Avtomobilist vs Salavat Yulaev Ufa Prediction
🔊 The second game of the first-round series is here, and expectations for more goals are rising. The opening match ended 2-0, highlighted by stellar goaltending and a high level of physicality, with a combined 36 penalty minutes. Will the forwards now take center stage instead of the goalies? Let's delve into the second game of the Gagarin Cup 2026 Round of 16 and offer an insightful prediction for the match on March 25. Read more.
Head-to-Head
📊 Over the past three seasons, Avtomobilist and Salavat Yulaev have clashed 13 times: the team from Yekaterinburg triumphed in nine games, while the team from Ufa claimed victory in four. On home ice, Avtomobilist have won 6 of their last 7 head-to-head encounters, including the first game of the current series (2-0).
The last playoff meeting between these teams was in 2019. Salavat Yulaev emerged victorious in the second-round series, winning in five games. In Yekaterinburg, the visitors won twice (1-0 and 4-1), while the hosts secured one win (2-0). In Ufa, the "Yulaevtsy" were stronger on both occasions (2-1 OT and 4-2).
H2H Stats Matches and Previous Teams Results
Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg Team Overview
The Yekaterinburg club approached the first game of the series with patience, once again showcasing their status as one of the best teams in second-period play. The Ural team scored both goals in the second twenty minutes, with Daniel Sprong netting a double just two and a half minutes apart during his debut match in the Gagarin Cup.
Despite their opponents receiving six penalties, Avtomobilist rarely had a proper power play, as most of the penalties were offsetting. However, they stood strong on the penalty kill, successfully playing two clean minutes in the third period. In the series opener, Avtomobilist shared the title of the most penalized team with Ufa, racking up 18 penalty minutes. Yet, they also topped the rankings for takeaways (7) and proved to be the most careful team, committing only 12 turnovers.
Match Results: Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg
Salavat Yulaev Ufa Team Overview
The Ufa club largely kept their emotions in check during the opening game. However, they struggled with converting their chances - they had several breakaways against Vladimir Galkin. The crucial moments came in the early minutes of the second period, forcing Salavat Yulaev to open up and allow opportunities near their own goal.
Salavat Yulaev only had one full power play opportunity, which came ten minutes before the end of regulation time. In terms of attack time, the visitors outplayed their opponents by nearly a third - 13:44 compared to their opponent's 10:04. The tense start to the match was highlighted by a disastrous number of turnovers from the visitors, with six in the first period alone.
Match Results: Salavat Yulaev Ufa
Latest news
Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg
💬 Head coach of Avtomobilist, Nikolai Zavarukhin: “There were some concerns about the team being tense in the first playoff game, worried that emotions might get the better of them. There was a lot of battling and even some fights; I liked seeing the guys stand up for themselves and the team, showing character. Galkin kept us in the game.”
❌ Yevgeni Alikin, who suffered a concussion, was listed as the backup goalie for the first match. Returning from injuries over the weekend were defenseman Maxim Osipov and forwards Anatoly Golyshev, Brooks Macek, and Danil Romantsev.
Salavat Yulaev Ufa
💬 Salavat Yulaev's head coach Viktor Kozlov: "We had some good attacks. It's the playoffs, and we need to play patiently and wait for our moment. It's risky to charge recklessly against a team like Avtomobilist."
❌ Evgeny Kuznetsov has managed to recover in time for the playoff games and has appeared in the second forward line. On Salavat Yulaev's injury list remain defenseman Alexander Komarov and forward Vladislav Yefremov.
⚡️ Key Players
Daniel Sprong delivered a phenomenal performance for Avtomobilist, showcasing his scoring prowess once again. The Dutch forward demonstrated why he topped the club's scoring charts this season. Having already amassed 33 points (18 goals, 15 assists) in 23 regular-season games for the Ural club, he added another 2 goals in the playoffs. Vladimir Galkin, Jesse Blacker, and Alexander Sharov provided the assists for the Dutchman's goals.
From Salavat Yulaev's perspective, there wasn't much to highlight in terms of results from the first game. However, fans will be expecting standout performances from their regular-season top scorers-Sheldon Rempal (46 points, 15 goals, 31 assists), Zack Redmond (44 points, 21 goals, 23 assists), and Alexander Zharovskiy (42 points, 16 goals, 26 assists).
🥅 Goaltenders
Vladimir Galkin is likely to remain Avtomobilist's number one goaltender. He stopped all 31 shots faced in the first game, securing his tenth shutout in the KHL and reaffirming his consistent regular-season stats-a 93.4% save percentage and a goals-against average of 2.12.
Semyon Vyazovoy saved 34 out of 36 shots (94.4%), only faltering for two minutes early in the second period during his 58 minutes of ice time. It's worth noting that the 23-year-old goalie played almost the entire regular season without substitutions.
Editorial Prediction
Avtomobilist's playoff performance stats highlight a trend of avoiding consecutive low-scoring games. In five out of six instances where the Ural club kept a clean sheet in the Gagarin Cup, the following game saw at least four goals scored in total by both teams combined. Even leading up to the current tournament, Avtomobilist and Salavat Yulaev consistently scored at least four goals across ten consecutive KHL matches. The editorial pick for the second game of the series is over 4 total goals in the match.
Betting Tips: Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg - Salavat Yulaev Ufa
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