Ak Bars Kazan vs Sochi Prediction 13 March 2026
🔊 The league's bottom team, after back-to-back games in Moscow, heads to Kazan where Ak Bars can secure a top-3 spot in the Eastern Conference with a win. It's hard to imagine that the southern team, having lost nearly all their away games in recent months, will pull off an upset. For a detailed breakdown of the scenarios and trends ahead of this KHL regular season matchup, check out our editorial team's prediction here.
Head-to-Head
📊 Over the past three seasons, Ak Bars and Sochi have faced off just four times, with each team securing two victories. Interestingly, the not-so-prolific "Leopards" have managed to score at least two goals against the "Bars" in six consecutive head-to-head encounters.
Head-to-head statistics Ak Bars Kazan - Sochi
Ak Bars Kazan Team Overview
Anvar Gatiyatulin's team has picked up points in 9 of their last 10 games. Heading into their final home game of the regular season, Kazan are riding high on two consecutive convincing victories-over Sibir (6-3) and Spartak (4-1). Ak Bars still have a shot at clinching the second spot in the Eastern Conference, although they trail Avangard by five points with four games remaining in the season.
At home, the "Bars" have won 4 of their last 5 encounters. Ak Bars remain one of the most prolific teams in the KHL when playing in front of their fans, averaging 3.42 goals per match. However, their home defense isn't their strongest suit, conceding an average of 2.70 goals.
Ak Bars have a clean bill of health. Their main goaltender, Timur Bilyalov, is still recovering, but the coaching staff has indicated they won't rush his return for the final games of the regular season. Against Spartak, Denis Komkov replaced Mikhail Fisenko as the center in the third line.
Match Results: Ak Bars Kazan
Sochi Team Overview
The Southerners have managed only three wins against 12 losses since the beginning of February. Interestingly, all three victories for Sochi came against teams in the top eight of the Eastern Conference playoff standings. Ak Bars need to be cautious in their matchup against the "Leopards." After suffering three consecutive defeats-twice to CSKA (both 1-2) and once to Torpedo (3-4)-Dmitry Mikhailov's team has lost any chance of securing ninth place in the West, but they can still avoid finishing last.
On the road, Sochi have lost 8 out of their last 9 games, maintaining the worst record in the league for points earned away from home (26.6%). Sochi have been shut out more than any other KHL club in away games (six times), while also having the league's weakest offense (averaging 1.84 goals per away game) and defense (conceding an average of 4.06 goals).
In their previous match, the Southerners were without Timur Khafizov, Denis Vengryzhanovsky, and Dmitry Kagarlitsky. Jean-Christophe Baudin returned to the top forward line, while Danil Mokrushev rejoined the top defensive pairing.
Match Results: Sochi
⚡️ Leaders
Ak Bars boast one of the most formidable contingents of top-30 scorers. Leading the points tally for the Kazan side is Kirill Semyonov with 52 points (16 goals, 36 assists), while the top goal-scorer is Alexander Barabanov with 20 goals. Among the top playmakers is Nathan Todd, and the most productive defenseman is Mitchell Miller.
The league's weakest attack doesn't have much to showcase. Topping their scoring chart is Daniil Seroukh with 32 points (12 goals, 20 assists). Max Ellis leads in goals with 16, and Matvey Guskov is the best playmaker with 22 assists. Guskov has been effective, contributing in 3 of the last 4 games.
🥅 Goalkeepers
In Timur Bilyalov's absence, Maxim Arefyev has been between the pipes for Ak Bars in the last three games. The goalie conceded eight goals, saving 91.3% of shots faced, with a goals-against average of 2.70.
Pavel Khomchenko has shouldered the primary goaltending duties for Sochi in March. Over five games, he allowed just nine goals, boasting a save percentage of 95.0%. For the first time since January, he strung together three consecutive games with a save percentage above 90%.
Editorial Prediction
Despite being the league's current bottom team, Sochi have managed to avoid heavy defeats in their last seven games, even putting up a fight in both away matches against CSKA. Meanwhile, Ak Bars have struggled to assert themselves at home against the league's underdogs this season-though the Kazan side haven't lost any of their six games in regulation time, they haven't won any by a margin of three goals either. We predict that Sochi will continue to battle hard and cover the spread (+2.5).
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Betting Tips: Ak Bars Kazan - Sochi
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