SKA - Sibir. Presenting the opponents

CURRENT STANDINGS

4 .SKA, 8 matches, 6 victories, 1 overtime defeat, 1 regulation defeat, goal difference 26-17, 13 points

16. Sibir, 8 matches, 1 victory, 1 overtime victory, 1 overtime defeat, 5 regulation defeats, goal difference 20-25, 5 points

FORM

So far, Sibir have endured a tough start to the 2020/2021 KHL regular season, losing their opening four matches to Avangard Omsk (0:1), Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod (3:4), Severstal Cherepovets (1:2) and CSKA Moscow (1:2 SO) before subsequently defeating Kunlun Red Star Beijing 5:4 and Dinamo Riga 4:3 in a penalty shootout. Nevertheless, after those two wins, the Novosibirsk-based outfit did suffer losses to Dynamo Moscow 2:4 at home and Dinamo Minsk 4:5 on the road.

SKA, on the other hand, are currently in the midst of a two-match winning streak after beating Spartak 2:0 in Moscow and Torpedo 2:1 in Saint Petersburg. Incredibly, 18-year-old goalkeeper Yaroslav Askarov stopped 65 of the 66 shots which he faced in those particular victories, becoming the KHL goaltender of the week as a consequence. It's also worth noting that gifted forward Vladimir Tkachyov tallied three vital goals across the two matches.

Our team occupy first place of the Western Conference with six wins from eight games. The two defeats arrived against Ak Bars Kazan (2:3 SO) and Avangard (3:4) on the road.

POINTS LEADERS IN LAST FIVE MATCHES

SKA

Vladimir Tkachyov: 6 (4+2) points

Miro Aaltonen: 6 (3+3) points

Lukas Bengtsson: 5 (1+4) points

SIBIR

Mikael Ruohomaa: 6 (0+6) points

Juuso Puustinen: 5 (4+1) points

Yegor Milovzorov: 5 (2+3) points

Goalkeeper Askarov, who has stepped in to good effect since replacing Alexander Samonov during the defeat to Avangard in Balashikha, has registered a 97.4% save percentage, a goals against average of 0.74 and one shutout. Finnish goaltender Harri Sateri, regarded as Sibir's first choice goalkeeper, has tallied a save percentage of 89.5% and a goals against average of 3.03.

WHERE TO WATCH

Puck drop at the Ice Palace is scheduled for 19:30 local time. Channel 78, KHL TV and KHL TV HD will provide a television broadcast, while you can also follow live text updates on our official Twitter account.