Esbjerg have not won a game in this year’s CHL yet, but they do aim to play the role of spoilers against a Mannheim team that still hasn’t secured advancement yet. All one has to do to see whether that is possible is look back to last season, when the Danish champs beat IFK Helsinki in overtime on their home ice. Die Adler just need one point to advance, but it won’t come easy in Denmark.

“We are looking forward to the game, and expect a Mannheim team that’s coming to Esbjerg with a bit of confidence after their win on the road against Eisbären,” said Esbjerg coach Mark Pederson. “They are a very experienced team, so we need to limit our mistakes and work well as a group on the ice. The power play and penalty kill have made a big difference in our CHL games to this point so we need to be sharp in these key areas.”

As mentioned, Mannheim come into the game coming off a 4-3 win in Berlin on Sunday, which pulls them even in points with Die Eisbären in 3rd place in the DEL standings. Chad Kolarik leads the team in DEL scoring with 10 points in nine games, while their Cramo Top Scorer is Matthias Plachta with 6 points in four CHL games. Dennis Endras has played in all four CHL games so far and eight of nine DEL contests.

As for Esbjerg, who sit 7th in the Danish Ligaen, Alexis Loiseau is their top domestic scorer with 12 points in nine Ligaen games, and defenceman Nick Crawford with 3 points, all of them assists, is the team’s CHL Cramo Top Scorer.