Visitors Skellefteå AIK controlled the flow of this heated Champions Hockey League Regular Season game and withstood a late Adler Mannheim push to claim back-to-back wins at the start of 2026/27.

Skellefteå grabbed the upper hand in the opening frame, taking a 1-0 lead into the first intermission. The visitors struck on the powerplay at 18:21, when Pär Lindholm found the back of the net. The first period featured plenty of physical play and special-team action. Mannheim’s Zach Solow and Matthias Plachta traded penalties alongside Skellefteå’s Frans Haara following roughing and slashing calls late in the period.

The Swedes extended their lead after the second period got underway with an equal-strength Jonathan Johnson strike. Skellefteå then took two penalties, leaving the door open for Mannheim, though the hosts couldn’t convert on either opportunity of the man advantage.

The final frame played out as a tight battle with goaltenders standing tall to keep the score at 2-0 until the end of the game. Looking for a late spark with the game winding down, Mannheim pulled their goalie out for an extra attacker with five minutes remaining on the clock. However the strategy didn't produce and resulted in an Oscar Lindberg empty net goal, locking down the win for the Sweden champs.

With just a minute remaining on the clock, Mannheim finally broke through with their sole goal of the game thanks to Solow, which underwent a video review before being officially confirmed.