Red Bull Munich held off Färjestad Karlstad in a very close match to reach the Playoffs. All is not lost for Färjestad though, as they can still qualify next week but they now face tough competition from fellow Group G rivals HC Ambrì-Piotta who are just one point behind them in the group standings.

Both teams started off very cautiously and tested each other out to get a feel of their opponent, but Munich were first to break the deadlock thanks to Mark Voakes’ nicely aimed shot. Their 1-0 lead held for the rest of the first period. Färjestad were unwilling to let Munich gain another goal and did all they could to tie the game in the second period recording 14 shots on goal over the 20 minutes, but Victor Ejdsell’s two penalties cost them valuable time. With the second period up, they left the ice with something to think about over the break.

Munich were eager to seal the deal from the get-go and seven minutes into the third period Philip Gogulla’s clever trick in front of Färjestad goalie Markus Svensson sent him the other way as the puck slid into the net at the near post and doubled their advantage. Färjestad desperetly tried to get back into the game, but Linus Johansson’s penalty saw them face another Munich powerplay. The Red Bulls peppered the Färjestad net with shot after shot but were unable to get a third goal. With the clock ticking Färjestad pushed up the ice and even resulted to pulling the goalie to the bench with nearly 4 minutes of game time left. The extra skater on the ice finally gave them the space they needed to create and one minute later Marcus Nilsson scored to reduce the goal difference back down to a single goal. There was no celebration though, as the whole team knew they desperately needed to add another to tie the game and deny Red Bull the extra points. The score stayed the same right up to the final buzzer as Munich celebrated their Playoff qualification.