SKA St. Petersburg vs Avtomobilist Prediction 20 October 2026
🔊 Major changes are underway in Saint Petersburg. After suffering five consecutive defeats, SKA have parted ways with Igor Larionov, appointing Andrei Razin as their new head coach. In his very first game, Razin will get a chance to see just how quickly the Army Men can pull themselves out of their slump. Their opponents aren’t having the easiest time either: Avtomobilist have lost their last two games on the road and have a habit of making costly mistakes late in matches. It’s worth noting that this summer, the Yekaterinburg side lost twice to SKA in preseason friendlies. Can the Saint Petersburg club replicate that success now under Razin’s leadership?
They got the job done twice over the summer.
📊 The teams last met during their summer pre-season preparations, with SKA coming out on top against Avtomobilist on both occasions. However, pre-season friendlies rarely provide an accurate gauge of the sides’ true strength in competitive action. The landscape has shifted since then: SKA head into this clash under new management and on the back of a five-game losing streak, while Avtomobilist continue to struggle away from home. Notably, KHL head-to-head stats show that SKA often make a strong start when hosting the Ural club in Saint Petersburg.
Head-to-head statistics SKA St. Petersburg - Avtomobilist
Razin starts with a clean slate
Five consecutive defeats have dropped SKA to eighth place in the Western Conference. Their offense is a particular cause for concern: over their last two outings against Severstal and Lada, the St. Petersburg side failed to find the net, despite firing a combined 64 shots on target. The power play has also dried up, with SKA going 0-for-17 over the past five games. In response to this slump, the club parted ways with Igor Larionov and appointed Andrei Razin as head coach on a two-year deal. Razin lifted the Gagarin Cup with Metallurg in 2024, but he now faces an entirely different set of challenges in St. Petersburg. Injured players Bardakov, Weissbach, and Murphy remain unavailable for selection.
SKA’s most recent fixture against Lada brought yet more frustration. The Army Men outshot their opponents 36-21 but couldn’t solve Nikita Podskrebalin between the pipes. The only goal of the game came early in the second period when the hosts capitalized on a power play. SKA had chances to respond-including nearly two minutes with a two-man advantage-but a penalty of their own quickly nullified that opportunity. The visitors pressed hard in the third period, but a final push never truly materialized. Artemiy Pleshkov left the net with just 50 seconds remaining, and SKA slipped to a 0-1 defeat. Now, Razin must find a way to reignite an attack that continues to draw blanks, even with a high volume of shots.
Match Results: SKA St. Petersburg
The third period ruins everything.
Avtomobilist are noticeably more confident at home, recently recording back-to-back shutouts on their own ice. In terms of average expected goals against (xGA), the Yekaterinburg side rank among the top three teams in the Eastern Conference at 2.53. However, they struggle to maintain the same defensive solidity on the road. The Ural club have conceded four goals apiece against Barys and Avangard, with Vladimir Galkin’s injury further complicating matters. Alexei Kudashov’s team are particularly prone to mistakes in the final twenty minutes: they have allowed at least two goals in the third period in four of their last five outings. Shashkov is also sidelined through injury.
This issue resurfaced in Magnitogorsk. Avtomobilist trailed after the opening period but managed to turn things around in the second thanks to goals from Maxim Denezhkin and Maxim Tarasov. They entered the third period up 2-1, but couldn’t hold onto their advantage. Metallurg struck three times in the final frame, with the last goal coming into an empty net (2-4). Yekaterinburg even outshot their opponents on target (34-31), but that proved insufficient when it mattered most. Kudashov is facing a real challenge with these late-game collapses-an issue that becomes even more pressing ahead of a clash with a rival also desperate to turn their fortunes around.
Match Results: Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg
Prediction for the 1st period
SKA have scored at least once in the first period in six of their last seven home games against Avtomobilist. While St. Petersburg’s attack has struggled lately, the arrival of a new head coach could provide the spark they need for a strong start. On top of that, the visitors have looked shaky defensively in recent road games. The pick: SKA Over 0.5 goals in the 1st period at 1.6.
Total Prediction
Avtomobilist rarely deliver high-scoring performances against SKA. In six of their last seven head-to-head meetings, the Yekaterinburg side have scored fewer than three goals. Despite SKA’s current struggles, this trend is worth noting, especially given Avtomobilist’s poor run of form on the road. The recommended bet is Avtomobilist Individual Total Under 2.5 Goals at odds of 1.76.
Match Outcome Prediction
Avtomobilist have lost six of their last seven KHL away games in regulation, often dropping points due to poor third-period performances, as seen recently in Magnitogorsk. SKA are also going through a rough patch, but the home debut of Andrei Razin brings added intrigue to this clash. The pick is a SKA win in regulation at odds of 2.03.
⭐️ Editorial Prediction
SKA enter Andrei Razin’s debut having failed to score in their last two games, averaging just 1.4 goals over their previous five outings. During that stretch, the St. Petersburg side have not managed more than three goals in a single game. Avtomobilist, meanwhile, hardly set the standard defensively, conceding an average of three goals across their last five matches. Still, expecting an immediate turnaround in SKA’s offense simply due to a coaching change seems overly optimistic. Razin faces a real challenge in improving both finishing and the power play, which has been ineffective for five straight games. Even against a defensively vulnerable opponent, it’s tough to back SKA to put up four goals here. My pick: SKA under 3.5 total goals.
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Betting Tips: SKA St. Petersburg - Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg
in 6 of last 7 away games (KHL).
in 15 of last 17 games against Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg (KHL).in 8 of last 9 home games against Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg (KHL).in 7 of last 8 home games against Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg.in last 6 away games (KHL).in 9 of last 10 games against Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg (KHL).in 7 of last 8 games (KHL).in 7 of last 8 games against Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg (KHL).in 11 of last 12 away games (KHL).
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