Coming into the second leg of the Round of 16, it’s still all to play for as Kärpät Oulu host the ZSC Lions Zurich as the sides try to keep their hopes of progressing in the Champions Hockey League alive.

In the first leg the two sides played out to a 4 – 4 draw thanks to a last second goal from Fredrik Pettersson secured the tie for Zurich at the Hallenstadion, but with 60 minutes separating the sides from advancing, it’s a crucial second leg at the Oulun Energia Areena.

It’s Kärpät’s time to play hosts now, and they come into the meeting in excellent form. In their last 10 meetings, they’ve lost just one and have the one draw against the Lions and won both of their matches since the first leg, and their home form this season has been excellent, with just one loss at home in their last 10 meetings coming back in October against Tappara Tampere.

Nicklas Lasu was the man who caught your eye in the first meeting, finding the back of the net twice, taking his goal totals in this year’s CHL to a tournament best seven and 10 points on the season, tied for second most behind David Stach of HC Pilsen.

The visitors also come into the meeting in a decent form, with two wins since the first leg, but over the last 10 have had a bit of a mixed bag with five wins, 1 draw and four wins overall.

Pettersson wasn’t just the hero to salvage a draw last time out, but also managed to get on the scoresheet twice for his second and third goal of the campaign, while Maxim Noreau and Pius Suter also added two points with a pair of assists each.

It should be an exciting contest between the two storied franchises as Zurich look to upset the home crowd on route to their third straight quarterfinal appearance, with Kärpät looking to get back to the final like they did in 2015-16.