Heading into Game Day 6, each of these teams is in a different situation than was forecast before the start of this Champions Hockey League season. The Sheffield Steelers have amazingly won three of their first five games and need only a single point to secure their spot in the Playoffs – and even a regulation loss might see them through if other results fall their way. As for Dynamo Pardubice and their star-studded line-up, they were thought to be one of the strongest teams in the competition but after winning their first two games have dropped three in a row, however, they can still advance.

As this is the second-to-last game to face off in the CHL Regular Season, both teams should have a clearer picture of what they need by the scheduled start time.

Probably the biggest reason for Sheffield’s success has been the netminding of Matthew Greenfield. He has played in all five CHL games to date with a save percentage of 93.08% and a goals-against average of 2.13. His 148 saves rank third in the competition. In front of him, defenceman Kevin Tansey leads the CHL with 13 hits. Offensively, Finn Joel Janatuinen is the team’s top scorer with five points. Sheffield’s PK is tied for fourth-best at 85.71%.

Despite the team’s troubles, Pardubice still have the CHL’s fifth-ranked offence with 18 goals for. A big reason for that is the success of the powerplay, which is firing at 32.00%, which is second-best. Czech national team captain Roman Červenka is the team’s top scorer with six points and is also their ice-time leader at 19:47 per game. Behind him with five points is Martin Kaut, who also leads the team with four goals and 10 blocked shots. Ex-NHLer Andrej Šustr leads Pardubice defencemen with four points and 19:39 on the ice per game