Time is money

Salavat Yulaev is to be hit with a stiff financial penalty from the KHL following the lengthy delay in the third period of the reigning champions’ Eastern Conference quarter-final defeat at home to Ak Bars Kazan on Tuesday.

The problems arose when technicians were replacing one of the goals and damaged a pipe in the cooling system for the ice which covers the arena, and the Ufa men face a fine for failing to meet the standards required by the League’s technical regulations.

The club has now made the necessary repairs to the Ufa Arena cooling system and has supplied the League with written explanations and guarantees that the playing surface is ready to host the next home game in the KHL championship, scheduled to be the visit of Ak Bars for Game 6 of the quarter-final series on Friday - providing the Gagarin Cup holders do not lose Game 5 in Kazan tonight, in which case their next KHL Championship home game will be in September.