In another Swedish-Finnish match-up, the historic Djurgarden Stockholm face KalPa Kuopio. While Djurgarden owned their group stage opponents on home ice, outscoring them 10-0 over two games, they had more trouble on the road, taking two of six points. As this series starts in Kuopio, it will be critical of the Finnish squad to get a good result at home and not head into Stockholm trailing. When they're on, both of these teams have good goaltending and have good team-defensive games, so don't expect any blow-outs here. However, Djurgarden is definitely more dangerous offensively, especially on the power play, so KalPa will have to stay disciplined and out of the penalty box.
Closer look: Djurgarden Stockholm
(2-1-0-1, 8 points, 15:6, 1st in Group B)
Djurgarden finished tied for top spot in Group B, winning the tie-breaker against HC Davos by out-scoring them in their two head-to-head meetings. That was thanks to a big 6-0 win when the teams met in Stockholm – in the return game in Davos it was the Swiss team winning 3-1. Against the Rouen Dragons, they also won by a shutout at home, 4-0, and won in overtime in France, with Robin Press's goal securing their group win. They showed to be much more dominant on home ice than on the road, and we'll see if that's a factor against KalPa, who will be no pushovers.
Jeff
Tambellini
4+1, +1
Top Forward & CRAMO Top Scorer: Jeff Tambellini not only recorded a hat-trick when Djurgarden won 6-0 against HC Davos at home, but with less than 15 minutes left in the game, Tambellini scored his fourth power-play goal of the night, making him Djurgarden's top scorer. The 32-year-old Canadian, who's played 242 games with Los Angeles Kings, New York Islanders and Vancouver Canucks, has had some great success with linemates Daniel Brodin and Matt Anderson. Together, they've scored 6 out of 15 Djurgarden goals, making them a threat everytime they hit the ice.
Robin
Press
3+1, +1
Top Defenceman: Robin Press is not known for getting the big headlines, but in the last group stage game against the Rouen Dragons he scored the overtime goal, which meant that Djurgarden not only won the game, they also grabbed the top spot in Group B. 21-year-old Press, who is drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks, has 4 points in 4 games, already surpassing last season's total (3 assists in 6 games).
Mikael
Tellqvist
90.91 %
Top Goaltender: 36-year-old veteran Mikael Tellqvist started this season's CHL campaign with a shutout win against HC Davos. Since then he has been the number-one goalie, playing 3 out of 4 games – 2 wins and 1 loss. Behind Tellqvist, we find Adam Reideborn, 12 years younger, who also had a shutout in his CHL debut against Rouen. While we might see both goalies get some action against KalPa, coach Robert Ohlsson will go with Tellqvist, the Olympic gold medallist and two-time Swedish champion, when Djurgarden faces must-win situations.
Closer look: KalPa Kuopio
(2-0-0-2, 6 points, 7:8, 2nd in Group N)
KalPa were one of the more remarkable stories during the group stage, needing to win both of their last two games against the Vienna Capitals in regulation, and then doing it, which is why they're here now. They started with a pair of losses to Skelleftea AIK – 2-1 in Finland and then 4-0 in northern Sweden. In the first game against Vienna, at home, they trailed 1-0 halfway through the third and faced elimination before rallying for three late goals. They then scored another 3-1 win in Vienna to punch their ticket onward. Will their momentum carry them against Djurgarden, or with their troubles with Swedish teams resurface?
Jesse
Mankinen
2+0, +1
Top Forward & CRAMO Top Scorer: Jesse Mankinen is one of the most consistent goal scorers in this year's KalPa lineup. He played a hugely important role in the last CHL divisional game against the Vienna Capitals, scoring two significant goals and helping KalPa clinch a playoff berth. Mankinen has reached the 20-point mark and has scored over 10 goals in five consecutive seasons in the Finnish Liiga, and it's fair to expect more of the same this year as well. KalPa needs Mankinen's line, which includes Tommi Jokinen and Balazs Sebok, to remain productive for the team.
Jussi
Timonen
0+0, even
Top Defenceman: The younger brother of the former NHL player and Stanley Cup champion Kimmo Timonen, Jussi might not be the most productive defenceman as far as points are concerned, but what makes him really important for this KalPa squad is his veteran leadership. Timonen is the captain of this year's KalPa team and his experience and ability to lead its young defensive corps with his leadership is essential for the team. Timonen and Antti Halonen are the only two defencemen in this roster over the age of 25.
Eero
Kilpelainen
93.22%
Top Goaltender: No offence to Denis Godla, but Eero Kilpelainen is going to be KalPa's starting goalie this year for sure. Kilpelainen was a key figure in the defensive-minded KalPa team last year, and he was widely considered the team's most valuable player. Kilpelainen played as many as 56 games last year in the Finnish Liiga with a save percentage of 92.7 and a goals-against average of 2.02. Kilpelainen was definitely one of the main reasons why KalPa's defensive style of play was so effective against other teams.
First Leg
KalPa Kupio outsmarted Djurgarden Stockholm at home in the first leg of the Round of 32. Thanks to solid defence and, especially, excellent goaltending, KalPa now have a great chance advancing in their first CHL playoff appearance after winning 2-0.
“They were very strong,” said KalPa coach Pekka Virta. “We were in trouble from time to time, no doubt about it, so keeping that in mind we are very satisfied with the score.”
When KalPa, with one of the best penalty kills in the tournament (88.89%), and Djurgarden, with the second best power play (40%), faced off in Kupio Tuesday night, it was not a big surprise that special teams would have an impact on the outcome of the game.
With a little help from his skate, Alexander Ruutu gave KalPa the lead in the middle of the first period after a brilliant pass by Jusso Riikkola. Just minutes later the same Rikkola got a breakaway, but this time Djurgarden goalie Mikael Tellqvist had no problem making the save.
Djurgarden had their chances, but KalPa goalie Eero Kilpelainen was like a wall, saving a total of 31 shots.
After a goalless second period, where both teams struggled on the power play, things heated up in the third act.
With four minutes left, Djurgarden got a man advantage, but once again KalPa neutralized the Swedes in the D-zone. Instead of a Djurgarden goal, Matias Myttynen, with only 13 seconds left of the game, rushed past two opponents and with a backhand sent the puck into the top shelf.
"I think it was a tough, even game. KalPa won by two, but the game was tougher than that. We could have also won by two goals," said a disappointed Djurgarden coach Robert Ohlsson after the game.
“Being two goals ahead going to Stockholm next week is definitely much better than trailing by two,” Virta understated. “Djurgarden will come out even stronger and we must play much better than we did today. We must show our dominance right away in Stockholm, since in this game we were kind of inspectors for some parts of the game and gave the opponent too much space to execute their gameplan. We must be stronger, bolder and more confident next Tuesday.”
Second Leg
Djurgarden Stockholm were unable to score against KalPa Kuopio in the first game, so the Swedes had to face being down by two goals on aggregate. However, the crowd at Hovet Arena had to witness a great number of KalPa chances besides those of Djurgarden.
At 8:30, the visiting team had a two-on-one opportunity, but goalkeeper Adam Reideborn kept the score tied with a huge save. Five minutes later KalPa made fools of the home defence with a few smart passes, and not even Reideborn was able to prevent the away team from scoring. Jesse Mankinen passed to Balazs Sebok, who centred the puck and Tommi Jokinen helped it into the wide-open net. After taking the lead, KalPa had a few chances on the power play, but thanks to the home team’s defending, Djurgarden were able to keep it a close game.
The importance of their solid defence was represented only 3:11 into the second period, when KalPa were shorthanded. Mikko Kouse released a slap shot with huge traffic in front of the goalie, and the puck found its way to the net. After being able to equalize, Djurgarden weren’t able to put pressure on the away team’s goal, meanwhile KalPa knew that all they needed was solid defence to win this game. As a result, there weren’t many chances created by the teams, they headed to the final period with a 1-1 score, and with KalPa still ahead by two on aggregate.
The last period took off the way as everyone suspected: Djurgarden shot from every position, every angle, but Eero Kilpelainen was the final destination of all their attempts. Nearing the end of the game, Djurgarden started to put all of their energy into attacking, but they couldn’t convert their chances into goals, even on the power play.
“I played okay,” Kilpelainen said after the game, “but I think we played pretty well as a team too. Even though Djurgarden where kind of pressing hard, we played smart and stuck with our game plan.”
Five minutes before the end, KalPa were leading 3-1 on aggregate, but they took a high-sticking penalty which meant the last chance for Djurgarden. The home team pulled the goalie and the risk paid off – with 2:30 left, Jeff Tambellini scored on a rebound. His goal put the game up for grabs, but Djurgarden weren’t able to complete their comeback in the time remaining.
KalPa head coach Pekka Virta summed up, "Of course the last period was very tough because we took too many penalties. It was a fast game and I think we played pretty well 5-on-5. Fortunately, we had good penalty-killing, scored another power-play goal, and in total we won."
KalPa advanced to the next round with 3-2 on aggregate but the passionate, dramatic finish of the game made it a memorable night for the crowd.
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