A home loss to HC Lugano in their first game means Adler Mannheim really need a win tonight against a team that has made it to the CHL Round of 16 in each of the past two seasons. 

"We have a very tough opponent with Tampere, but after our opening loss we are looking for a reaction from our team to keep us in with a chance," said head coach Sean Simpson ahead of tonight's game.

For Tappara, tonight marks their first game of the competition, something forward Jere Karjalainen is looking forward to. "It's good to be back playing CHL games against a couple of really tough teams. Starting with away games we get to have a nice little trip with the guys and see more than just our home rink, and that gives us a boost for sure. I'm very eager to see the crowd in Mannheim – we've been hearing a lot about it beforehand," he said.