Yakutsenya from the point, Engren directs it to the corner.

Lev aggressive on the PK, slapper from Thornberg from the blueline, pad save Leighton.

Puck out of play in the Donbass zone. They're backed up on their power play.

Donbass back at full strength, puck deflects out of play in the Donbass zone, faceoff inside.

Lev move the puck around, finally the zone is cleared.

Puck out of play in the Lev zone with 1:04 left in their power play.

Engren throws his glove on a loose puck in front of his net.

Lev at full strength, Donbass break out of their own zone.

Donbass with good passing around the perimeter, finally Lev cleared, Donbass go offside on the re-entry with just :15 left in the penalty.

Yakutsenya on the point on the PP, his shot kicked out by Engren.

Long shot goes on Leighton, he catches and holds it for a faceoff in the Donbass zone.

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

Wirtanen from a sharp angle, turned away by Engren.

Now play in the Donbass zone, shot from the half-boards right on Leighton, who holds on.

Donbass to the attack, shot from the point by Wilson through traffic, stopped and held by Engren.

Donbass back at full strength, as they clear the zone.

Icing Donbass. It's called the exact second the penalty expires, so there's some discussion about it, but the faceoff is in the Donbass zone and Lev has a power play for the next 1:02.

Ryan O'Byrne the slapper from the point, right on stopped and held by Michael Leighton.

Lev line of Kubalik, Zackrisson and Vrana buzzing in the Donbass zone, Leighton makes a save on a shot from the boards and covers.

Offside Donbass.

Donbass with another effective kill, then Leighton with the glove save on the long shot and he hangs on.

Andrei Konev, the OT hero of game 2, gets a minor penalty for tripping. Lev to the power play, they're 0/2.

Big chance for Donbass, but Atte Engren makes the huge save from point blank. That's a big save to keep them within a goal.

Donbass's Finnish line buzzing, but Podhradsky couldn't keep it in at the line and they're called for offside.

Maenpaa with a hard shot from the top of the circle, right on Leighton.

Donbass came out strong in the period, firing a couple of shots at Vehanen, but then Lev came back, Sekac with a long shot that's caught and held by Leighton.

Kubalik is knocked off the puck while entering the zone and Leighton covers again.

Shot from the slot by Lukas Cingel, Leighton covers it.

Donbass effectively kills off a penalty for the second time, and play is stopped as it goes out of play in the Donbass zone, faceoff inside.

Ondrej Nemec took a stick to the head and then we get a skirmish. There are going to be penalties from this. We'll see what they are.

Donbass back at full strength, Nakladal shoots from the blueline, save Leighton and he covers.

Then national anthems of the Czech Republic and Ukraine are complete, and the opening faceoff is moments away.

Donbass Donetsk is wearing their home red uniforms with white, black and silver trim, black pants and helmets. Lev Praha is wearing their road white uniforms with blue and white trim, red NY Rangers style pants and blue helmets.

A goaltending change for Lev, as Atte Engren starts in place of the overworked Petri Vehanen. Michael Leighton starts again for Donbass

Both teams have juggled lines a bit. For Donbass, Teemu Laine has been moved to the 4th line, while Dmitri Kagalitsky takes his place on the top line. The strong 2nd line has also been broken up, with captain Ruslan Fedotenko returning to centre and Lukas Kaspar taking the wing in place of Yevgeni Dadonov, who will play with Laine.

For Lev, Jakub Klepis is back out of the lineup and Michal Birner takes his place on the top line, and Niko Kapanen returns to the lineup, centring Michal Repik and Lukas Cingel.

Starting Lineups:

HC Donbass Donetsk: Leighton (Laco) – Silnitsky, Wilson, Bartulis, Kolář, Podhradský, Koněv, Razin – Kagarlitsky, Wirtanen, Kiiskinen – Kašpar, Fedotěnko, Yakutsenya – Bělukhin, Varlamov, Zakharov – Dadonov, Toryanik, Laine.

Lev Praha: Engren (Vehanen) – Gragnani, Mäenpää, O'Byrne, Němec, Mikuš, Oystrick, Nakládal – Novotný, Azevedo, Birner – Kubalík, Zackrisson, Vrána – Řepík, Kapanen, Cingel – Sekáč, Thörnberg, Pacovský, Matai.

Referees: Bondar, Ravodin – Metalnikov, Sirotkin.

"We just played a very exhausting game. Now, what we need to do is get some rest and be ready for what awaits us on Sunday."

Those were the words of HC LEV Praha coach Kari Jalonen at about 12:30 AM on Saturday morning after his team had just lost a five-hour, four-overtime marathon. What more was there to say.

It´s been an exhausting series, alright. After playing the equivalent of three games in two days, these two teams mercifully got Saturday off (mostly), before resuming the series on Sunday and Monday. If there´s any saving grace, it´s that they only have to move a few hours down the highway to Bratislava, where they will play the next four games, if the series lasts that long.

"It was such a long game, so it´s definitely going to affect both teams," said Lev defeneman Ondřej Němec, who logged 45:20 in the marathon. "On the other hand, they had to play seven games against Riga, and we played only only four in the first round, so we have a three-game advantage."


That may be true, and it remains to be seen if that plays a factor as the series wears on, but so far Donbass is tied 1-1 with Lev, reducing this to a best-of-five series. And while Lev has done a good job of containing the dangerous Finnish line of Teemu Laine, Petteri Wirtanen and Tuomas Kiiskanen, they´ve had their hands full with the so-called second line of Maxim Yakutsenya, captain Ruslan Fedotenko and Yevgeni Dadonov.

Donetsk 2nd line vs LEV:
Maxim Yakutseya – 3 pts (1+2), +3, 4 PIM
Yevgeni Dadonov – 2 pts (1+1), +3, 0 PIM
Yevgeni Belukhin – 2 pts (1+1), +1, 0 PIM
Ruslan Fedotenko – 1 pt (0+1), +1, 25 PIM

In game two, it was this line that accounted for all four Donbass goals, with Yevgeni Belukhin replacing Fedotenko at centre after the latter was expelled in the first period for his hit to the head of Jakub Nakládal.

"They´re hot right now, but next game it could be different," says Lukas Cingel, who scored Lev´s third goal in game two.

Another thing Lev has to worry about are injuries. David Ullström, Calle Ridderwall, Niko Kapanen and Topi Jaakola all missed game two, and while Ullström is finished for the series, Ridderwall is doubtful for game three and the two Finns are hopeful.

Welcome. Game 3 of this best-of-seven Western Conference series starts at 17:00 CET local time in Bratislava and in Prague, 18:00 EET in Donetsk, 12:00 EDT.

The series is tied 1-1.

This is a home game for Donbass Donetsk. It has been moved to Bratislava due to the unstable situation in Ukraine right now.