Lev doing a good job of keeping possession.

Icing Novokuznetsk.

Sekac steals the puck in the corner and feeds Martin Thornberg, who one-times it just wide.

Icing Lev. Novokuznetsk with all the pressure now but they need 2.

Shot from the top of the slot by Vyglazov, Engren in the butterfly stops it.

Icing Lev.

Puck deflected out of play in the Lev zone, faceoff inside. Novokuznetsk keeping up the pressure they started on the power play.

Lev back at full strength, offside Novokuznetsk.

Icing Novokuznetsk.

Long shot from Ridderwall is stopped by Hovinen, who covers.

The puck goes out of play in the Novokuznetsk zone, faceoff outside.

Lev back to the attack again, O'Byrne a slapper from the point, pad save Hovinen.

Offside is the call against Lev on the shoot-in. Faceoff at centre ice.

Shot from the point by Martynov along the ice, stick save Engren.

The puck is cleared out of the Lev zone and out of play. After a discussion it's decided that it went off a Novokuznetsk player as there's no penalty and the faceoff's outside. The home team and their fans disagree.

Novokuznetsk putting on their first pressure in a good long while with control in the Lev zone, but I'm not sure they actually got any shots on goal in that sequence.

Dangerous-looking shot from Marko Anttila hits a stick and goes just wide of the post. Not sure if Engren got a piece of it too.

Puck deflected out of play into the Lev bench. Faceoff just outside the Lev blueline.

Offside Novokuznetsk.

Novokuznetsk back at full strength, Ryan O'Byrne shoots from the point, Hovinen stops and holds onto it.

Puck deflected out of play with :17 left in the power play. Faceoff in the Novokuznetsk zone.

Lev to the attack right away, shot from Zackrisson and a glove save by Hovinen.

Birner shoots from a sharp angle just as the penalty ends, kicked out by Hovinen. Novokuznetsk now at full strength.

Offside Lev on the pass. Faceoff outside the line with :15 left in the penalty.

Martin Sevc joins the rush again, hits Hovinen in the arm.

Lev coming back again, Martin Thornberg shoots on the rush, glove save Hovinen.

Lev with possession again, a shot goes through traffic, might have been tipped, pad save Hovinen and he covers.

Novokuznetsk clearing attempt goes off the glass and out of play. Faceoff inside. Lev has been putting on pressure again lately, though not landing shots on net.

Offside Novokuznetsk.

Patrik Zackrisson with the wrister from the sharp angle, hits Hovinen in the chest.

Offside Lev on the shoot-in, faceoff back down in their zone. Apparently it's being called intentional.

Lev is back at full strength, puck deep in the Novokuznetsk zone.

Another Novokuznetsk shot through traffic, hits Engren up high and laid dangerously in the slot before finally cleared.

Clean faceoff win for Azevedo, the shot from Nakladal and Hovinen gloves and holds it.

Icing Novokuznetsk.

Back the other way comes Novokuznetsk, McLean goes to the front of the net and shoots from in close, but Engren stops and holds it.

Lev with some pressure, Martin Sevc pinches but fires wide.

Lev to the attack, Danielsson re-directs a shot on goal, Hovinen catches and holds.

Martynov with the shot in front but fires it high and over the glass. Faceoff outside.

Low wrister from Birner just inside the line, Hovinen scoops it up and holds on.

Icing Lev.

Gimbatov centres to Martynov, Engren kicks out the one-timer.

Nemec circles the net and backhands, save Hovinen.

Jiri Novotny fires a wrister high over the crossbar.

Danielsson shoots from the point, Hovinen gets a glove on it and knocks it away.

Long wrister by Valuisky, pad save Engren.

Nickas Danielsson leads a rush is forced wide and circles the net, but can't force it inside the post.

Penalty over, play in the Lev zone.

Shot from the point gets deflected out of play with :13 left in the Lev power play. Faceoff in the Novokuznetsk zone.

Novo ices for the second time, Lev still shotless.

Lev had a promising rush into the zone, nice give-and-go between Gragnani and Klepis but they fail to get a shot.

Slapshots from the point by Mantyla and Martynov, who are both dangerous--saves by Engren.

Offside Lev.

Michal Birner with a long wrister from the blueline, glove save by Niko Hovinen, who holds on.

The play goes back down into the Lev zone and Engren covers the puck for a faceoff.

After the goal we have a bit of a delay as Lev goalie Atte Engren has an equipment issue. He's at the bench but is now returning to the net.

Lev with a couple of shots in the first half of the power play, Novo ices.

Petr Vrana gets Lev's first shot of the game, blocker save Hovinen.

Engren makes his first stop of the game and covers.

Lev ices the puck right off the opening draw.

The national anthems of the Czech Republic and Russian Federation are complete, and the opening faceoff is moments away.

Metallurg Novokuznetsk is wearing home red uniforms with black, silver and white trim, black pants and helmets. Lev Praha is wearing road white uniforms with blue and red trim, red NY Rangers-style pants and white helmets.

Starting Lineups:

Metallurg Novokuznetsk: Hovinen (Sorokin) – Martynov, Giroux, Chernov, Mäntylä, Kanarsky, Korabeinikov, Skutar – Valuysky, McLean, Kosourov – Anttila, Yemelin, Gareyev – Vyglazov, Lapenkov, Akhmetov – Kapotov, Velichkin, Gimbatov – Skladnichenko

Lev Praha: Engren (Lukáš) – Oystrick, O’Byrne, Ševc, Nakládal, Gragnani, Němec, Humphries – Novotný, Kapanen, Klepiš – Birner, Vrána, Danielsson – Sekáč, Zckrisson, Thörnberg – Ridderwall, Azevedo, Kubalík – Cingel

Referees: Rogachyov, Safiullov – Sadovnikov, Sadanov.

Lev took 4 of 6 points from Metallurg Novokuznetsk last season. On October 29, the Lions outshot their Siberian guests 43-21 at Tipsport Arena, but after leading 2-0 in the first period, gave up three straight goals and lost in overtime, 3-2. The return encounter in Novokuznetsk on November 30 almost followed a similar script, with the Lions scoring the game´s first three goals before hanging on to win 3-2.

Novokuznetsk went on to miss the playoffs, finishing 10th in the Eastern Conference. Understandably, the team made some changes in the off-season and brought in some Finnish re-inforcements, namely goaltender Niko Hovinen, defenceman Tuukka Mantyla, and right winger Marko Antilla. Hovinen is the KHL´s tallest goalie at 199 cm (6´6") and at 201cm (6´7"), Antilla is the tallest player in the league. Antilla also leads the team with 5 points, followed by Yegor Martynov, another new acquisition, with 4 and Hovinen with 3. But after getting off to a good start with two straight wins, they´ve lost their last five, including four straight in regulation -- they currenty sit 12th in the conference.

As for Lev, they just finished up a four-game stand in which they took 7 of 12 points. With 15 points in eight games overall, they sit 5th in the Western Conference. With 6 points in his last five games, Martin Thörnberg is the team´s leading scorer and hottest player. After 5 goals in four games, he recorded his 1st assist of the season in Monday´s 2-1 loss to Kazan, setting up fellow Swede Nicklas Danielsson for his 1st goal of the campaign. In goal, Petri Vehanen has been steady in each of his seven starts this season, but it will be fellow Finn Atte Engren who gets his second start of the season in Novokuznetsk.

For Lev, it was quite a journey to Siberia, as bad weather caused a significant delay in Novosibirsk, and the team arrived a mere 5 hours before the game. We'll see if it affects their play.

Welcome. Game starts at 14:00.