Continental hockey returns after a week of domestic action across Europe.
by Luke Fisher
After games on Tuesday, the 32 remaining CHL teams were back in domestic action as early as Thursday in some of Europe's top leagues. How are the looking going into the return legs after a weekend of domestic action? We find out...
Starting in the Czech Republic, only Vitkovice were regulation winners on Sunday as teams played their least league game before CHL action. The team from Ostrava currently sit in 10th, with Pilsen two places below them after a shootout win in Karlovy Vary. Both Sparta Prague and Liberec suffered 5-1 defeats on Sunday after wins in their previous games. Over the border in Slovakia, Nitra and Kosice both continue to be clear of there teams in their own league. Both sides lost when they returned to league action on Thursday, however Nitra took a win Sunday night to go top of the league. In Belarus, Yunost Minsk now top the league outright as they moved to their ninth successive win ahead of their trip to Frolunda.
Back in Western Europe, Red Bull Salzburg go to Bern with a tough ask on their hands but overcame local rivals Black Wings Linz 4-1 on Sunday to move themselves back up to third and just three points off top spot in the EBEL. Further west in Switzerland, ZSC and Zug both had NLA victories as teams played on Saturday, Lugano lost in overtime while Davos (to ZSC) and Fribourg (to Langnau) both head into their return CHL matches off the back of losses. SC Bern, meanwhile, played their last domestic game on Friday, thumping Geneve 5-0.
Up in the DEL in Germany, Berlin go into this week's CHL off the back of two losses in their own league to league leaders Koln and then at home to lowly Krefeld. Both Munich and Wolfsburg had one win in their two DEL games over the weekend, the latter scoring a big 6-3 win in Mannheim last night.
Moving up to the nordic countries, Finnish teams were also last in action on Saturday. Both of the top two sides, Tappara and TPS, lost their last league matches to Sport and HPK respectively. Tappara's CHL opponents SaiPa have failed to win any of their last five Liiga games, while TPS's match-up against IFK Helsinki sees the club from the capital go into it off the back of two straight 2-point wins – the last of which was over fellow CHL side Karpat Oulu. Karpat's last two games have gone past 60 minutes, with them winning one before losing to IFK as the team sits 12th in the league. JYP have the second-best form in the Liiga at the moment, and needed a penalty shootout to get past Jukurit in their last game, while KalPa got their first win in three matches with a victory over KooKoo. Lukko Rauma may be off last place in the table; however, they'll head to Jonkoping off the back of a 3-1 home defeat to Assat.
Lastly on our journey around Europe we call in on Sweden. HV71 and Frolunda are the best-placed teams in the SHL that are still alive in the Champions Hockey League. HV71 have three regulation wins in as many games, while Frolunda were on an excellent run of four wins before going down in Farjestad in OT – which were the Karlstad side's first points in three. Vaxjo host Munich this week in a winner-takes-all tie off the back of a loss to Frolunda, although they're now winless in three league games. Skelleftea face JYP away, already down by four and now without a point in three SHL games as well, while Linkoping's one domestic game since they won in Davos saw them take an OT win against Leksand. Finally, Djurgarden, who are a pair down to KalPa, currently sit just above the relegation places in the SHL – they beat Skelleftea just two days after defeat in Kuopio, however were humbled 5-1 by HV71 over the weekend.