MAGNITOGORSK (Interstat) — Neftekhimik will visit Metallurg M in a Kontinental Hockey League game Thursday at Arena Metallurg. Neftekhimik enters with a 13-10 record, while Metallurg M is 17-7.

Neftekhimik goaltender Yaroslav Ozolin is the player to watch. He has won each of his past three appearances, stopping 45 of 46 shots at HC Sochi, 30 of 31 at Sibir Novosibirsk and 25 of 27 at Avangard Omsk. Earlier this season, he made 36 saves in a 1-0 loss to Avangard Omsk and 23 saves in a 4-3 loss at Salavat Yulaev Ufa. Neftekhimik’s most recent result was a 2-1 win at Sochi. Ozolin made 45 saves, Evgeny Mityakin scored once on two shots and Matvei Zaseda scored once on one shot with a hit. Neftekhimik’s recent results also include a 3-1 win at Sibir, a 3-2 win at Avangard, a 3-2 overtime home win over Traktor, a 1-0 road win at Lokomotiv and a 3-2 overtime home loss to Metallurg M. It also lost 4-3 at home to Admiral and 4-1 at CSKA.

Metallurg M defenseman Alexander Siryatsky is the player to watch. He had a goal on four shots with four penalty minutes and a hit in a 7-3 home loss to CSKA Moscow. He also recorded an assist at Sibir Novosibirsk, an assist against Sibir Novosibirsk, two assists against Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg, an assist at Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod and a goal and an assist against Salavat Yulaev Ufa. Metallurg M’s most recent result was that loss to CSKA Moscow. Igor Nechayev scored once on two shots with a hit, Siryatsky scored once on four shots and Sergei Tolchinsky had an assist. Before that defeat, Metallurg M beat Avtomobilist 4-3 on the road, lost 5-2 at Sibir, won 3-2 in overtime at Neftekhimik, beat Sibir 5-1 at home, lost 5-4 in a shootout to Salavat Yulaev Ufa at home, beat Avtomobilist 4-2 at home, won 3-1 at Dinamo Minsk, won 3-2 in overtime at Torpedo, beat Salavat Yulaev Ufa 7-1 at home and beat Admiral 3-0 at home.

The teams have met twice this season. Metallurg M won 3-2 in overtime at Neftekhimik and won 6-2 at home in an earlier meeting. Neftekhimik will return home for its next game against Lokomotiv, then face Salavat Yulaev at home. Metallurg M will next host Avangard, then visit Barys.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a final score of Metallurg M 4, Neftekhimik 2. The over-under is 5.5.