HC Barys - HK Avangard Omsk predictions and free betting tips [28/12/2023]

It's the Kontinental Hockey League's regular championship 2023/2024. For the second match of the game day, we head to Astana, where Barys Astana again will try to fight their crisis and take their first regulation time victory at home since the main coach's departure. Blocking their way will be the formidable Avangard Omsk.  

Barys Astana

The Astana team isn't aiming for much this season, let's be frank, their main objective is to prepare the national team for the world championship. The current KHL matches are essentially player preparation for the national team. Yes, there are some players who are ineligible for the national team but they are now few and far between. Their number would have been even smaller if Mambetaliev had remained the head coach. But he was replaced during the break, and team general manager Bolyakin has assumed the coaching role. Can we say that this change made a big difference to Barys? No.

In the three matches since the coaching change, Barys have managed only one win, against HC Sochi in overtime. As of now, Barys stands at the very bottom of the Eastern Conference ladder with 33 points from 43 matches. Barys amassed their points total through six regulation time wins, seven beyond it, and another seven losses with one bonus point. The remaining 23 fixtures saw Barys lose without accruing any additional points. Barys has the second-worst record for conceded goals—135 to be exact. With goal scoring, it's slightly better—fourth from the bottom in the East with 99 goals. 

Avangard Omsk

The Omsk team made quite the noise at the deadline. At the time of writing this forecast, it's still uncertain whether the import player and Damir Zhafyarov have joined the team. However, we do know for certain that Nikolai Prokhorkin will be on the roster, which means Avangard has completely reshuffled its second line, a component that has been identified as a problem area for the team. But, let's not just talk about transfers. Avangard has played four games since the break, winning in two and losing in two.

Interestingly, Avangard has been alternating between wins and losses, suggesting if the trend continues, they should lose their next match. At present, Avangard lies second in the conference with 59 points from 42 games. They have achieved this tally through 17 regulation time victories, 11 beyond, and yet another three losses in overtime. The remaining 11 matches saw Avangard lose without garnering any additional points. They sit second in the conference for scoring with 128 goals - but defensively they are a bit shakier, letting in 109 goals to sit fifth in the league. 

Head to Head

Barys and Avangard have faced each other in 68 fixtures. Barys emerged victorious 21 times, while Avangard clinched 47 wins. This season, Avangard has taken both fixtures with scores of 4:1 and 5:1.  

Prediction

Avangard as the favourites for this match, with a 1.77 odds to win. Conversely, the odds for Barys Astana to triumph stand at 4.30. Given the disparity in the teams' current level of play, I propose to simply go for an Avangard victory. 

Prediction for the Total Game

If you're seeking a prediction apart from Avangard's victory, the Total Over (4.5) for 1.80 looks promising. Both teams tend to score quite a bit, and their defensive records suggest they concede a fair number of goals too. Thus, a cumulative haul of five goals between the two is a fairly reasonable expectation.