Sparta Prague have punched their ticket to the Round of 16 with their 2-1 win over Red Bull Salzburg on the road. Josef Kořenář registered his third win of the season with another outstanding effort, stopping 18 of 19 shots.

This highly-anticipated match-up saw visitors Sparta take the lead a little over seven minutes in when Pavel Kousal scored off the rush up the right-wing side. Kousal chased the puck into the offensive zone where he got control and lasered it far side past Atte Tolvanen to make it 1-0.

Following the first 20 minutes, it was the Czechs edging the Austrians in shots 13-7 while they maintained their one-goal advantage.

The Czechs would go on an extended man advantage in the second period where a failure to clear the puck would give Sparta an opportunity to capitalise and extend their lead which they did thanks to Miikka Salomäki who had his shot hit a defender's stick in front and find its way into the Salzburg net.

The hosts went on their second powerplay of the night with a chance to put a dent in the deficit, but Sparta's penalty kill was up to the task with Kořenář stopping every shot to keep his team ahead by two heading into the third stanza.

In the third, it was Sparta still in control and still holding a two-goal lead. But a giveaway behind the Czechs' net gifted Salzburg one of their best chances of the night when Andrew Rowe received the puck as he was parked at the top of the blue paint, but Kořenář made the save.

Moments later, however, it would be Salzburg finally breaking through with a bit of their own puck luck. Lucas Thaler wristed the puck towards the net where it bounced off a Sparta defender and past an unsuspecting Kořenář.

That would be the only tally of the night for Salzburg, though, as the Czechs held on to earn their third win of the campaign and three more all-important points.