Last week's 1-1 draw in Liberec means the Växjö Lakers and Bílí Tygři know this return game is simple: winner goes to the final, losers eliminated.

It's an odd situation for both teams. Växjö trailed both Salzburg and Bern after the first leg, but came back both times on home ice to advance. Liberec on the other hand were down a goal to both Frölunda and ZSC Lions, but won the game on the night to force OT. In Gothenburg they decided it there, while in Zurich needed a shootout to win through.

"We had some really good scoring chances (in Liberec) and should have scored some more goals over 60 minutes," said Head Coach Sam Hallam, reflecting on last week's game. "We're up for a big test, against a Czech team that are smart on the road and will look to create odd-man rushes. We have to play very disciplined."

"As I've kept saying, this is a game of six periods and we're tired at one," said Coach Karel Mlejnek. "We're going away from home now, but we're in a position where we can play for something big."

The Lakers really couldn't be much hotter going into this game. Since going to Liberec they've won both of their SHL games - a home 2-1 win over Karlskrona before heading to Malmö and blanking the Redhawks 4-0 in their own building. They remain clear at the top of the league.

By contrast Liberec had a pretty miserable weekend which saw them drop to #12 of 14 in the Extraliga. A home 1-4 defeat to Vitkovice was followed by a 3-1 defeat in Hradec Kralove against Mountfield HK. The White Tigers have lost their last three games straight now in the league.