- Sparta won the first tie 2-1 in an OT shootout
- Turku are last in the Group A standings, Sparta third but only three points off top spot
- Both sides looking for the win to keep Playoff hopes alive
As we head into Game Day 4, the two teams facing off at Prague’s Tipsport Arena find themselves in need of the win, but at very different levels of desperation. After losing their first game, home team Sparta Prague have won two straight in extra time to take four points and find themselves third in Group A, but only two back of second-place Pinguins Bremerhaven and three back of the Växjö Lakers, so very much in the hunt.
TPS Turku, on the other hand, have only a single point from a shootout loss to show for their first three games and, with one point, are far behind the pack. Most likely, the Finnish club will have to win out from this point if they are to advance.
After each losing on Game Day 1, these two teams met at Gatorade Center in Turku last weekend. Twice Sparta took the lead and twice TPS tied it, and the score was 2-2 after 65 minutes of hockey, although TPS had a wide 44-23 edge in shots. The shootout went five rounds but Filip Chalík was the only player to score for either side, giving Sparta the extra point.
On Friday night, Sparta beat Växjö 2-1 in overtime and TPS lost 3-0 in Bremerhaven to put the teams into the positions they’re in now. As mentioned, two of Sparta’s three games have been decided beyond 60 minutes and all three have been by one goal. Two of TPS’s three games have also been decided by a goal – the lone exception being the loss in Bremerhaven, which was 0-0 after two periods.
In three games, Sparta have scored five goals and surrendered five (not counting the shootout). Captain Michal Řepík and defenceman Tomáš Pavelka have both factored in on three of those goals, with Pavelka being the only Sparta d-man to register a point so far. Alexander Salák has played every minute of every game so far and has been outstanding – particularly that last game in Turku – with a goals-against-average of 1.64 and a save percentage of 0.946%.
In three games, TPS have scored three goals and surrendered seven (also not counting the shootout). Defenceman Ville Jalunen is the only player on the team with more than one point – he has two. Like Salák, Russian goalkeeper Andrey Kareev has seen all the action for TPS and his numbers are very good as well: 1.99 and 0.928%.
Add all that up, and we can probably expect a close, low-scoring affair in the return meeting in Prague.