Korneyev shoots just wide from far out.

Finally Petri Vehanen dives on a loose puck at the side of the net for the first stoppage of overtime.

Kapanen rips a shot just wide from the slot.

What a great third period! First a big push by Ak Bars to try to get the lead and they finally did on the power play, and then Lev with a huge push of their own in the last minute and Ondrej Nemec ties it with a big blast from the point with just 3 seconds left.

Overtime coming up, and Lev is still on the power play for 1:57 because of the double minor. It'll be 4-on-3 to start.

Lev with possession off the draw, Ondrej Nemec with a slapper from the point and Garipov with another big glove save.

We're waiting now for the referees to sort out the penalties. There were several shots thrown and also a hit to the head thrown by an Ak Bars player on Oystrick, and Alexander Svitov is at the bench getting attention.

Icing Ak Bars, and we've got some pushing and shoving after the whistle.

Play now moves into the Lev zone, they start back up ice again . . .

Shot by Ridderwall, Garipov holds it with Zackrisson looking for a rebound in front.

Thornberg with the shot off the draw through traffic, off Garipov and to the corner.

Icing Ak Bars.

Now a rush for Ak Bars, high wrister from Obukhov but Vehanen makes a glove save and holds on.

Slapper from Ullstrom, stick save Garipov.

Long shot from Ridderwall, right on Garipov and he holds it. A big push is going to come from Lev now.

Offside Ak Bars.

Tereschenko leads an Ak Bars rush but Gragnani makes a great defensive play to knock the puck off his stick.

Now Thornberg from the boards, stick save Garipov.

Lev rush, Novotny with the low wrister, toe save Garipov.

Offside Lev.

Off the draw, Ilya Nikulin one-times a slapper but Petri Vehanen hauls it in with the glove.

Medvedev moves in from the point and fires wide from the slot.

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

Lev back at full strength, and Sevc fires it the length of the ice. Icing Lev.

Petruzalek one-times it wide.

Faceoff outside the Ak Bars blueline with :53 left in their power play. They're still shotless on this power play.

Martin Thornberg does a good job of ragging the puck in the neutral zone on the penalty kill, but now he's down after taking a hit by Pesoen into the boards. I'm not sure how he was hurt, put play is stopped.

Icing Ak Bars.

Kazan faceoff win, slapper from the point by Heshka, kicked out by Vehanen.

Intentional offside called against Lev faceoff back in their own zone.

Offside Lev.

Heshka cross-point to Medvedev for the one-timer, just wide.

Jaakola with a shot from the point, not sure if it got through to Garipov or was blocked.

Azevedo's shot from the top of the circle is deflected wide.

Thornberg tries to pick the far corner with a wrister from the faceoff circle, Garipov gets a blocker on it.

Gragnani with the lead pass to Azevedo, can't get free and Garipov comes out to cut down the angle, makes the save and covers it.

Icing Ak Bars.

Thornberg again with the left-handed wrister from the right wing, doesn't fool Garipov, and he holds it.

Puck out of play in the Lev zone, faceoff inside.

This time Ak Bars called for icing.

Offside Ak Bars on the pass, faceoff back to their own blueline.

Slapper from the point by Sevc, pad save Garipov.

Kazan rush, wrister from Obukhov goes into Vehanen's equipment, and he holds on again.

Now Thornberg from the boards and through traffic, it hits Garipov and he holds on.

Play into the Lev zone, slapper from Tereschenko, right on Vehanen, and he holds on.

Slapper from Azevedo, blocker save Garipov.

Ridderwall a low wrister, kicked out by Garipov in the butterfly.

Puck hits the netting above the glass in the Ak Bars zone, so play is stopped. Faceoff outside.

Repik out of the box and joins a Lev rush, puck shot wide.

Another shot from the point, this one's blocked and Lev ice it.

Nikulin slaps the puck from the blueline, right on Vehanen, who holds on with :52 left in the penalty.

A Lev clearing attempt goes out of play at the benches, faceoff back inside with 1:34 left in the penalty.

Lev rush, shot from Vrana is deflected out of play.

Alexander Burmistrov shoots from the right wing, hits Vehanen in the shoulder and goes out of play. Faceoff in the Lev zone.

Now a slapper from Michal Repik hits Garipov and goes out of play just after the penalty ends. Faceoff in the Kazan zone with both teams at full strength.

A shot hit a screened Garipov, fell in front of him and the puck is then iced.

Thornberg with a long wrister, pad save Garipov and it goes to the corner.

Offside Lev with 1:11 left in the power play, as Azevedo couldn't quite hold the puck in at the line.

Ullstrom leads a Lev rush, forced wide and his backhand missed, Ak Bars comes back and Vehanen catches a shot from Pesonen and holds on. We get some pushing and shoving after the whistle, and the faceoff is outside because the Ak Bars defence came in.

At the other end, Svitov with a slapper from the half-boards, right on Vehanen, who holds on.

Lev with some sustained possession in the Ak Bars zone but can't land any shots on goal.

Pesonen to Burmistrov, tries to go short side but Vehanen tips it away.

Azevedo with a long wrister along the ice, stick save Garipov.

Ilya Nikulin flips a shot from the point, it was headed wide but Vehanen catches and holds it.

Lev's 4th line applying pressure now, Cingel and Pacovsky both with shots.

Jiri Novotny gets the game's first shot from the top of the circle, a wrister right on Garipov, who holds on.

The national anthems of the Czech Republic and Russian Federation have been played and the opening faceoff is moments away.

Ak Bars Kazan is wearing their home dark green uniforms with red and white trim, dark green 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:

Ak Bars Kazan: Garipov (Barulin) – Kornyeyev, Nikulin, Heshka, Medvěděv, Zakharchuk, Osipov Yarullin – Těreschenko, Petrov, Lukoyanov – Stapleton, Pesonen, Burmistrov – Svitov, Golubev, Obukhov – Petružálek, Milovzorov, Tkachyov.

Lev Praha: Vehanen (Engren) – Ševc, Nakládal, Oystrick, Němec, Gragnani, Jaakola, Mikuš – Azevedo, Novotný, Ullström – Zackrisson, Vrána, Thörnberg – Ridderwall, Kapanen, Řepík – Pacovský, Cingel, Matai.

Referees: Komarov, Schenyov – Zakharenkov, Shikhanov.

This will actually be the fourth time that Lev and Ak Bars have faced each other this hockey season. The first three were in Prague, and a long time ago. The first two also didn´t count for much as part of the pre-season Prague Hockey Cup. The third came during Lev´s first home stand of the regular season on September 23, where Ak Bars built up a 2-0 lead through 40 minutes, then withstood a third period assault where Lev scored once but couldn´t get a second.

Now, four months later, they meet in the foothills of the Ural Mountains -- 3rd in the West meets 3rd in the East.

Ak Bars Kazan is, of course, a perennial KHL powerhouse, winning back-to-back Gagarin Cups in 2009 and 2010, and coming within a whisker of returning to the finals last spring, losing game 7 of the Eastern Final in heartbreaking fashion.

This season´s team is a contender, as usual. They´re 3rd place in the conference, but not far behind the division leaders from Magnitogorsk and Astana.

The team´s success starts in goal, with the fearsome duo of Konstantin Barulin and Emil Garipov. Barulin, who gets about 60 percent of the workload, is a veteran of the Russian national team, a five-time KHL all-star and won the league´s outstanding goalie and playoff MVP awards in 2011 with Atlant. The "backup", Garipov, has the best goals-against average and save percentage in the league (1.42 and .952). The two have combined for 8 shutouts (5 for Barulin, 3 for Garipov), so whichever one is in the net, the opposing offence has its work cut out.

In front of them is a formidable defence, which can contribute offensively as well. Three defencemen on the team have more than 20 points, including Shaun Heshka (28), Ilya Nikulin (22) and Yevgeni Medvedev (21). Up front, they´re led by the trio of Alexander Burmistrov (10 goals and 35 points), Tim Stapleton (14 and 30) and Kirill Petrov (13 and 27). Mikhail Varnakov also has 13 goals and Janne Pesonen 12.

"We can´t expect anything other than another tough game," said Lev forward Calle Ridderwall, who is coming off a two-point effort in Nizhny Novgorod. "I think if it´ll be the kind of hockey that is on display during the playoffs, we´ll be very happy. At least we´ll get a chance to try it before the real season starts. They are all very skilled players, but so are we, so it will be good hockey."

Indeed, Lev does stack up well against Ak Bars statistically. Also 3rd place in their respective conference, the Lions have surrendered one less goal than Ak Bars (94-95) and have scored five more (130-125). However, after winning six in a row against relatively weak opposition, they were Torpedoed 5-2 against a hot club in Nizhny Novgorod on Wednesday.

"If we want to think of ourselves as a contender, we also have to be beating teams like Kazan," said defenceman Ondřej Němec.

As mentioned, a bright spot in the game was Ridderwall, who played on a line with Michal Řepík and the recently-returned Niko Kapanen. The trio was on the ice for both of the team´s goals -- as was defenceman Marc-André Gragnani, who assisted on both -- and none of the five against.

"In the last few games it seemed that every other line was playing well," said Ridderwall. "When we get all lines going strong at the same time, then we´ll truly be an excellent team."

Of course, a visit to Kazan is always special for goaltender Petri Vehanen, who spent three seasons with the club from 2009 to 2012, winning a Gagarin Cup in the process.

"I am pleased that the final trip of the season has taken us to Kazan," commented the 36-year-old Finnish netminder.

Welcome. This game starts at 19:30 MSK local time in Kazan, 16:30 CET in Prague, 10:30 EST.