The biggest game of the 2025/26 season is now two weeks away and while we wait for the big night to roll around, here's a breakdown of who could be manning the nets in Gothenburg's Scandinavium on Tuesday, 3 March!
Lars Johansson
38-year-old Lars Johansson has shown he's a very calm and capable netminder time and time again, but he's been especially strong this season, lining up for six games in the CHL with a near 92.50% save percentage, a shutout to his name and over 120 saves on his stats sheet.
One of the biggesst assets of the Frölunda Gothenburg #1 is his countless years of experience, with the player lining up for the Champions Hockey League Final in 2015/16 and winning the competition with the Swedes the following season.
Just like their opponents in the upcoming CHL Final, Frölunda have also split the duties in net this season, so it's hard to predict who will man the net one final time this season, but we think Johansson could get the nod ahead equally strong teammate Tobias Normann for the CHL Final.
Joel Lassinantti
Luleå's Joel Lassinantti is a veteran of the club having been with them since the junior categories. Lassinantti has lined up for 35 games in Europe's biggest club ice hockey competition since making his debut in 2014/15 and this season, he's only been given the nod four times, but great stats across some hugely-important games could very well give him the nod come Tuesday, 3 March.
He's manned the net for both Semi-Finals games against EV Zug, earning him praise for his performances against a very tough Swiss side, while earlier outings in the Regular Season, mainly a very important Game Day 6 game against HC Bolzano, which saw the 33-year-old face a surprising number of shots and intense play, have left this very capable and trustworthy goalie on a 91.21% save percentage, accompanied by 80+ saves.
If he doesn't make the cut, younger teammate Matteus Ward, who was in net during Luleå's last CHL Final in 2022/23, would also do a very stellar job with impressive stats across six games played this CHL season.
All in all, with two very active sides on the attack, goaltending could be more important than ever in the CHL Final! Who do you think will make the cut? Stay tuned to our web and social media channels for more CHL Final 2026 content!