Red Bull Salzburg skated to their fourth consecutive victory, downing the Växjö Lakers by a 3-1 final on the road. Sparta had similar success on home ice, securing their second win with a 4-2 decision against Pinguins Bremerhaven.

The Czechs manufactured a full 60-minute effort that began with a three-goal first period and ended with a fourth tally by Aaron Irving early in the third to cap a convincing win against a more-than-capable Bremerhaven squad. Despite their best attempts to mount a comeback, the Germans were outshone by Sparta netminder Josef Kořenář who played some of his best hockey of the campaign, stopping 24 of 26 shots.

If they are to keep their push for the Playoffs alive, Sparta will need an identical effort against a Salzburg club that's ranked fourth in goals per game (3.80), third in goals against per game (2.20), and sports one of the better scoring talents in the league in Peter Schneider (4G, 4A). According to Sparta's Michal Řepík, the team understand the position they're in and plan to, "to give it our all next week against Salzburg".

Meanwhile, Salzburg have been bulldozing their way past opponents, defeating three out of their five challengers by two or more goals and executing on special teams with their PK ranked third in the league at 88.00%, while their powerplay conversion rate stands at 29.63%, good enough for fourth place.

Having such solid numbers certainly gives the Austrians an edge in their upcoming match-up, but counting out a team which is currently backed into a corner could be a big mistake for Salzburg. The Czechs are itching to keep their season going, so the hosts will need to have their legs going early. Three out of their five match-ups saw Salzburg give up the first goal, so preventing Sparta from having any chance early will be key.