This game is for all the marbles! A mouth-watering clash awaits us in Stockholm as Djurgården Stockholm welcome Skellefteå AIK with the score tied at 3-3 after the first leg. It was a back and forth game in Skellefteå last week, as the home side took a quick 2-0 lead after just six minutes, only for Djurgården to fight their way back into the tie through goals by Henrik Eriksson and Mattias Guter. Adam Pettersson’s wristshot from the left circle gave Skellefteå in the second period, before one of the strangest goals you’ll ever see went in. With their goalie pulled on a delayed penalty, a misplaced pass by the Skellefteå skaters ended up in their own net, and Djurgården’s Niklas Svedberg was credited with the goal.

Djurgården come into this crucial second leg contest on the back of some poor domestic form. They have now lost five straight SHL games, including two in the period after the first leg clash last Tuesday. This run of form has included a 3-1 loss to fellow CHL participants Luleå Hockey. The Stockholm club’s main issue domestically has been goal scoring. In those five losses, Djurgården have scored just 5 goals, so look for leading scorers, defenceman Olle Alsing and forward Michael Haga, to try and give their team an edge in this clash.

Skellefteå also come into this clash on the back of some shaky domestic form. They have won just one of their last six SHL games and have now lost three on the bounce following losses at the weekend to Växjö Lakers and Brynäs IF. Top Scorer Oscar Möller’s three points (2+1) in the game against the latter was still not enough to prevent a 6-4 loss, as Gustaf Lindvall struggled in the Skellefteå net. Consequently, both teams will be looking to gain confidence from a European victory, in order to progress further in the competition, and to turn around their domestic form.