The first real complications came for Frölunda right at the very beginning of the season when they lost the first two games of Group H, both at home – against the Graz99ers in a shootout and then against Mountfield HK. "We weren't playing how we wanted to so it was a tough start for us," recalls Lundqvist. "It was a challenge for us, but I believed in our team. We needed to play aggressively in the away rematches and we did just that."

That obviously put the Indians under significant pressure.

"We just had to win. If we lost the away games, it'd be the end of the tournament, so we were under pressure that early on to start winning," said the leader of the Swedish champs. "But we did it, which led to us building confidence so it was really crucial for us to break it and get going."

The pressure was amplified by the fact that Frölunda won both the CHL and SHL last year. "We knew that people expected us to be dominant, to score a lot of goals and in general to win games early in the season. We also put a lot of pressure on ourselves so we were obviously disappointed with the start we had. But, fortunately, we found a way to turn it around."

Thanks to four wins in the remaining four games, the reigning Swedish and European champions not only advanced into the Playoffs, but also won their group. However, the troubles continued as Frölunda lost the first leg of every single Playoff round - they managed to fight back each time and win, sometimes in dramatic fashion.

"It was crazy," described Lundqvist. "Especially in the very first game against Färjestad, we were down by three after the first period. Although we came back, we obviously didn't like that we had to. When you turn things around like that, you grow as a team. You feel strong and believe in your team when you come back in several games. It made us stronger for sure."

But all the problems were overcome and the Indians are once again just one win from the European Trophy.

"The Final is just one game, you have to be aggressive from the opening face-off, but thanks to what we've experienced in the Playoffs, we believe that we can win. We were having a tough time earlier on, but we're really looking forward to the Final. We want to play good hockey and there is confidence in our team."

The Final is going to be played in the Czech Republic. Is that going to affect the Swedish team?

"Of course we would like to play at home if we could choose, but it is what it is. We played a solid game there in the Group Stage. It's going to be a tough game for sure and it's going to be a challenge too, but it's the CHL Final, so it should be. We have to come up as a team and play our best for the whole 60 minutes."

As mentioned, Frölunda and Mountfield already met twice this year so there might be some advantages thanks to knowing what to expect from the opponents.

"It's the same for both teams," the Swedish captain said calmly. "Yes, we know a little bit more about Mountfield, but they do too about us so I don't think we're going to have an advantage compared to them."

Joel Lundqvist is also the twin brother of NHL goalie Henrik Lundqvist who plays for the New York  Rangers. However, he is yet to win the Stanley Cup and Joel already has three European Trophies under his belt, so does the forward sometimes tease his brother about it?

"No," he laughed. "We have different careers which you can't really compare. Henrik has played great in the NHL, so we support each other."