HK Avangard Omsk - SKA Saint Petersburg predictions and free betting tips [06/02/2024]

The Continental Hockey League regular championship 2023/2024. The opening match of the game day, the game of the year. Although in fact, it's simply a match for the first place in the league. Avangard in Omsk will be hosting SKA from St. Petersburg.

Avangard Omsk

Avangard has started a series of matches against top opponents. This series began with a match against Ak Bars, where Avangard managed to win 4:2. Then there was a loss to Traktor, when Avangard squandered a 3:0 lead. And then the last match against Metallurg ended with 3:4 defeat in overtime. Avangard conceded a goal just 0.1 seconds before the end. Amid these matches, they calmly beat Barys, resulting in seven points out of a possible ten in the last five meetings for Avangard.

At present, Avangard is second in the league, having gathered 82 points from 58 matches. Avangard earned these points through 27 regular time victories, 12 beyond that, and a further four defeats in overtime. The remaining 15 matches were lost without any extra points. Avangard shares second place for goal scored with Salavat Yulaev – 176 goals. As for goals conceded, Avangard is noticeably worse, only fifth place with 147 goals conceded.

SKA St. Petersburg

The club from St. Petersburg has started another winning streak. Roman Rotenberg's team, which is soon moving to a new arena, would like to enter as the leader of the entire KHL. But as of now, SKA is only in second place and lags behind Metallurg by a single point with a game in hand. SKA has been very good recently. Five out of five victories. Despite a poor start to the season, SKA has made a commendable comeback and deserves its position. However, the last match got quite nervy for fans, as SKA clinched a 4:3 victory against Salavat Yulaev after leading 4:0.

Currently, SKA leads the Western Conference standings, having gathered 83 points from 59 matches. These points were acquired through 35 regular time victories, five outside of that, and three defeats with a bonus point. The remaining 16 matches were lost outright. They are second in the conference for goals scored (190) and share the lead for goals conceded with Lokomotiv (117 each).

Head to Head

Avangard and SKA have faced each other 38 times. Of these, 17 victories belong to Avangard, while SKA has claimed 21 games. This season, Avangard managed to overpower their opponents with a 5:3 scoreline.

Prediction

I suggest backing SKA's victory as they're currently an incredible team.

Total Prediction

If you wish to hedge your bets, consider choosing ITO2 (2.5) at 1.82. This is because SKA is performing exceptionally well offensively, while Avangard tends to concede a lot against such teams.