stronger 29 times, while Amur could only pull off 22 wins. In this season, Admiral managed a victory in the last match, with a score of 2:0.

Forecast

Interestingly, after Admiral's victory in the previous match, the odds for Amur further decreased. Betsiti now offers odds of 2.00 for the hosts' victory, while Admiral's victory rests at 3.50. One can consider the victory of Amur given the logic that not all matches can be won, and by the theory of probability, Amur should have more chances. 

Total

Therefore, my choice here is TO (4.5) with 1.98 odds. Yes, the teams score less and concede moderately, thus the under total looks a safer bet. However, I believe there are chances of a game with five or more goals.