SKA - Metallurg Magnitogorsk. Introducing the opponents

CURRENT STANDINGS

3. SKA, 13 matches, 8 regulation victories, 2 defeats, 1 overtime defeat, 2 penalty shootout defeats, goal difference 40-32, 19 points

8. Metallurg Magnitogorsk, 12 matches, 6 regulation victories, 2 penalty shootout victories, 4 defeats, goal difference 30-22. 16 points

FORM

Metallurg, coached by former SKA boss Ilya Vorobyov, have made a strong start to the campaign by earning eight triumphs in 12 games. Boasting a powerful, experienced squad with the likes of familiar faces Yegor Yakovlev, Sergei Plotnikov, Nikolai Prokhorkin and Maxim Karpov on their books, the Magnitogorsk-based outfit have proven difficult to beat with their organised manner of play. Furthermore, Metallurg have been particularly strong on the road so far in the 2020/2021 KHL regular season, only losing the one match to Avangard Omsk in Balashikha (0:2).

Today's visitors have won two of their last three games in the league, beating Lokomotiv in Yaroslavl (4:3 SO) and Neftekhimik in Nizhnekamsk (4:1) while conceded a home loss to Avtomobilist Ekaterinburg (2:3). The two-time Gagarin Cup champions currently occupy fifth position of the Eastern Conference.

SKA have just returned from a tough away trip, in which our youthful team managed to defeat Sibir in Novosibirsk (6:4) and Amur in Khabarovsk (3:1) before suffering a narrow penalty shootout loss to Barys in Kazakhstan (2:3 SO). Nevertheless, despite that setback, five points from the three matches was deemed a positive result and our young players will be looking to progess even further when taking on Metallurg at home. With 13 games in the book, SKA are sitting in second place of the Western Conference, only trailing CSKA Moscow by four points.

POINTS LEADERS IN LAST FIVE MATCHES

SKA

Vladimir Tkachyov: 4 (2+2) points

Evgeny Timkin: 4 (1+3) points

Dmitry Zavgorodniy: 4 (0+4) points

METALLURG MAGNITOGORSK

Sergei Plotnikov: 5 (1+4) points

Juho Lammikko: 3 (3+0) points

Yegor Yakovlev: 3 (1+2) points

Between the pipes, 29-year-old Finnish goaltender Juho Olkinuora has dislodged Vasily Koshechkin to become first choice for Metallurg, recording a save percentage of 94.1%, a goals against average of 1.68, two shutouts and four victories in his seven appearances so far. For his part, Koshechkin has participated in six games, gaining a saves percentage of 93.8%, a goals against average of 1.81 and two wins.

As for SKA, Mikhail Berdin has largely been impressive since joining our club in September, tallying a 91.0% save percentage, a goals against average of 2.53 and two victories in five matches. The talented 22-year-old has stood out with his ability to pull off spectacular stops.

WHERE TO WATCH

Puck drop is scheduled for 19:00 local time at the Saint Petersburg Ice Palace. Match TV, KHL TV HD (online purchase available) and Channel 78 will provide a live television broadcast in Russia. You can follow text updates on our official Twitter account.