Finnish challengers KooKoo Kouvola will get their very first taste of Champions Hockey League Playoffs hockey against reigning DEL champions Eisbären Berlin when they clash for the First Game of this Round of 16 series.

KooKoo finished 12th in the Regular Season Standings, winning three times across the six-game calendar. They've played some great games and their scoring has been punchy (20 goals for), but they've also been a bit unstable on the defence (19 goals against). More worryingly, however, is their lack of special-unit production, with a sub-10% PP and 66.67% PK lacking compared to Berlin's - these will be key areas for improvement heading into this series!

Die Eisbären are in the playoffs for a fourth time in their CHL history, looking to best a Quarter-Finals run in 2024/25. This season, they head into the knockout rounds from fifth place and with a four-game winning streak in the CHL after having bounced back from losing their opening two games of the calendar.

Their PP (21.74%) has been solid, their PK (80%) has also mostly worked, but it's not all great, as their lack of scoring (just 16 goals for) has turned some games into unnecessarily close nerve-wreckers and their opening two games that saw them let a whopping 14 goals into their own net cannot be overlooked. Leonhard Pföderl (5G, 2A) stands out as one to watch for Berlin, mainly on the extra-man advantage as he's already scored four PP goals this year.