Ak Bars vs Avangard. What will be the second meeting of principal rivals?
Kazan Tatneft Arena on March 4 will be the venue for the second match of the first round of the playoffs of the Gagarin Cup between local Ak Bars and Omsk Avangard. The score in the series is 1-0 in favor of Avangard.
The Kazan club spent a rather modest season by its own standards. For the first time in several years, Barca did not participate in the championship fight in the East, eventually stopping in fourth place. There are enough objective reasons, here are some problems with the composition, when three legionary slots were already filled towards the end of the regular championship. The team was strengthened by three Canadian hockey players (Mark Barberio, Jason Demers, Eric Fehr), but time will tell how good this reinforcement is. At the moment, the newcomers have played only 16 matches for three, having scored one abandoned puck. The most productive player in the first part of the championship was Dmitry Kagarlitsky, who scored 34 points (12+22) in the regular championship.
The fourth place in the regular championship allowed Ak Bars to start the playoffs with two home matches, which usually gives a certain advantage. Of the minuses - a rival, Bars got Avangard, the current owner of the Gagarin Cup. And the first game confirmed the high class of the opponents. Absolutely equal game, which was blown up by the Omsk puck in the middle of the third period. Kagarlitsky equalized by moving the game into overtime, but there luck was on the side of the Avangard hockey players, who managed to score the winning goal in the fourth minute of overtime.
Avangard
The tournament path of Avangard during the season is in many ways similar to the fate of Ak Bars. Also, most experts saw the Omsk club as one of the contenders for the championship in the East, and also, for a number of reasons, the Avangard did not show its full potential. To some extent, Avangard became a hostage of its own personnel policy when, after the 2020/21 championship season, a number of key players left the team for various reasons. Transfers to the entrance have not yet fully worked. Advertised Peter Tseglarik has not yet justified the advances given, gaining only 25 points for performance in 39 matches played. 20-year-old Arseniy Gritsyuk, who, in addition to a bright game at the club, managed to take silver as part of the national team at the last Olympics, should be attributed to the openings of the season as part of the Avangard.
Despite certain game problems, Avangard confidently qualified for the cup eight, finishing the regular season in fifth place. The team went to Kazan without two forwards, Alexander Dergachev and Yaroslav Kosov are still on the injured list of the Avangard. This did not prevent the Omsk team from starting with a victory in the series. The hero of the first match was Nikolai Prokhorkin, who first opened the scoring in the third period, and then put a winning point in overtime. Vanguard wins 2-1, taking the lead in the series.
Our Expert Predictions & Analysis on Ak Bars vs Avangard
Ak BarsThe Kazan club spent a rather modest season by its own standards. For the first time in several years, Barca did not participate in the championship fight in the East, eventually stopping in fourth place. There are enough objective reasons, here are some problems with the composition, when three legionary slots were already filled towards the end of the regular championship. The team was strengthened by three Canadian hockey players (Mark Barberio, Jason Demers, Eric Fehr), but time will tell how good this reinforcement is. At the moment, the newcomers have played only 16 matches for three, having scored one abandoned puck. The most productive player in the first part of the championship was Dmitry Kagarlitsky, who scored 34 points (12+22) in the regular championship.
The fourth place in the regular championship allowed Ak Bars to start the playoffs with two home matches, which usually gives a certain advantage. Of the minuses - a rival, Bars got Avangard, the current owner of the Gagarin Cup. And the first game confirmed the high class of the opponents. Absolutely equal game, which was blown up by the Omsk puck in the middle of the third period. Kagarlitsky equalized by moving the game into overtime, but there luck was on the side of the Avangard hockey players, who managed to score the winning goal in the fourth minute of overtime.
Avangard
The tournament path of Avangard during the season is in many ways similar to the fate of Ak Bars. Also, most experts saw the Omsk club as one of the contenders for the championship in the East, and also, for a number of reasons, the Avangard did not show its full potential. To some extent, Avangard became a hostage of its own personnel policy when, after the 2020/21 championship season, a number of key players left the team for various reasons. Transfers to the entrance have not yet fully worked. Advertised Peter Tseglarik has not yet justified the advances given, gaining only 25 points for performance in 39 matches played. 20-year-old Arseniy Gritsyuk, who, in addition to a bright game at the club, managed to take silver as part of the national team at the last Olympics, should be attributed to the openings of the season as part of the Avangard.
Despite certain game problems, Avangard confidently qualified for the cup eight, finishing the regular season in fifth place. The team went to Kazan without two forwards, Alexander Dergachev and Yaroslav Kosov are still on the injured list of the Avangard. This did not prevent the Omsk team from starting with a victory in the series. The hero of the first match was Nikolai Prokhorkin, who first opened the scoring in the third period, and then put a winning point in overtime. Vanguard wins 2-1, taking the lead in the series.
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