Metallurg Magnitogorsk vs Avtomobilist Prediction 16 March 2026
🔊 Both Metallurg and Avtomobilist are playing out the remainder of their regular season fixtures without any playoff positioning pressure, allowing them to focus on preparing for the postseason. Metallurg are locked in as the top seed, while Avtomobilist are set in fourth. What can we expect from a game that carries no standings implications? Let's analyze the trends and statistics ahead of this regular season clash in the KHL on March 16.
Head-to-Head
📊 Over the past three seasons, Metallurg and Avtomobilist have faced off 13 times in the regular season. The Magnitogorsk side claimed victory in nine of those encounters, while the Yekaterinburg team won four. In Magnitogorsk, the hosts have triumphed in 6 out of the last 7 regular season games against their Ural neighbors.
Head-to-head statistics Metallurg Magnitogorsk - Avtomobilist
Metallurg Magnitogorsk Team Overview
The Continental Cup holders have bounced back from a string of setbacks, securing three consecutive victories. However, all these wins came beyond regulation time. Andrey Razin's Traktor were defeated in a shootout (3-2 SO), while Salavat Yulaev and Sibir fell in overtime (both 2-1 OT). "Magnitka" have clinched the top spot in the East ahead of schedule, and their potential first-round opponents could be Neftekhimik, Sibir, or Amur.
On home ice, the "Foxes" have failed to secure a regulation-time victory in their last four outings, despite an even split between wins and losses during this stretch. The league's highest-scoring team, Metallurg, averages 3.94 goals per game in front of their fans.
Metallurg's injury list still includes one of their top scorers, first-line forward Dmitry Silantyev. In Novosibirsk, their leading defenseman Robin Press returned to the lineup, replacing Makar Khabarov. Nikita Mikhailis and Alexander Petunin were left out of the squad, with Ruslan Iskhakov making an experimental appearance on the top line.
Match Results: Metallurg Magnitogorsk
Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg Team Overview
Before their 3-0 home defeat to CSKA, Nikolai Zavarukhin's team had put together a record seven-game winning streak for the season, allowing no more than one goal in four consecutive games. Like Metallurg, Avtomobilist have already secured their final position in the standings - the Yekaterinburg side will finish fourth in the East.
On the road, Avtomobilist have won 5 of their last 6 matches - including back-to-back shutouts against CSKA and Dynamo Moscow. These results have greatly influenced the Ural club's defensive stats - only two teams concede fewer goals in away games than Zavarukhin's squad, who allow an average of 2.52 goals per game.
Avtomobilist's injury list is clear. In their previous match, key defensemen Nikita Tryamkin and Maxim Osipov, along with Anatoly Golyshev, Alexei Byvaltsev, and Nikita Shashkov, were absent. However, top-scoring defenseman Jesse Blacker, Stéphane Da Costa, and Brooks Macek have returned to the lineup.
Match Results: Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg
⚡️ Key Players
Metallurg owe much of their status as the highest-scoring team to their standout performers - Vladimir Tkachev (69 points, 12 goals, 57 assists) and Roman Kantserov (62 points, 34 goals, 28 assists). Unless something extraordinary happens, Kantserov is set to become the top scorer of the KHL season, while Vladimir Tkachev will likely claim the title of best playmaker. Defenseman Valery Orekhov has registered points in 4 of his last 5 games.
Daniel Sprong remains in the top 10 of KHL point scorers. The Dutch forward has tallied 57 points (26 goals, 31 assists). His streak of nine consecutive games with points ended against CSKA. Nikita Tryamkin has recorded points in 6 of his last 7 matches.
🥅 Goaltenders
For Metallurg, Alexander Smolin has been between the pipes for the last two matches, significantly boosting his stats. In four partial March appearances, he boasts a 96.1% save percentage with a goals-against average of 1.15. Ilya Nabokov, in three March games, has a save percentage of 91.5% and a goals-against average of 2.24.
Avtomobilist continue to alternate between goaltenders Yevgeny Alikin and Vladimir Galkin. In two March games, Alikin has conceded just one goal while making 59 saves, achieving a 98.3% save percentage. Galkin, across three appearances, has allowed four goals with 84 saves and a save percentage of 95.5%.
Editorial Prediction
As we've already noted, this game carries no tournament implications. In such scenarios, it's intriguing to observe how matches conclude when Ural clubs have no stakes in the result. Since the KHL introduced the two-point victory system, Metallurg have lost both of their non-decisive games, whereas Avtomobilist have triumphed in all three of theirs.
We are hesitant to pick a winner in a match that doesn't matter, but it's reasonable to predict that Metallurg might once again fail to secure a win in regulation time-just as they have in their last four games. Moreover, Avtomobilist have avoided defeat in regulation time in seven of their last eight matchups. Our editorial choice is a double chance X2, meaning Avtomobilist will not lose in regulation time.
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Betting Tips: Metallurg Magnitogorsk - Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg
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