Dynamo vs AK Bars Kazan Prediction 22 August 2025

The "White and Blues" secured the bronze in the 17th KHL season. Under the guidance of Alexei Kudashov, they entered the playoffs from second place and immediately faced the St. Petersburg "Army Men." Gusev and his squad weren't intimidated by the might of Roman Borisovich Rotenberg's team and knocked the perennial gold medal contenders out of the Gagarin Cup race. However, Dynamo stumbled against Traktor Chelyabinsk, managing to win only one of five games in the series. Even former Chelyabinsk forward Dylan Sikura couldn't counter the Urals team this time. Moscow's transfer campaign can be deemed successful: they retained Nikita Gusev and lured Maxim Mamin and Fredrik Claesson from CSKA. While Menell and Rashevsky departed, the astute Alexei Kudashov is sure to find suitable replacements for these players.

Anvar Gatiyatulin's squad finished only fifth in the East last season and immediately faced a tricky Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg in the playoffs. This thrilling series stretched to a seventh game, where 30-year-old Kirill Semyonov secured victory for Kazan in overtime. As previously mentioned, the "Bars" then faced Dynamo and concluded their Gagarin Cup campaign. In August, Jaskin and company already played three friendly matches. They overcame neighbors from Almetyevsk and Nizhnekamsk but fell to Tolyatti's Lada in a shootout (1-2). During the offseason, seasoned player Mikhail Fisenko moved from Tolyatti to Kazan. Additionally, Canadians Brandon Biro and Wyatt Kalynuk have joined the team. However, they will miss Petan and O'Dell on the power play (the latter would surely have relished a reunion with his former club).