Dusseldorfer EG 4–5 TPS Turku
In one of the more exciting games that we've seen so far in this year's CHL, DEG and TPS went back and forth all night and looked to be headed to extra time, but Harri Tikkanen scored the winning goal on the power play with 50 seconds to play to give 3 points to TPS, who pad their lead atop Group G. TPS scored the game's first two goals, but Dusseldorf came back with three in a row in the second, and the game continued to see-saw in front of an electrified crowd of 6,753. Henrik Tallinder scored 2 goals for TPS and Dave Spina had 3 assists. Norman Milley had 1 goal and 2 assists for Dusseldorf, who could have clinched a playoff spot with a win, but will have to wait until next weekend.“It was a hard fought game. The winning goal by TPS was obviously tough for us. An unnecessary power play at the end was the reason for that. It feels like a win! I can't wait till Thursday to play against them,” said Dusseldorf's Travis Turnbull, who had 1 goal and 1 assist in the game.
“We took way too many penalties in the middle period, also Dusseldorf picked up their came and we got caught a bit,” Tallinder explained. “The momentum was with them after the penalties, and they played great after that. It's a tough building to play in, the fans were very loud making it hard to communicate on the ice. The game could have gone either way, they're a good team and so are we.”
Espoo Blues 4–2 Grenoble
The hometown Blues held a decisive edge in play throughout the game, out-shooting their French visitors 49–16, but thanks to the stellar goaltending of Latvian Ervins Mustukovs, only managed a relatively close 4–2 win. Still, that's enough to get them their first win in the competition in their second game. Christophe Tatari opened the scoring for Grenoble in the first on the power play, but the Blues battled back with two goals in the second and two more in the third. Markus Poukkula, Kim Hirschovits and Peter Tiivola and Juuso Vainio had 2 points each for Espoo, while Jonathan Harty and Danick Bouchard did likewise for Grenoble.“Of course it was important to win through good battling. We have had difficulties to score a goal but at the same time we keep believing in ourselves and shooting a lot,” Blues forward Timi Lahtinen said after the game. About his goal early in the third period, which proved to be the game-winner, he explained, “The puck bounced right to my stick and it was quite an easy job to finish from there. It was a sigh of relief for me.”
“It was a tough road game for us, the second game in three days. We were disciplined team on 5-on-5 and hung on there. Our goalie played very well for 60 minutes and kept us with a chance in the game,” said Grenoble coach Edo Terglav. About not pulling his goalie in the last minute for a sixth attacker, he brought up the tie-breaking formula: “We have another game at home. Two goals down is better than three.”
HV71 Jonkoping 7–1 SonderjyskE Vojens
In a group where all three teams entered the day wtih 3 points, HV71 have announced their intentions to win the group in a big way with a big win, but it took them a while to get going. It wasn't until late in the first period when Simon Onderud opened the scoring, but HV71 broke it open in the second with four goals. Trailing 7–0 with eight minutes to go, Thomas Spelling got SonderjyskE on the board, but they got no closer. Chris Campoli and Ted Brithen each scored 2 for the winners, and Onderud would add 2 assists to finish with 3 points.Eisbaren Berlin 6–1 Gap Rapaces
With both teams still looking for their first points in Group P, Eisbaren loudly announced before their loud home fans that they intend to take the group's second playoff spot, following Zurich's qualification. They scored 4 goals in the first period and cruised to victory from there. Bruno Gervais scored 2 goals and Darin Olver had 1 goal and 2 assists for the victors, while Karel Richter scored Gap's lone goal in the third period.“It was an important win for us today. Zurich was a hard test, but today we played better,” said Eisbaren forward Florian Busch, who had 2 assists in the game.
Said Gap head coach Luciano Basile, “We have to give Berlin credit, they came out very strong in the first period and it was a tough game for us. We lost too many races to the puck, and the game becomes very complicated then. We had our chances, but we only scored on one of our 16 scoring chances. I don't think we deserved to win this game, but I think it should have been closer.”
Lulea Hockey 4–2 Fribourg-Gotteron
The goals came fast and furious at the start, with Lulea leading 3–2 after one period and then getting a fourth early in the second. Fribourg then made a goaltending change with Benjamin Conz replaced by Reto Lory, who stopped all 28 shots he faced the rest of the way. Joel Lassinanti also closed the door shut to the Lulea net, however, as Lulea take the first step toward a successful title defence by advancing to the next round. Peter Celharik and Jacob Micflikier each had a goal and an assist for Lulea, and Ryan Gardner did likewise for Fribourg.“I think it was a good game, it was good for our momentum. We took some penalties, which gave them a chance to come back into the game. But we came out strong in the second period with that fourth goal, I really think that broke their spirit,” said Lulea forward Jacob Lagace, who scored the game's first goal at 2:46. “I saw we had a two against one – me and Billy (Bill Sweatt), so I gave him the puck, he rounded the net and found me where I stood with a half open cage.” On having two more games having already qualified for the next stage, he added, “The most important thing for us right now is to keep our momentum up and keep on practising.”
Braehead Clan 1–3 Vaxjo Lakers
For the second time in as many games, Braehead scored the first goal, and this time they were buoyed by a sellout home crowd in suburban Glasgow. However, the Swedish champions came back with three straight goals for their third straight win. Scott Pitt scored for the Clan on the power play, while Vaxjo got goals at even strength by Erik Josefsson, shorthanded by Josh Hennessy and on the power play by Richard Gynge. With the win, Vaxjo assure their place in the round of 32.
“I thought we did enough here to maybe get a second goal and really pressure them, but credit to the team for the performance,” Braehead coach Ryan Finnerty said afterward. “We're a team that's getting better every game, and I thought at times we made them look a bit normal. But they're a heck of a hockey club! Don't get me wrong, we want to win, especially in this building, but tonight we competed and gave ourselves a chance. They did a great job defending at the end.”
Vaxjo coach Sam Hallam commented, “We spent a lot of time in their end, but they made it hard for us to get the puck to the net. At times we were trusted and couldn't create some scoring chances - they made it tough for us. Our goal is to go very far in this tournament, and we're playing to win it.”
Vienna Capitals 2–3 Krefeld Pinguine (OT)
The Vienna Capitals were so close to taking hold of second place in Group J, leading 2–1 into the last minute before Krefeld's big player, Daniel Pietta, backhanded a rolling puck into the net to tie the score. It was eventually settled in a shootout, where Henrik Eriksson scored the winner in the sixth round. The Pens now have a 1-point lead on Vienna for the group's last playoff position, but the Caps have a game in hand.“We let them have too many chances in the opening 20 minutes. In the end it was going to be the odd goal here or there to decide the winner, but it was a great game over 60 minutes from both teams,” said Vienna forward Rafael Rotter, who had 1 assist in the game.
“This was a very important game and we knew it,” acknowledged Krefeld coach Rick Adduno. “We knew how strong Vienna are in the EBEL, and we fought back to tie the game late – then our goalie did a great job. We're happy with the two points.”
EV Zug 2–3 Djurgarden Stockholm
Djurgarden picked up 5 of 6 possible points on the road trip and are now in good shape in Group B after a narrow win in Zug. They built up a 3–0 lead in the third period before the home team battled back for a pair of late goals, but couldn't get the third. Alexander Fallstrom's power-play goal with 15:06 to play turned out to be the winner. For Zug, while their playoff hopes are not totally gone, they've got a tough road ahead of them, as they now must win in Stockholm and Tampere and to advance.Geneve-Servette 0–3 Storhamar Hamar
Just 24 hours after pulling off a stunning upset victory in Prague, Storhamar's amazing road trip continues with another upset, this time in Geneva. The visitors from Norway played another extremely disciplined game and got a goal each period, while Robert Hestmann stopped all 31 shots he faced for the shutout. Hampus Gustafsson and defencemen Erik de la Rose and Christian Bull all had 2-point efforts from Storhamar, who now amazingly lead Group M and can wrap up a playoff spot in the return meeting with Geneve on Thursday.“We have to give lots of credit to Storhamar,” said Geneve goalie Robert Mayer, who stopped 17 of 20 shots. “We had chances, but they scored. We knew the game would be very tight after the win they had in Prague. They are smart on the ice: they play smart in their zone and are very well organised. They wait for opportunities and they had rebounds they converted into goals.”
“We played yesterday in Prague and again today,” Storhamar coach Alexander Smirnov reminded everyone. “It is tough. After the game yesterday, I talked with my guys and told them we had to work hard today. Tonight was a good game. Both teams played well. We played smart. I haven't thought about next week yet. I don't feel that we are in front of the others or already qualified. We play one game at a time. We are ready for revenge from Geneva. We are ready!”
HK Nitra 0–9 Bili Tygri Liberec
With Skelleftea having already claimed top spot in the group, it is between these two teams to determine the other playoff team in Group D, and Liberec loudly declared their intentions to take it with a five-goal outburst in the first period on a fog-covered rink, en route to an easy win. Jakub Valsky was Liberec's only multi-goal scorer with 2 along with 2 assists, while linemate Lukas Krenzelok had 1 goal and 3 assists. Jan Lasak had a relatively easy game, stopping all 18 shots for the shutout. The win gives Liberec a two-point lead on Nitra with a game in hand. The two teams meet Thursday in Liberec, with the White Tigers having a chance to secure a playoff spot.“It’s difficult to find something positive after a game like this,” a disappointed Nitra coach Antonin Stajana began. “We were slower in everything today and we made a lot of individual mistakes and they took advantage of all of them and scored several times. We have to forget about this game and play the next one with certainty and only then can we win. I wouldn’t say that Liberec were a more difficult opponent than Skelleftea – we played well in Sweden and we wanted to win against Liberec and get some points, but we didn’t do it.”
“The conditions were hard, but they were same for both teams and from the time when we managed to score once, twice and three times, we took the lead, had the game under control and played well,” said veteran forward Branko Radivojevic, who assisted on the third Liberec goal. “Nitra were maybe a little bit tired from the game in Sweden, but we didn’t make the schedule and we’re glad that we won. From the moment that we scored our third goal, it was difficult for them to catch up, and they kept making more and more mistakes. We have to be careful, though, and make sure we’re ready for the next game.”
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