The Stavanger Oilers hosted HK Nitra in the first game of Group J, winning 2-1. Read more in Gamecentre. 

If you only watched the first period of the game in Stavanger, you saw the teams go back and forth and you also saw all the scoring. Svein Petter Falk Larssen and Judd Blackwater traded goals 18 seconds apart in the sixth minute, and then Kristian Forsberg scored what held up as the game-winner on a power play late in the period, following some nice puck movement. 

After that, goaltenders Henrik Holm and Michal Valent were perfect. Valent was especially key in keeping his team close in the third period, when his team was outshot 16-6 as Nitra were forced to kill off three penalties. A sizable group of Nitra fans made the trip north and it made for great atmosphere at DNB Arena, where the Oilers took all three points on home ice. 

"We played a good game and we had a lot of chances," said Nitra coach Andrej Kmec. "This was a very good experience for us. Stavanger skate very well and play good hockey. We played good hockey too tonight but we need to score more goals – one isn't enough." 

“I’m very happy with the win,” said Oilers coach Pal Gulbrandsen. “The boys kept working hard for 60 minutes and I was particularly happy with the third period when I felt we were in control. That being said, we have to improve on saturday when HC Pilsen come to DNB Arena as I think they may be a better team.”