Coming into their matchup against the Rouen Dragons, Red Bull Salzburg were near the top ten teams in goals for (23), goals per game (3.29), powerplay percentage (34.62%), and penalty kill percentage (83.33%), pitting them as the favourites against a French squad that played admirably in their own group. Those statistics, however, were quickly thrown out the window when Rouen upset Salzburg with a 3-0 final in the First Game.

Now, the Austrians will be doing some soul searching as they’ll look to get back on track with a strong win at home. Because this leg of the tournament is based on aggregate scoring, to advance to the next round, the hosts will have to score at least four goals while not allowing a single marker from their opponents. So far this season, Salzburg have done better on the road, apart from last week’s tilt, and have a 2-1 record on home ice.

They’ve potted ten total goals in front of their home fans, but to have any chance of reaching the Quarter-Finals, their knack for finding the net will have to be on full display in all situations. Despite firing 33 shots on goal, Salzburg were 0-for-1 on the powerplay, and allowed a shorthanded goal; getting contributions from their top scorers will go a long way to keeping them in the competition.

It took nearly 37 minutes, but the French finally broke through when David Gilbert scored what would eventually be the game-winning goal to help Rouen to their first CHL Playoff victory. With a three-goal lead on their opponents in the aggregate scoring, the French are on the cusp of making more history for their club as they hope to move on to the Quarter-Finals. But to rest on their laurels would be a grave mistake, as acknowledged by their netminder Matija Pintarič, who conceded, “We have to go into that game with the mindset of winning it, we can’t just go there to defend the lead because in hockey that’s pretty much impossible.”

To give themselves a chance at continuing their run to the Final, Rouen will need to heed Pintarič’s words and execute an attack that’s both offensively feasible and defensively responsible.