Jokerit - SKA. Introducing the opponents

CURRENT STANDINGS

13. Jokerit, 17 matches, 9 regulation victories, 2 overtime victories, 5 regulation defeats, 1 overtime defeat, goal difference 61-42, 23 points

9. SKA, 22 matches, 12 regulation victories, 7 regulation defeats, 2 penalty shootout defeats, 1 overtime defeat, goal difference 65-56, 27 points

FORM

In the concluding KHL match before the international break, Jokerit tallied a confidence-boosting victory against HC Sochi on the road, claiming a tense 5:4 victory in overtime. Previously, the Finns had lost 2:5 to Severstal in Cherepovets after launching an incredible four-goal comeback to defeat Barys 5:4 in the extra frame in Kazakhstan, conceding a 1:4 setback against Amur in Khabarovsk and beating Sibir 4:3 in Novosibirsk. The Finns, who have played less games than SKA as a result of match postponements, currently occupy 13th spot of the regular season standings with 23 points on the board. Jokerit have recently signed a number of new players on temporary contracts as a result of illness within the team.

SKA are struggling for consistency. In the previous home series in Saint Petersburg, our players produced an impressive performance to power to a 5:2 triumph over a strong Avangard Omsk side, but they then subsequently contrived to lose 1:2 to Kunlun Red Star despite tallying more than 40 shots on target. In the Western Conference, SKA are still in second place with 27 points, trailing leaders CSKA Moscow by nine points.

POINTS LEADERS IN LAST FIVE MATCHES

JOKERIT

Brian O'Neill: 9 (2+7) points

Peter Regin: 5 (2+3) points

Viktor Loov: 4 (1+3) points

SKA

Kirill Marchenko: 6 (4+2) points

Linden Vey: 6 (0+6) points

Emil Galimov: 5 (3+2) points

In goal, 32-year-old Anders Lindback is expected to start for Jokerit, holding a save percentage of 91.6%, a goals against average of 2.43 and one shutout in the current KHL season. SKA goaltender Mikhail Berdin has a save percentage of 91.7% and a 2.52 goals against average for our team.

WHERE TO WATCH

KHL TV will provide a television broadcast in Russia, whereas you can purchase a live video from the KHL's official website worldwide. Text updates will be provided on our Twitter account.