Avtomobilist - SKA. Match day

SKA will begin their four match long away series today against HC Avtomobilist in Yekaterinburg.

Today's opponents Avtomobilist have generally been regarded as one of the KHL's weak links, however in recent years they have been gradually improving. They have already been in the playoffs two seasons in a row, and so far they have been excellent. With 40 points they sit in an impressive second of the Eastern Conference, and young coach Andrey Razin has had a lot to cheer about. Their main star is Czech international goaltender Jakub Kovar, and he has an 92.0% saves percentage to his name along with one shutout. Summer signing Petr Koukal has led the line well in attack with 12 points (3+9), however their top scorer is fellow Anatoly Golyshev on 14 (9+5). Despite their recent success Avtomobilist have been struggling with their consistency, and cannot string two wins in a row together. Their previous outing saw the Ural outfit go down to HC Slovan Bratislava 3:4 on penalty shots.

With Sergei Zubov now in temporary charge SKA got an important win against Lada in the last match, with Anton Burdasov's third period goal firing the team to a 2:1 victory. Nevertheless SKA still find themselevs outside the playoffs slots in tenth place of the Western Conference, and need a win to keep in touch.

The Avtomobilist - SKA match will begin at 17.00 Moscow time inside the Uralets stadium, Yekaterinburg. Life78 will broadcast the game live, and you can keep up to date with events by following our official Twitter account.