All five of Friday's Champions Hockey League games were decided by one goal, including one in overtime and two in shootouts. As well, Sparta, Karpat, Zurich and Farjestad (in absentia) all qualified for the Round of 32.
Sparta Prague 5–4 Comarch Cracovia
When Sparta Prague went into Krakow last Wednesday and beat Comarch Cracovia 7-2 in the CHL's debut in Poland, not many were surprised. Another easy victory was expected this time around – and that only increased when they got goals from Petr Vrana and Miroslav Forman to take a 2-0 lead by the game's 1:00 mark. But Cracovia had obviously learned a thing or two from the first game and out-scored Sparta 4-3 over the rest of the game, thanks to 60 saves from Rafal Radziszewski.
Twice Sparta led by two goals and twice Cracovia came back to tie it. Sparta fans went into full-blown panic when Filip Drzewicki pulled his team even again in the 45th minute – the second time they had come back from a two-goal deficit. Sparta went to the power play when Slabon went off for hooking with 10:32 on the clock, but squeezed their sticks so tightly that they couldn't pull the trigger on the go-ahead goal, even though they had good puck possession.
Things got downright crazy in the dying minutes as they continued to push hard for the goal, but Radziszewski wouldn't relinquish. Then another power play and finally a goal – Netik again with 4:30 on the clock, his 6th CHL goal of the season, with the Cracovia goalie diving across in vain.
Karpat Oulu 1–0 Vitkovice Ostrava (OT)
Karpat and Vitkovice played out a scoreless tie across 60 minutes, giving both sides a point each and meaning that the Oulu-side made it through to the next round. With overtime in session, it was Karpat who would eventually win the game as Mikko Niemela scored the only goal of the game with 2:03 remaining in sudden-death overtime.
"The game was quite difficult compared to the other games we played in Europe where we were better," the game's lone goal-scorer said afterward. "We weren't quite on the same page today. We had bad excecution in every department but we have to be satisfied about the win – it's always a good thing in this tournament."
The OT win is a good thing in this tournament for Karpat, as it comfortably in the next round, while putting Vitkovice level on points with Krefeld as the two sides battle for the other remaining spot in the Round of 32.
Bili Tygri Liberec 1–2 TPS Turku (SO)
TPS centre Eric Perrin had it pegged going into Friday night's game in Liberec – the first of two that will likely decide the Group H winner – when he said, “I think that the key to playing against (Liberec) is to be good defensively and then capitalize on those attacks when we do have them. So, it’s gonna be a defence-first mentality for sure.”
Indeed, it was a battle between two disciplined teams, waiting for the other to make a mistake. In 65 minutes of hockey, each team scored once – Patrik Virta for TPS and Tomas Mojzis for Liberec. In the shootout to follow it took seven rounds to decide a winner – Dave Spina with a modified "Forsberg" move to beat Liberec relief-goalie Roman Will. Will faced TPS's last three shooters after Jan Lasak had played the full 65 minutes of hockey before getting beaten 1-on-1 by the first two penalty-shooters he faced.
Virta opened the scoring way back in the 8th minute by taking a pass from Henrik Tallinder and skating in on Lasak, eluding a poke-check and putting it inside the far post. Mojzis, with the White Tigers pressing for the equalizer with 6:00 to play in regulation time, drilled a slapper that went high to the glove side of Oskari Setanen – the only one of 39 shots to beat him before the shootout.
Lukko Rauma 2–3 ZSC Lions Zurich (SO)
A strong opening period for the Lions saw them shock their Finnish hosts with two early goals. Lukko, playing their first CHL game of the season, were behind with just over two minutes played – Chris Baltisberger's shot hit something on the goal and came back out at speed. Having initially waived the goal off, the referees went upstairs and the video official awarded the goal with 2:19 played. Despite knowing a point would be enough to see them through, there was no let up from the Lions who had by far the better chances of the opening stages. They were duly rewarded at 10:58 when Patrik Bartschi reacted quickest to a rebound from Morris Trachsler's shot to double the Lions' lead shorthanded.
The middle period brought no goals, despite a better performance from the home side, meaning Lions netminder Niklas Schlegel started period three at 100 minutes without conceding a goal. It was all looking rose for the Lions with less than five minutes to go, before Aleksi Saarela scored on a power play with under three minutes to go to half the deficit. Then, just 26 seconds later, Janne Niskala tied the game for the home side to complete an unlikely comeback.
Overtime failed to produce a goal, and going into the shootout goals form Shannon and Pestoni were enough to give Lukko the extra point, with only Toni Koivisto netting for the hosts.
EV Zug 2–1 IFK Helsinki
EV Zug have taken care of business so far in Group G with a win in Esbjerg and now an impressive 2-1 decision on home ice against a strong IFK Helsinki squad. What made the win impressive was how dominant they were, with a 27-20 edge in shots. If not for some solid goaltending from ex-NHLer Nicklas Backstrom – especially in the second period – it could have been worse.
The first period was fairly evenly played, though, and it looked like the teams would be headed to their respective dressing rooms still scoreless, but on a late power play – just after IFK failed to convert a shorthanded breakaway – Lino Martschini hopped on a rebound and put it away with 16 seconds showing on the clock. In the second period it was all Zug, thanks in part to three straight power plays, but Backstrom stopped all 12 shots he faced. At the other end, Tobias Stephan only had to make two saves but the second one was a spectacular glove save in the last minute off Thomas Nykopp from close range on an IFK power play.
With under seven minutes to play, Zug got some breathing room. A nice passing play was finished by Emmanuel Peter, with Backstrom having no chance on the backdoor play. IFK Helsinki pressed late and, with Backstrom pulled for a sixth attacker, they got one back on a Tommy Taimi slapper with 1:45 to go. That was as close as they would come, however, as Zug continue the strong showing by Swiss clubs at this year's CHL.