This Round of 16 match-up sees Tappara Tampere, who won Group E by losing just once in six games, against Kometa Brno, who finished second in Group D with three wins and three losses.
After failing to advance further than the Round of 16 in their previous four CHL appearances, Tappara have their sights high this time around after a strong showing in Group Stage. After opening with a 3-2 shootout loss in Storhamar, they then won five games in a row, outscoring their opponents 30-9. They took five of six points against Czech club Oceláři Třinec. Jarkko Malinen is the team’s LGT Top Scorer in the CHL with 10 points, while Slovak Tomáš Záborský is their top offensive player in the Liiga. In goal, veteran Niklas Bäckström and youngster Christian Heljanko split time in the CHL Group Stage but Heljanko has been the man in the Liiga, getting the lion’s share of the work and posting good numbers.
Brno advanced to the CHL Quarter-Finals last season, where they fell to eventual champions JYP Jyväskylä. Will a Finnish team be their downfall again? In the Group Stage, they had some ups and downs, coming very close to topping the group before a late collapse at home to EV Zug. Youngster Luboš Horký and veteran Jan Hruška have been a deadly combo up front for Kometa, registering seven and six points respectively in the Group Stage. In goal, 24-year-old Marek Langhamer has played the majority of the team’s games in both the CHL and Extraliga so far.