Adler Mannheim are in a surprising situation and will have a hill to climb as they get set to host Swiss challengers Rapperswil-Jona Lakers in their Return Game in the SAP Arena.

In their First Game, Rapperswil netted four markers while Mannheim were only able to find the net once, leaving the Germans a tough task if they wish to advance past the Round of 16 for the first time in their CHL tenure.

The Swiss side's Playoff debut couldn’t have gone much better as the team from Switzerland toppled the team with the best record in the Regular Season. Rapperswil opened the scoring on the powerplay and, despite giving up the equaliser less than four minutes later, were able to fend off the Germans for the rest of the night thanks in part to the stellar play of their netminder, Melvin Nyffeler.

Excellent netminding aside, the Swiss were also the beneficiaries of an offensive outburst headlined by the efforts of Jordan Schroeder who posted two goals on the night and was a key cog up front. Receiving more contributions up and down the line-up will only help Rapperswil secure their ticket to the Quarter-Finals and extend their sophomore season.

For Mannheim, a missed opportunity to take a crucial lead need not be the be-all and end-all, as the Germans are more than capable of overcoming this goal gap and have proven throughout the season how talented their team is. In net, Felix Brückmann didn’t display his finest hour, but still sits among the league leaders in SV% and GAA. His 92.55 SV% has him in 16th among all backstops, while his 1.75 GAA has him in 14th giving Mannheim a solid option in net that could turn the tides in their favour.

Regarding the forward corps., the Germans boast top talent in the likes of David Wolf who through seven games has amassed four goals and three assists for seven points, as well as former NHLer Linden Vey, who’s accrued two goals and four assists for six points in seven contests – Vey was also the lone goal scorer for the German side.

Where Mannheim need some adjustment is on the powerplay as they went 0-for-3 against a penalty kill that’s ranked 19th in the CHL. Exposing the Swiss side’s weaknesses on special teams should be a focus for Mannheim moving forward.