Some have called Group E a “Group of Death” and the results from Game Day 1 indicate that nothing’s going to come easy for any of the four teams. Kärpät Oulu had their hands full with a feisty Grenoble squad, beating them only 3-1, and SC Bern went into a very tough place to play – Skellefteå – and managed to earn a point on the road. Now Bern stay up north and hop across the Gulf of Bothnia to Oulu, where it won’t get any easier against another of Europe’s elite teams.

Of course, the big story around Kärpät this past week was the return of native son Jesse Puljujärvi and he made good by scoring a goal in the third minute. However, the floodgates didn’t open at that point as Grenoble kept the game close. Nonetheless, the Weasels wanted three points from their opener and they got them, and that’s a good thing because things are probably going to get tougher in their second game.

Despite all their time in the Champions Hockey League, this is Bern’s first visit to Oulu but head coach Kari Jalonen and assistant coach Mikko Haapakoski are quite familiar with the city and Oulun Energie Arena – both played and coached for Kärpät at various stages of their careers. But their primary concern will be making sure their team is ready to play after a quick turnaround. Bern got one point in Skelleftea and if they can take something from this game as well, they will have survived the hardest segment of their group stage schedule still very much in contention.