Salavat Yulaev Ufa vs Ak Bars Kazan Prediction 25 October 2026

Salavat Yulaev have secured their spot in the Eastern Conference playoff zone, although Viktor Kozlov’s side still face plenty of questions after recent performances. On their Far East trip, the Ufa club fell to Admiral (0-2) and nearly dropped points against Metallurg as well. Defensive issues remain the main concern: Salavat concede an average of 3.2 goals per game. Even when their offense delivers, costly mistakes at the back often prevent them from closing out games. Against Metallurg, however, Salavat managed to offset their defensive lapses with clinical finishing, converting 14.8% of their shots on target. Heading into the derby, the squad are missing Alalykin, Alekseev, Bogdanov, and Gorshkov through injury. Stuart’s status remains uncertain.

In Magnitogorsk, the visitors struck first-Maxim Kuznetsov found the net in just the second minute-but by the first intermission, Salavat were trailing 1-3. They failed to capitalize on a five-on-three power play but managed to kill off a three-on-five disadvantage in the second period. The turning point came in the final twenty minutes: Alexander Zharovsky cut the deficit, Vadim Shipachyov converted on the power play, and Jack Rodewald put Ufa ahead with two minutes left in regulation. However, Salavat couldn’t hold onto their lead-Metallurg equalized with just 63 seconds remaining. In the shootout, Sheldon Rempal sealed the win, while Ivan Bocharov stopped every attempt he faced. Salavat came away with a 5-4 SO victory despite being outshot 27-45. The team showed plenty of character, but defensive questions linger ahead of their clash with Ak Bars.

Ak Bars entered the season as one of the frontrunners in the Eastern Conference, but October has been anything but kind to Anvar Gatiyatulin’s side. The Kazan club have dropped six of their last eight games, slipping to fifth place with 20 points from 19 outings-already ten points adrift of leaders Metallurg. Their scoring woes have been particularly glaring: in four of those eight recent games, Ak Bars have managed fewer than two goals. It’s not the defense that’s letting them down, either. Over the last four matches, they’ve conceded just seven goals in regulation, but even that defensive solidity hasn’t translated into consistent points. Artem Galimov remains sidelined through injury, while Timur Bilyalov is out due to illness and will miss the trip to Ufa.

In Chelyabinsk, Ak Bars again struggled to find their offensive rhythm. Traktor peppered the visitors’ net with 17 shots in the opening period alone, compared to just six from Kazan, but Maksim Arefyev kept the hosts at bay early on. The pressure eventually told in the second, as Nathan Légaré and Ivan Vydrenkov put Traktor two goals up. Kazan’s only response came in the third period, when Ravil Yakupov netted his first career KHL goal off a faceoff win by Andrei Stas. Late on, Ak Bars pulled their goalie for an extra attacker but conceded an empty-netter to seal a 3-1 defeat. Over the full 60 minutes, Ak Bars managed just 20 shots on target to Traktor’s 41, and failed to convert on all three power play opportunities. Next up is the “Green Derby,” where a solid defensive performance alone may not be enough to get a result.