SKA - Jokerit. Introducing the opponents
PREVIOUS MEETINGS
So far, these two clubs have faced each other twice in the 2019/2020 KHL regular season, with the teams trading victories:
15.09.2019. SKA - Jokerit - 3:2 (Koskiranta 22:09, Yakupov 30:52, Lehtera 59:34; Kontiola 20:27, Haapala 53:30)
03.01.2020. Jokerit - SKA - 6:0 (O'Neill 24:59, Regin 30:59, 37:31, Moses 34:17, Lehtonen 38:50, Grant 55:58)
CURRENT FORM
Jokerit are in a direct battle with SKA and Dynamo Moscow for second place of the Western Conference. At the moment, the Finns occupy fourth position of the standings with 65 points on the board, the same amount as Dynamo Moscow and two less than SKA. However, Jokerit have two games in hand over Dynamo and one over SKA, a factor which further increases the importance of this match. CSKA Moscow are leading the table with 72 points.
Playing with confidence, Jokerit have made an excellent start to 2020, defeating SKA (6:0), Dinamo Riga (7:0), Spartak Moscow (3:2 OT), Severstal (4:1) and Vityaz Podolsk (3:2). Their only defeat was a surprise 2:5 setback to Severstal in Tallinn, Estonia. Jokerit have won eight of their last 10 KHL matches.
An interesting fact is that Jokerit have scored 11.54% of their shots in the current KHL season.
Following losses to Jokerit (0:6) and Spartak Moscow (1:3) at the start of the year, SKA have started to gain momentum in Saint Petersburg, beating Dynamo Moscow (2:1 OT) and Dinamo Riga (3:0) to return to second spot of the Western Conference.
POINTS LEADERS IN LAST FIVE KHL MATCHES
Niklas Jensen: 9 (6+3) points
Mikko Lehtonen: 7 (3+4) points
Peter Regin: 5 (1+4) points
Boasting a grand total of 38 (18+20) points to his name, Brian O'Neill is Jokerit's top scoring forward at the moment, while Peter Regin isn't too far behind with 32 (14+18) points. Fellow forwards Jesse Joensuu (11+15), Petri Kontiola (7+19) and Henrik Haapala (5+18) are also enjoying strong season for the Helsinki-based organisation.
Steve Moses, who used to play for SKA and was a member of the 2016/2017 Gagarin Cup winning team, has picked up 15 (6+9) points in 33 games.
26-year-old defenseman Mikko Lehtonen has been a revelation for Jokerit, tallying a large total of 37 (15+22) points in 46 matches. Sami Lepisto (6+16) and Alex Grant (5+14) also offer a threat from the blue line.
Janis Kalnins, the first choice goalkeeper for Jokerit, has registered a save percentage of 93.1% and a goals against average of 1.86. The Latvian has gained three shutouts.
START TIME
Puck drop at the Ice Palace is scheduled for 19:30 local time. Match TV and Channel 78 will prpvide a live television broadcast in Russia, and you can also read text on our official Twitter account.