Torpedo vs Ak Bars Kazan Prediction 21 February 2026
🔊 Kazan, riding a three-game winning streak, continue their road trip along the Volga River. Next up is Nizhny Novgorod. Torpedo have managed just one regulation win in the past month-a less-than-stellar record for a team in the upper echelons of the Western Conference. Can the Kazan club extend their winning run? We break down this KHL regular season matchup and offer our prediction for the game on February 21.
Head-to-Head
📊 Over the past three seasons, Torpedo and Ak Bars have faced off eight times in the regular season: three wins for the team from Nizhny Novgorod, and five for the Kazan side. Three of their last four meetings extended beyond regulation time. Just a week ago in Kazan, the hosts pulled off a comeback victory (4-3 OT), with a crucial goal coming just 12 seconds before the final buzzer.
Head-to-head statistics Torpedo - Ak Bars Kazan
Torpedo N. Novgorod Team Overview
After the KHL All-Star break, the Nizhny Novgorod side suffered three consecutive defeats, losing to Lada (1-3), Ak Bars, and Dynamo Moscow (2-4). Recently, Alexei Isakov's team secured their first victory in two weeks with a win at "Nagorny" over the Shanghai Dragons (4-3 OT). This triumph ensured Torpedo's spot in the playoffs, although CSKA leads them on points lost.
At home, the Nizhny Novgorod team ranks among the top three scoring teams in the Western Conference, netting 87 goals in 28 games (an average of 3.11 per game). However, their defense has been problematic; only the Shanghai Dragons (90) and Lada (85) have conceded more than their 78 goals on home ice.
Before their victory over the Dragons, the coaching staff made three changes to the attacking lineup, though none affected the leading offensive lines: Shane Prince, Kirill Svishchev, and Ruslan Gazizov were sidelined, with Vladislav Firstov, Andrei Belevich, and Alexander Yaremchuk stepping in.
Match Results: Torpedo N. Novgorod
Ak Bars Kazan Team Overview
Kazan extended their winning streak to three games with a 4-2 victory over Lada, moving two steps closer to the second spot in the Eastern Conference. Ak Bars now have 79 points, while Avangard hold 82. Anvar Gatiyatulin's team is nearing the point where they could secure home-ice advantage for the first round of the Gagarin Cup before the end of February.
With 175 goals, Ak Bars rank among the top three scoring teams in the East. Kazan showcase the best defensive play on the road in the entire KHL, conceding only 58 goals in 27 away games (an average of 2.1 per game). The "Bars" have not allowed more than two goals in their last six road games.
Following their victory over direct rivals from Omsk (5-2), Anvar Gatiyatulin made just one change: Alexei Marchenko was left out of the lineup against Lada, replaced by Konstantin Luchevnikov in the third pairing. Defenseman Stepan Falkovsky remains on the injured list, as the Belarusian has been sidelined since mid-January.
Match Results: Ak Bars Kazan
⚡️ Leaders
Torpedo's forward Egor Vinogradov, with an assist against the Dragons, has climbed back into the KHL's top 10 scorers, tallying 49 points (20 goals, 29 assists). Vinogradov has scored points in six of his last seven games. Nizhny Novgorod's main playmaker remains defenseman Robert Nardella, who has 34 assists. Vasily Atanasov has scored goals in three consecutive matches.
Ak Bars' Alexander Barabanov (16 goals, 27 assists) and Kirill Semyonov (13 goals, 30 assists) both have 43 points. However, Barabanov is outpaced in the goal-scoring chart by Mitchell Miller and Dmitrij Jaskin, each with 17 goals. The Czech forward is on a three-game point streak (2 goals, 3 assists), while the returning Mikhail Fisenko has notched points in two consecutive games since his comeback (3 assists).
🥅 Goalies
Torpedo's goalie Denis Kostin, back in Nizhny Novgorod after six years, is having a stellar season. He ranks among the league's best in key metrics: save percentage (93.1%, 4th in the KHL), goals-against average (2.06, 3rd in the KHL), and shutouts (5, 2nd in the KHL).
Timur Bilyalov has showcased impressive form in recent away games, with a solid save percentage. The "Bars" netminder recorded 37 saves against Avangard (94.9%) and 23 against Lada (92.0%). With a goals-against average of 2.26 this season, Bilyalov is among the top ten goalies in the KHL.
Editorial Prediction
Ak Bars have proven to be a tough opponent for Torpedo at the Nagorny - in the last seven encounters, the Kazan side either clinched victory or pushed the game into overtime in six of them. Since late January, Nizhny Novgorod have managed just one regulation-time win.
Conversely, Ak Bars have suffered only one regulation loss since January 13th, and with the opportunity to stay in the race with Avangard providing solid motivation, we predict a double chance - Ak Bars will not lose in regulation time.
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Betting Tips: Torpedo N. Novgorod - Ak Bars Kazan
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