Lada vs HK Avangard Omsk Prediction 6 February 2025

🔊 Does Togliatti even want to win? Lada has completely stopped fighting for a playoff spot. The club from the Samara region has already suffered seven consecutive defeats and will soon lose even the mathematical chances of continuing the fight in the Gagarin Cup. Avangard, on the other hand, continues to demonstrate its iron character. Even losing a "lion's" share of the main squad players, the team regularly earns points.

📊 Head-to-head

In the current regular season, the opponents met three times, and the advantage remained with the Togliatti team, who won twice (3:1, 4:3) with only one away defeat (6:7). The most productive player in those encounters was Avangard forward Konstantin Okulov, who managed to score a brace and an assist in the third game. Also noteworthy is Lada forward Magomed Sharakanov, who managed to score two goals in one game for the first time at the KHL level.

🔵 Lada

This week, Pavel Zubov ceased to be an acting head coach and became the full-fledged head coach of the club. However, this managerial decision did not lead to drastic changes on the ice. In the last nine matches, the Togliatti team suffered eight defeats and managed to beat only Dinamo Minsk (6:4). However, that victory was Pyrrhic, as the club has not celebrated success in seven consecutive matches since then. Mathematical chances for making the playoffs still exist, but there are no prerequisites for it whatsoever.

🔴 Avangard

Guy Boucher's charges consistently demonstrate their truly resilient character. The team, depleted by injuries, stubbornly continues to earn points and pursue its main goal - getting into the Gagarin Cup playoffs. In the last five matches, the "hawks" suffered only one defeat in regulation time, against Salavat Yulaev (2:4). The Omsk team continues to hold the sixth position in the East and is unlikely to drop below eighth. Meanwhile, the guests remain the main enigma of the KHL - it's hard to predict what this club is capable of.

🔗 Probable Lineups

Lada: Volkov - Berezin, Ibragimov - Kamara, Volkov, Kugryshev

Avangard: Berdin - Chistyakov, Sharipzyanov - Fiore, Igumnov, Okulov

🥅 Goalkeepers

Lada's goalkeeper Konstantin Volkov found himself in Togliatti after Moscow Dynamo (via Kunlun). But his stay in the Samara region cannot be called successful so far. Here he has already suffered three defeats and only once managed to maintain a 90% save rate.

Avangard's goalkeeper Mikhail Berdin has been forced to play without substitutions after his partner Nikita Serebryakov's injury. And the Russian is coping with the increased workload. In the last three matches, he maintained an impressive 91% save rate and did not lose in regulation time. How long he will have to play at this pace remains unclear.

📝 Editorial Prediction

The crisis in Togliatti has become obvious to everyone. Rumor has it that the team has significant financial problems, and there are well-founded doubts about whether the club will compete in the KHL next season. All this directly affects the players' actions on the ice. Lada has lost seven matches in a row, five of which were at home. Yes, the "hawks" are seriously depleted, but as practice shows, this does not bother the Omsk team at all. Our key bet is on Avangard's victory.