Two minutes left to play in the third period, and probably the game.

Miroslav Satan dumps the puck slow into the zone over the right, Hudacek can't win the race, Metallurg get possession.

Metallurg get stopped going on offense as the referee blows the whistle for offside.

Andrej Stastny tries to shoot but gets double-teamed up front, deflected to the right.

The powerplay comes to an end, Slovan go 0/1 and no single shot on goal. Metallurg were able to generate some chances down the ice.

Francis Pare again with the shot from the slot for Metallurg, they don't seem to care whether they play even strength or shorthanded.

Slovan building on the attack and they have two sticks broken as they fire from the right, one-timers.

Metallurg dump the puck in for Slovan to take over, but they overturn it pretty quickly at the opposite blue.

Antipin passes into the slot but there is no one to take it and Kopriva freezes the puck. A calm game so far midway through the third, besides that one goal by the visitors.

Koshechkin makes another deflection from the near, as Slovan take the puck close to the line with two men trying to fool him out and disbalance.

Rinat Ibragimov drives the puck into the zone over the right and looks for a feed into the slot, but the pass is a bit too direct into the net and Korpiva gets his stick on it.

Metallurg still on the offense, they look like they haven't had enough, Oskar Osala misses from the slot.

Chris Lee gets the drop pass to Timkin at the left circle, though the shot gets stoned cold by Kopriva.

Slovan take the puck on the offense but get covered tightly by the defense.

Metallurg finally take over and go down the ice, tight defense by Slovan.

Slovan takes the puck on the attack, but Miklik misses wide to the left.

Slovan with possession in their own end, and despite high-forecheck, will let the clock wind down.

Denis Platonov with a fine solo effort enters the zone through the middle deking two opponents on the way and gets to shoot from the right of the slot, Kopriva safely stops the clock.

One minute left in second.

Miroslav Kopriva freezes the puck from the left wing, and the faceoff will come deep into Slovan zone.

Slovan putting a little pressure on, but can't find a gap to shoot through.

Slovan looks broken, Metallurg still attacking.

Metallurg today on PP, 0 for 1, 0 shots.

Francis Pare fires from the right boards to the far corner, misses wide and the puck goes out, stll with Metallurg.

Metallurg try to backcheck Slovan and keep them in their zone, turning it into a high-forecheck and forcing a mistake, to get the turnover.

Shots on goal are 4-3 in favor of Metallurg this period, 16-14 overall.

Metallurg continue to put more pressure on Slovan, Pare with the shot from the right, Janus stick deflects and Slovan will take it down the ice.

Vasily Koshechkin freezes the puck on a promising opportunity from Slovan, Marek Troncinsky sent the feed from the left wing before the circle, a nice breaking pass into the slot.

Tim Brent tries to feed from the left into the slot, though doesn't reach the designated forward.

Slovan is back to five-aside, and Metallurg weren't able to generate anything on the offense during powerplay.

Metallurg keep the puck within the zone passing around by the boards, but with no real offense so far.

One minute left to play.

Shenfeld loses the puck in the defensive zone and then Troncinsky circles around the net and gets back as there is no one to feed and sends a blind feed into the slot, Metallurg defends.

Peter Olvecky fires from the slot with the man in front, Koshechkin gets the save and forces a stoppage.

Pare tries to feed for Osala as he was entering the zone, Bartovic deflects, but only to Osala who gets covered in the meantime.

A scramble at the endboards as they battle for the puck, but the referee blows the whistle and gets the faceoff out of the zone, it was behind Koshechkin, though no one seems to understand what the call was.

Sergei Mozyakin gets the puck in and slides it between two defensemen up front, deflected by Janus and Kovar gets the rebound, though the puck slips away.

Off the faceoff deep in Metallurg zone, the puck gets sent back to the point, but the shot is right towards Koshechkin who deflects aside with ease.

Michal Vondrka gets called for offside as he was a bit too quick to enter, so the faceoff will come to center ice.

Icing Slovan.

Bartovic tries to get the puck past Denis Platonov, but he can't race him out and loses the puck at the endboards.

Icing called against Slovan.

Chris Lee finds a solution to the backcheck from Slovan, and dekes out the forward in his own zone by stopping suddenly. Great puck control and stickhandling right there.

Slovan with more of the play so far, the shots are 3-1 in favor of the visitors.

Another intervention from Koshechkin as he had to deflect the shot coming from the left.

Antipin dumps the puck in from the right, Janus leaves the net to play the puck behind the net, and Slovan take over.

Dmity Kazionov drives the puck in over the left, but gets covered so Metallurg will give the puck away.

Metallurg force the overturn on Slovan's trying to get into the zone on the right.

Metallurg win the opener, but it's Slovan with the first shot from the slot, as Miklik fires at Koshechkin from the slot.

Starting lineups:

Metallurg Magnitogorsk: Koshechkin (Pechursky) – Antipin, Mozyakin, Zaripov, Kovar, Biryukov – Lee, Pare, Timkin, Tereshchenko, Kazionov – Malenkikh, Brent, Platonov, Ibragimov, Potekhin – Shenfeld, Osala, Malinovsky, Khabarov, Kamenev

HC Slovan Bratislava: Janus (Kopriva) – Sigalet, Miklik, Skoula, Bliznak, Vondrka – Troncinsky, Mihalik, Bartovic, Mikus, Olvecky – Stajnoch, Mojzis, Satan, Hudacek, Radivojevic – Mikus, Mraz, Matousek, Stastny, Brejcak

Referees: Ronn, Sergeyev – Sazonov, Pavlov.

The national anthems are up, opening faceoff following soon.

The game starts at 12:00 CET, 15:00 MSK, 06:00 EDT. It's bound to be interesting, so don't miss it.

Head to head
Slovan won the first clash this season in overtime 4-3. Michal Vondrka scored a powerplay tally at 34:39 and then added the game-winner in sudden death overtime just 56 seconds after the OT start. Danis Zaripov had scored twice for Metallurg.

Standings:
Metallurg – 3rd East, 20-11-8, 116-85, 75 pts
Slovan – 11th West, 12-8-18, 88-114, 50 pts

Top scorers:
MMG – Sergei Mozyakin – 21G, 28A, 49 pts, +23
SLV – Michel Miklik – 11G, 17A, 28 pts

Best defensemen:
MMG – Chris Lee – 11G, 18A, 29 pts, +18
SLV – Michal Sersen – 3G, 11A, 14 pts, -5

Goalies:
MMG – Vasily Koshechkin – 37 G, 21 W, 93.7 SVS%, 1.92 GAA, 7 SO
SLV – Miroslav Kopriva – 13 G, 3 W, 90.6 SVS%, 2.60 GAA.

Slovan Bratislava
Slovan managed to keep the record positive in the last five matches, having won 3 and lost 2, one after the shootout. The most difficult to digest is probably a 7-0 loss at Lev Prague, not only because of the final result, but also due to the fact they lost to their huge rivals, the Czechs.

Slovan are currently 11th in the Western Conference standings with 50 points and 12-8-18 record. They're 25 points behind their current opponent and have played a game less.

The team formed by mostly Slovaks is led in scoring by Michel Miklik with 28 points (11+17) and Michal Vondrka with 24 (11+13). Milan Bartovic follows with 23 (11+12).

Michal Vondrka is on a hot streak – 3 goals and an assist in the last two games. He could bring some depth for them on the ice and be the game-changer, though against a team like Metallurg it's hard to expect.

Metallurg Magnitogorsk
Out of their last seven games, they won in six, losing only the last one to Lokomotiv in Yaroslavl that brought their winning streak to an end. They currently sit in 3rd seed in the East with 75 points from 39 games, and a record of 20-11-8.

They've recently acquired Francis Pare, a Canadian center, that has already proved to be a good shot. He scored four goals and added an assist to record 5 points in 5 games. Chris Lee is also on a good streak picking up at least a point in four of their last five games, including 3 goals.

When talking about personal statistics, they top a lot of sections. Sergei Mozyakin tops the points with 49, two more than Brandon Bochenski of Barys in second place. Chris Lee leads the KHL in defensemen points with 29 and defensemen goals as well, having scored 11, just as Deron Quint from Spartak Moscow.

Jan Kovar leads the assists with 33 abd Sergei Mozyakin follows with 28. Vasily Koshechkin has had 7 shutouts so far this season, most in the whole league.

Welcome everyone! Today's KHL action features Metallurg of Magnitogorsk, who are doing pretty good lately, and Slovan of Bratislava, who struggle a lot this season.

Welcome. Game starts at 12:00.