Salavat Yulaev - SKA. Match day

SKA have travelled to Ufa for a KHL regular season match against HC Salavat Yulaev.

Despite having one of the KHL's strongest squads at their disposal, Salavat are enduring a shocking campaign, losing their past seven matches in a row and earning just the one regulation win in their previous nineteen games. Their crisis has left them in fifth place of the Eastern Conference, in danger of missing out on the playoffs for the first time in their history. They've been dealt a new injury blow too, with star man Linus Omark breaking his leg on Sunday against Severstal.

Head coach Igor Zakharkin, familiar to Saint Petersburg fans, is under serious pressure to deliver in this game. Their top scorer is indeed Linus Omark with 56 points (14+42), while first choice goalkeeper Niklas Svedberg owns a poor 89.9 saves percentage. On a brighter note, promising young forward Kirill Kaprizov has been a shining light in their season, currently boasting an impressive 42 points (20+22).

After losing to Torpedo, SKA got back to winning ways on Sunday, beating Traktor 5:3 in a thrilling encounter. With CSKA losing a point in their match with Metallurg Magnitogorsk, SKA's lead at the top of the standings has been extended to two points.

These teams have already met this season, as SKA thrashed Salavat 7:1 in Saint Petersburg.

The Salavat Yulaev - SKA match will begin at 17.00 Moscow time in Ufa. Life78 and KHL TV will broadcast live, and you can follow events on our official Twitter account.