(Interstat) — SKA Saint Petersburg will look to remain unbeaten when it hosts Lada Togliatti on Wednesday, Sept. 9, in a Kontinental Hockey League game at Ice Palace Saint Petersburg in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

SKA enters 2-0-0 after a 5-3 home win over Dynamo Moscow on Monday, Sept. 7. The home side got two goals from Sergei Plotnikov, while Vasily Atanasov added another. Defenseman Alexei Maklyukov, the team’s player to watch, had one hit in the win. On Sept. 5, Maklyukov recorded one assist and one hit in SKA’s 4-3 overtime victory over Lada in Saint Petersburg.

Lada is still seeking its first win at 0-2-0. The visiting side dropped a 1-0 decision at Severstal Cherepovets on Sept. 7 despite another strong performance from goaltender Nikita Podskrebalin, who made 32 saves on 33 shots. In the teams’ first meeting this season, Podskrebalin stopped 28 of 32 shots in a 4-3 overtime loss at SKA.

Podskrebalin remains the key player for Lada. If the goaltender can replicate his early-season form, Lada could make this a low-scoring, competitive game. The offense, though, has managed just three goals in two games, both losses.

The most recent head-to-head matchup came Saturday, Sept. 5, when SKA beat Lada 4-3 in overtime at Ice Palace Saint Petersburg. SKA has already shown it can win tight games, while Lada has played well enough to earn points in one of its first two contests but has no points to show for it.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a 2-1 victory for SKA. The ELO system gives SKA a 73.8% probability to win.

After Wednesday’s game, SKA travels to Spartak Moscow on Thursday, Sept. 10, before visiting HC Sochi on Saturday, Sept. 12. SKA also has upcoming road games at Traktor Chelyabinsk on Sept. 25, Barys Astana on Sept. 27 and CSKA Moscow on Sept. 29 before hosting Admiral Vladivostok on Oct. 3.

Lada returns home for a three-game stretch, beginning Friday, Sept. 11, against Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod. Lada also hosts Dinamo Minsk on Monday, Sept. 14, and Barys Astana on Wednesday, Sept. 16. The club then plays four straight on the road, including visits to Ak Bars Kazan on Sept. 21, Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk on Sept. 23, CSKA Moscow on Sept. 25 and Dinamo Minsk on Sept. 28. Lada also travels to Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg on Sept. 30, Avangard Omsk on Oct. 2 and Admiral Vladivostok on Oct. 10.

SKA’s defensive structure and home-ice advantage make it the clear favorite, but Podskrebalin’s recent workload suggests Lada will not be easy to pull away from.