Ak Bars vs Traktor. Who will be stronger on the Kazan ice?
The capital of Tatarstan on February 8 will host the next match of the KHL regular championship. Kazan Ak Bars, on the ice of the local Tatneft Arena, will welcome guests from Chelyabinsk - the Traktor hockey club.
Already now, three weeks before the end of the regular season, Bars have practically lost all chances to intervene in the fight for the distribution of prizes in the Eastern Conference standings. The 12-point gap from the leading Metallurg speaks volumes about Ak Bars' performance in the championship, although before the start of the tournament it was the Kazan club that was named among the main contenders for victory. The main task for the remaining matches is to try to cling to fourth place, which will allow the team to start in the first round of the playoffs with home games. Now Ak Bars is still fifth, with 72 points scored, only one point behind Avtomobilist in fourth.
Bilyaletdinov's team could already easily bypass the Ural club in the standings, but unexpectedly failed in the last game, losing heavily at home to Novosibirsk Siberia. It would seem that the opponent was quite passable, and the Siberians are outside the cup eight, but only the first period turned out to be equal, ending with the score 1-1. Subsequently, only the guests scored goals, eventually finishing the game with a sensational victory with a score of 4-1. It’s a shameful defeat, because before that Barsy won three victories in a row on the road, beating Barys, Sibir and Traktor with a total score of 11-2.
Traktor
One of the main competitors of Ak Bars in the fight for the coveted fourth place in the East is precisely the Chelyabinsk Tractor. Now the Urals are in sixth position, while the team has exactly the same number of points as Ak Bars, so victory in the upcoming match is extremely important for both opponents. Another contender for fourth place is the Tolyatti Lada, so the end of the championship in the East promises to be hot.
Tractor got into excellent playing shape at the end of the regular season, managing to score seven victories in its last ten matches. Standing apart are two away victories in Nizhnekamsk and Omsk, which Traktor hockey players achieved while being inferior to their opponents in the score. The Chelyabinsk team lost to Neftekhimik during the match 1-3 and 2-4, but in the end they put the squeeze on the opponent in a shootout after a 5-5 draw in regulation time. In Omsk, Traktor was losing 0-3 already by the tenth minute of the first period, but managed to turn the tide of the match, achieving a strong-willed victory 5-4.
Our Expert Predictions & Analysis on Ak Bars vs Traktor
Ak BarsAlready now, three weeks before the end of the regular season, Bars have practically lost all chances to intervene in the fight for the distribution of prizes in the Eastern Conference standings. The 12-point gap from the leading Metallurg speaks volumes about Ak Bars' performance in the championship, although before the start of the tournament it was the Kazan club that was named among the main contenders for victory. The main task for the remaining matches is to try to cling to fourth place, which will allow the team to start in the first round of the playoffs with home games. Now Ak Bars is still fifth, with 72 points scored, only one point behind Avtomobilist in fourth.
Bilyaletdinov's team could already easily bypass the Ural club in the standings, but unexpectedly failed in the last game, losing heavily at home to Novosibirsk Siberia. It would seem that the opponent was quite passable, and the Siberians are outside the cup eight, but only the first period turned out to be equal, ending with the score 1-1. Subsequently, only the guests scored goals, eventually finishing the game with a sensational victory with a score of 4-1. It’s a shameful defeat, because before that Barsy won three victories in a row on the road, beating Barys, Sibir and Traktor with a total score of 11-2.
Traktor
One of the main competitors of Ak Bars in the fight for the coveted fourth place in the East is precisely the Chelyabinsk Tractor. Now the Urals are in sixth position, while the team has exactly the same number of points as Ak Bars, so victory in the upcoming match is extremely important for both opponents. Another contender for fourth place is the Tolyatti Lada, so the end of the championship in the East promises to be hot.
Tractor got into excellent playing shape at the end of the regular season, managing to score seven victories in its last ten matches. Standing apart are two away victories in Nizhnekamsk and Omsk, which Traktor hockey players achieved while being inferior to their opponents in the score. The Chelyabinsk team lost to Neftekhimik during the match 1-3 and 2-4, but in the end they put the squeeze on the opponent in a shootout after a 5-5 draw in regulation time. In Omsk, Traktor was losing 0-3 already by the tenth minute of the first period, but managed to turn the tide of the match, achieving a strong-willed victory 5-4.
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