Maenpaa and Radulov both out of the box, Radulov now with the puck in the neutral zone.

CSKA retrieves deep in their own zone.

Slapper from Andrei Pervyshin, right on Atte Engren, who holds on for a faceoff with traffic in front.

Prokhorin circles the net, Radulov in front, shot doesn't get through and goes to the corner.

Cingel the low wrister from far out, pad save Proskuryakov.

Grigorenko to Steve Eminger for the one-timer, save Engren with Radulov screening in front, the Lev ices the puck again.

Icing Lev.

Lev breaks up ice, Ullstrom shoots but it's deflected out of play.

Next Rylov's shot hits Engren in the glove, finally he covers it. CSKA coming on.

Puck in the slot, Prokhorin tries to shoot but O'Byrne ties up his stick.

Offside CSKA, as the puck came just outside the line and back in.

Now the puck hits the netting above the glass in the Lev zone and play is stopped.

Puck deflected out of play in the CSKA zone, faceoff inside.

The Lev net as been dislodged with two players crashing into it, faceoff inside.

Icing Lev.

Puck deflected out of play in the CSKA zone, faceoff inside.

Radulov a slapper, save Engren and the rebound is finally cleared.

A lot of play in the neutral zone, finally Ondrej Nemec's shot from the point is deflected by Ridderwall in front and out of play. Faceoff outside.

Shot hist the overhead scorreboard and play is stopped.

Radulov tries from the point this time, wide again.

Radulov comes across the blueline and fires a low shot just wide.

Vrana from the top of the circle, kicked out by Proskuryakov. He's had several shots today.

The other way Thornberg shoots on the rush, pad save Proskuryakov. Real end-to-end action now.

Offside CSKA on the stretch pass, faceoff back in their own zone.

Lev back at full strength, Azevedo with the shot, Proskuryakov had to react quickly.

Rylov from the point, pad save Engren.

Radulov in front for Filppula and another save by Engren, who suddenly has work to do.

Zaitsev the one-time slapper from the point, kicked out by Engren.

Ridderwall to Vrana, who tries to cut in from the side, Proskuryakov gives him nothing and covers it.

Fefelov with the shot from the left wing, pad save Engren.

Offside Lev again on the dump-in, faceoff at centre ice.

Offside Lev.

Shots already 8-1 Lev this period, 20-2 in the game.

Azevedo from the slot shoots wide, defenceman might have got his stick on it.

Icing CSKA, boy they are really back on their heels to begin this period.

Shot by Cingel from the top of the slot, kicked out by Proskuryakov.

Power play over but Lev pressure continues. Topi Jaakola with the shot from the point, stopped and held by Proskuryakov.

Oystrick with another shot, pad save, then the puck is deflected out of play in the CSKA zone with :16 left in the penalty.

Low wrister from the point by Oystrick, Zackrisson was in front and tipped it into Proskuryakov's chest and he holds it with :47 left in the penalty.

Novotny attempts a shot, blocked, and the puck is cleared into the CSKA bench. No penalty, but the faceoff is back in their end.

Ridderwall drops to Klepis, wrister from the point and a pad save by Proskuryakov.

Offside CSKA.

High wrister from Matai hits a body in front, CKSA start back.

Wrister from Klepis from the top of the slot, kicked to the corner by Proskuryakov.

Lev go offside again.

Lev shoot-in goes offside, faceoff coming at centre ice. Shots 9-1 Lev.

Now it's CSKA called for icing.

Stretch pass misses, icing Lev.

Shot attempt by Morozov is blocked again. A lot of blocks by Lev so far. Play continues in the Lev zone.

Now a shot from the point by Ryan O'Byrne, Proskuryakov catches it and holds on once again.

Ullstrom with a shot from the left wing along the ice, pad save Proskuryakov.

Faceoff won by Cingel and a one-timer from Oystrick is deflected out of play, so we'll do it again in the CSKA zone.

Lev rush and Ondrej Nemec flips it in from the blueline, Proskuryakov catches it and holds on.

Icing Lev.

Pass from the corner and a one-timer from Fefelov, kicked out by Engren.

Alexei Morozov with a shot attempt, blocked, then tried to find Filppula at the side of the net but the pass missed.

David Ullstrom with a weak shot from just inside the line as he's being checked, stick save and Proskuryakov covers again.

Now Michal Repik with a shot but a glove save by Proskuryakov and he holds on. Shots 7-1 Lev at this point.

Matai to Repik, fires a wrister high and wide.

Jakub Klepis takes a hard wrister from a tight angle, denied by Proskuryakov.

Radulov carries the puck down the right wing, tries a centring pass but doesn't find its intended target.

Quickly back the other way, Lev go offside.

Andrei Pervyshin attempts a shot from the point, not sure if it gets through to Engren for CSKA's first shot.

Now Nakladal sneaking in from the point, pad save Proskuryakov. Early pressure from Lev this game.

Petr Vrana comes out of the corner and shoots, kicked out by Proskuryakov

And now Jiri Sekac gets this game's first shot on goal from far out, goes right on Ilya Proskuryakov, who holds it for the game's first stoppage.

Mikko Maenpaa with a wrister from the point that goes wide.

Alexander Radulov attempts a high wrister from a sharp angle, goes wide.

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

CSKA is wearing their red home uniforms that have changed very little since the days when they used to tour NHL arenas in the 70s and 80s -- blue and white trim with a star on the front, red pants and helmets. Lev Praha is wearing their road white uniforms with blue and red trim, red NY Rangers-style pants and white helmets.

Starting Lineups:

CSKA Moscow: Proskuryakov (Filonenko) – Misharin, Zaitsev, Denisov, Rylov, Eminger, Yegorshev, Pervyshin – Grigorenko, Radulov, Prokhorkin – Saprykin, Filippula, Morozov – Fefelov, Zharkov, Frolov – Nepryayev, Lyubimov, Fyodorov – Nemirovsky.

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

Referees: Gusev, Nalivaiko – Golyak, Dedyulya.

The most recent encounter between the teams was at O2 Arena on September 19. Lev outshot CSKA 33-28, but only one of their shots beat netminder Rastislav Staňa, who has been in goal for all seven of his teams wins against Lev. Tied 1-1, Vladimir Zharkov scored in the first minute of the third period, which stood up for a 2-1 final.

CSKA have a 6-point lead on Lev in the Western Conference standings, but with two games in hand, Lev have them within reach. CSKA currently sit 4th with 65 points, while Lev are 6th with 59. Donbass Donetsk are in the middle with 62.

Nikolai Prokhorin is the team´s leading scorer with 26 points in 36 games, while his 15 goals puts him comfortably ahead of the next two players on the team -- Igor Grigorenko and Alexei Morozov -- who have 10 teach. The defence is anchored by Grigori Marshin with 11 points. Other significant players in the lineup include forwards Oleg Saprykin, Alexander Frolov and Fyodor Fyodorov and defenceman Daniil Markov.

Of course, the big gun that was a Lion slayer in last year´s playoffs is Alexander Radulov. If not for an injury that kept him out of 16 games, he´d be the leading scorer on the team and be among the league leaders. As it is, he averages over a point per game and almost an assist per game with 4 goals and 20 assists in 21 games. He missed the first game between these two teams due to the aforementioned injury, but recorded 8 points in six games last year.

As for the Lions themselves, they were on a real hot streak before picking up only 5 of 12 points on a recent four-game home stand. The last two were real defensive battles against teams below them in the Western Conference standings, and scored only once in the two games combined. Against a more run-and-gun team like CSKA, they´ll be looking to get their offence back on track.

"(CSKA) are more aggressive than the teams we´ve played against just now," said team scoring leader Jiří Sekáč "The game that we played them at O2 Arena was low-scoring, but it wasn´t like the games against Yaroslavl or Atlanta. They don´t hold back either. I hope that we can go in there and take home the three points."

A pair of backup goalies will start in goal -- Ilya Proskuryakov for CSKA, and for Lev Atte Engren, who is starting in back-to-back games for the first time this season.

Welcome. This game starts at 19:30 MSK local time in Moscow, 16:30 CET in Prague, 11:30 EST.