It was a mostly even period between Swedish hosts Luleå Hockey and Sparta Prague, but the Czech side would strike first at 18:41. A slapshot by defenceman Jakub Krejčík was unleashed from the top of the circle, and high over the shoulder of Luleå netminder Joel Lassinantti to make it 1-0 for the visitors.

Heading into the second period, Luleå got on the board at 25:48 thanks to a wristshot from Julius Honka, to make it 1-1. The play unfolded off a faceoff draw which saw the puck won back to the Finnish defenceman, and lasered in from the top of the circle, beating Sparta netminder Jakub Kovář.

Sparta would enjoy their second man-advantage of the game, but struggled to set-up and generate any high quality chances on the Swedish netminder. Jakub Konečný extended Sparta's lead to 2-1 after he cut into the slot to bury the puck, and Luleå would respond in turn. A hooking penalty by Roman Horák, gave the Swedes the man advantage and top scorer Isac Brännström netted a beautiful tip from the high slot to equalise the game.

A slashing call on Sparta's Adam Polášek would allow Luleå another powerplay, which they used to their advantage. Finnish forward Juhani Tyrväinen picked up a loose rebound on the doorstep of Kovář roofing the puck to put the game 3-2 in favour of the hosts. 

With the period intermission over, and a one-goal buffer for Luleå in hand, tensions were running high. A net-front scuffle saw a player from each side binned, resulting in a 4-on-4. The Swedish hosts got the upper hand with Leo Komarov netting his first goal of the night, and season to extend the lead 4-2.  

Sparta weren't without chances, and a powerplay mid-way through the period would have cut the differential, but it wasn't to be. With a little under three minutes of regular time remaining, Luleå would make the chances of a Sparta comeback unlikely, thanks to a netfront tip in from Canadian forward Brendan Shinnimin.

The Czech side weren't able to muster up a comeback before the close of the period, giving host side Luleå a 5-2 win, their fourth consecutive victory, and most importantly cementing them their place in the 2022/23 Playoffs!