KAZAN (Interstat) — Avangard will visit Ak Bars in a Kontinental Hockey League game Wednesday at TatNeft Arena, with both clubs looking to build on recent wins and strengthen their standing in a tight race. Both teams remain focused on climbing the standings and will try to carry recent success into the matchup. The contest begins a busy stretch for both clubs as each continues its league schedule.

Avangard enters at 9-8 after a 3-2 overtime win at Dynamo Moscow in its most recent game. Michael McLeod and Mikhail Gulyayev each had a goal and an assist in that victory, and Ivan Prosvetov made 23 saves on 25 shots. Prosvetov is the player to watch for Avangard. In his previous recent outings, he stopped 23 of 25 shots in a 3-2 win at Dynamo Moscow and made 29 saves on 31 shots in a 4-2 win against Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg. Avangard has had mixed results this season, but the club has shown an ability to stay competitive in low-scoring games and will need a strong defensive effort on the road against Ak Bars. Avangard has also produced a 2-1 shootout win against Traktor and a 1-0 road win at Neftekhimik, though it has struggled at times to generate consistent offense.

Ak Bars enters at 10-10 after a 2-1 win at Salavat Yulaev in its most recent game. Maxim Arefyev is the player to watch for Ak Bars. He made 31 saves on 32 shots in that victory and has faced a heavy workload of late. In recent appearances, Arefyev stopped 38 of 40 shots in a 3-1 loss at Traktor Chelyabinsk, made 35 saves on 36 shots in a 2-1 loss to Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod, turned aside 20 of 22 shots in a 3-2 win at Shanghai Dragons and made 19 saves on 22 shots in a 3-2 loss to HC Sochi. Alexander Chmelevski scored in the most recent win, and Nikita Yevseyev recorded an assist. Ak Bars will look to use home ice and a strong goaltending performance to carry momentum into its next stretch of games.

The matchup at TatNeft Arena will feature two teams that have traded momentum throughout the season. Avangard will aim to carry its overtime success into the road trip, while Ak Bars will try to use home ice to string together wins. Both goaltenders could play a major role in a game that figures to be decided by special teams, discipline and finishing chances around the net.

Interstat’s game simulator is projecting a final score of Avangard 3, Ak Bars 2. The over/under for this game is 4.5.