Welcome. This game starts at 19:00 CET local time in Prague, 22:00 MSK in Cherepovets, 13:00 EST.

The Lions put their 10-game points streak on the line against Severstal Cherepovets, a team that beat them back on October 28, but has won only two of 10 games since then and is currently mired in 12th place in the Western Conference. In their most recent game on this western road trip, Severstal fell to another team near the bottom of the conference standings, Slovan Bratislava, by a 3-2 score.

In that October 28 contest in Cherepovets, the Lions outshot Severstal 38-26, but only Jiří Sekáč managed to beat Jakub Štěpánek that game, who was brilliant against his former team. Trailing 1-0 in the third period, Severstal got goals from Anatoli Nikontsev and Vadim Berdnikov to win 2-1.

Štěpánek has been the workhorse in goal for Severstal this season, appearing in 29 of 31 games so far. Despite his team´s poor standing, his goals-against average is a fine 2.18, while the team average in the 130:40 that he´s not been in the net is over 7 (three goalies combined).

Besides Štěpánek there is another ex-Lion of sorts in the Severstal lineup. Forward Nikolai Zherdev, who attended Lev´s training camp, joined the team last week after playing the first have of the season with Spartak Moscow. He has 1 assist in three games. Swede Linus Videll leads the team in scoring with 18 points, while Nikolai Bushuyev is right behind him with 17 points and a club-leading 9 goals. They don´t get much production from the back end, with Finn Teemu Laakso being the only defenceman with more than 1 goal (2, both on the power play).

Lev enters this game in 6th place in the Western Conference with 55 points, one back of Donbass Donetsk, who eclipsed them after the Lions picked up only a single point in Monday´s 4-3 shootout loss to SKA St Petersburg. Still, the Lions have won 8 of their last 10, and both defeats came in extra time.

In Monday´s game, the top line clicked again, with David Ullström setting up Justin Azevedo for a beautiful goal -- along with captain Jiří Novotný, the trio has been brilliant in the five games they´ve played together. They also got goals from linemates Michal Birner and Michal Řepík, who always get tons of chances but have been snake-bitten of late.

Starting Lineups:

Lev Praha: Vehanen (Lukáš) – Ševc, Mäenpää, Oystrick, Němec, Jaakola, O'Byrne, Gragnani – Azevedo, Novotný, Ullström – Sekáč, Zackrisson, Thörnberg – Ridderwall, Vrána, Klepiš – Birner, Cingel, Řepík – Matai.

Severstal Cherepovets: Kasutin (Štěpánek) – Andersen, Guskov, Popov, Kiselevich, Stasenko, Yevseyenko, Sviazov – Videll, Berdnikov, Nikontsev – Zherdev, Antipov, Stolyarov – Kazakov, Kovyrshin, Bukhnevich – Pakhrudin, Chernov, Aumagin – Zemchenko.

Referees: Vasilyev, Baluska – Morozov, Putilin.

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

Lev Praha is wearing their home red uniforms with blue and white trim, red NY Rangers-style pants and blue helmets. Severstal Cherepovets is wearing their white road uniforms with a rather garish flame-like trim design of black and yellow-orange gradient, blue numerals, black pants and white helmets.

Ullstrom with the first chance of this game but the puck rolls of his stick in the slot and he doesn't get a shot away.

Nemec with the dump-in from the neutral zone, right on Kasutin, and Lev change up.

Kovyrshin leads a Severstal rush but was looking for the trailer and the pass didn't get through.

Icing Severstal.

Lukas Cingel fires a hard wrister from the high slot, right on Ivan Kasutin, who holds it for a faceoff.

Faceoff win for Azevedo and Nathan Oystrick gets a shot right off the draw, kicked out by Kasutin, then Severstal called for icing.

Stolyarov with the wrister from the right wing boards, stick save Vehanen for Severstal's first shot of the game.

Michal Repik with the wrister from the right wing, right on Kasutin and he holds on.

Nikontsev tries to feed Berdnikov in front of the Lev net but the puck bounces over his stick and to the corner.

Ullstrom feeds Azevedo for a one-time slapper that whistles wide.

Jiri Sekac tries his patented drive to the net but backhands the puck just wide.

Martin Sevc with a nice hit behind his own net to steal the puck and starts a Lev rush up ice . . .

Jakub Klepis with a wrister on a Lev rush, pad save Kasutin.

Slapper from Alexander Guskov goes wide, the puck is loose in the slot for a while and finally cleared.

Lev back at full strength, Severstal without a shot on that power play.

Kazakovtsev leads a Severstal rush but his shoot-in attempt goes into the Lev bench. Faceoff at centre ice.

Thornberg drops to Oystrick, who fires a wrister wide.

Slapper from Berdnikov, Vehanen gets a piece of it, then Lev goes offside back the other way.

Bogdan Kiselevich levels an off-balance Klepis in the neutral zone near the boards.

David Ullstrom with a burst of speed, his low wrister is turned aside by Kasutin.

Severstal back at full strength. Both teams now shotless on their first power plays of the game.

Nikolai Kazakovtsev with a long wrister, stick save Vehanen.

Play stopped in the Severstal zone as the puck goes up into the netting. Faceoff inside.

High wrister from the point by Mikko Maenpaa goes off Kasutin with traffic in front.

Icing Severstal.

Sekac avoids a poke check but his shot is rushed and it goes wide.

Nikolai Zherdev with a long wrister from the neutral zone, right on Vehanen and he hangs on.

Long sequence ends with a wrister from Pavel Chernov and a save by Petri Vehanen.

Petri Vehanen now fields a high shoot-in, looking like a shortstop catching an infield fly.

Topi Jaakola rips a hard wrist shot high.

Martin Thornberg with a quick wrister, pad save Kasutin, and the puck then goes out of play. Faceoff outside.

Wrist shot from Sevc, Kasutin the save in the butterlfy, and a delayed penalty coming to Severstal.

Puck deflected out of play in the Severstal zone with 1:11 left in the penalty, faceoff outside.

Ullstrom from the wing fires just wide, Kasutin might have got a piece of it with the blocker.

Offside Lev.

Bumagin with the backhander, pad save Vehanen.

Offside Severstal.

Icing Lev.

Slapper from Niclas Andersen off the draw, butterfly save Vehanen, and Lev start the other way.

Lev shoot-in attempt goes out of play, faceoff at centre ice.

Alexander Budagin shoots wide from the slot.

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

Offside Severstal on the pass. Faceoff back just outside their own blueline.

High slapper from Ondrej Nemec with traffic in front of Kasutin, I think it hit a body in front. The puck remained loose in front for a while before being swept to the corner.

Long wrister from Zherdev, Vehanen has trouble with it but deflects it wide of the net.

Icing Lev.

Whereas the second period was quite loosey-goosey, this period the teams have tightened up and we're not seeing many chances. Lots of play in the neutral zone and along the boards.

Jaakola flips it in on Kasutin from the blueline, he puts it back in play and Severstal starts back.

Puck goes out of play in the Severstal zone, faceoff inside.

Wrister from the point by Ridderwall hits Ivan Kasutin in the chest, and he holds on.

Slapper right off the draw by Novotny is blocked in front.

Repik the wrister from the left wing, hits Kasutin's blocker and goes out of play. Faceoff in the Severstal zone.

Puck shot from the Severstal zone, hops to Vehanen, who is forced to cover it.

Icing Lev.

Another long shot fired on Vehanen, stick save and Lev goes back the other way.

Jaakola from a sharp angle, knocked away by the stick of Kasutin.

Puck goes into the Severstal bench, faceoff outside their blueline.

Now Vehanen dives on a loose puck in front of him. We can probably expect a big push from Severstal in the last two and a half minutes.

Zherdev with a shot off the draw goes just wide.

Rising slapper from Klepis, Kasutin deflects it away with the glove.

Shoot-in from Linus Videll goes right on Vehanen and he holds it.