Today’s flashback takes us back to the intense Round of 16 return leg between Kärpät Oulu and Sparta Prague in the 2015/16 season of the Champions Hockey League.
Kärpät were really in form that year. After making it all the way to the Semi-Finals the year prior, they breezed through the Group Stage without losing a single game and only conceded a single goal in four games! Their winning streak continued into the first elimination round, the Round of 32, where they comfortably delt with Düsseldorfer EG both home and away, keeping a clean sheet in both games and scoring five. It looked like nothing could stop them, but up stepped Sparta.
Despite winning their opening game of the season, Sparta weren’t having the same year as Kärpät. Their remaining three Group Stage games were a regulation loss, an overtime loss and a win, putting them in second place of Group M with a chance to change their fortune in the Playoffs. Their Round of 32 opponents were a feared ZSC Lions side determined to make up for their shortcomings the season prior. Defying the odds, Sparta managed to fight ZSC off and win 3-2 at home and follow that with an impressive 3-0 win on the road, to make the Round of 16 against Kärpät.
On paper, Kärpät were the stronger team of the matchup. They were unbeaten in the league and had only conceded a single goal so far, but Sparta had shown they can play when under pressure. And that’s exactly what happened in the first leg in Prague. Despite Kärpät scoring first, Sparta fought back to win the game 4-2 and give them a comfortable two goal advantage for the return game in Finland. They had slain the giant, inflicting Kärpät’s first defeat of the season. But did they have the strength to slay them again?
Tune in live on 18 November, 19:00 CET and find out!