Read below for information on the eighth-final series between HV71 Jonkoping and the Espoo Blues. The Blues won 4–2 on aggregate to advance to the quarter-finals.

Game 2

The Espoo Blues earned a tie on the road and, thanks to a 2-goal win on home ice last week, that was enough to see them through to the quarter-finals in their first CHL appearance. The two teams traded power-play goals midway through the game by Erik Christensen and Jussi Makkonen just 1:46 apart. Otherwise, HV71 had the edge in play but Christian Engstrand was brilliant, stopping 31 of 32 shots. 

“Both games of the series were tough and I am happy about the way we controlled the game today. We are staying in Finland for the next round as we are playing Karpat Oulu. It will be a typical league game for us. We know the opponent quite well,” Blues coach Jyrki Aho said of the team they just faced and their opponent in the quarter-finals.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS | LIVE BLOG & STATS

Game 1

The Blues got the jump on visiting HV71, getting a short-handed and power-play goal each in the first 13 minutes to take a 2–0 lead. The teams then traded goals in the second period, but Espoo held the lead on home ice to take a 2–goal lead to Jonkoping next week. Eero Somervuori scored the Blues' second goal and assisted on the third to lead the offence. 

“This is quite unusual setting in the playoffs as goal difference is the decider. Of course it’s much better to go on with a win than with a draw or loss,” Blues defenceman Kalle Kaijomaa explained. “We played a good, balanced game except a few turnovers in the neutral zone during the second period. Special teams were brilliant for us today. With such a good penalty killer as Mikko Kuukka is, him being out of the line-up forced us other guys to take a bigger role.”

GAME HIGHLIGHTS | LIVE BLOG & STATS

Preview

This Round of 16 match-up features two teams that have had very different seasons so far. HV71 were one of four teams to take the maximum 12 points during the CHL group stage, and have taken 16 of 18 possible points so far, out-scoring CHL opponents 21–7 in six games. The Espoo Blues, meanwhile, barely got through the group stage and split their two games in the Round of 32, taking 7 of 18 points and out-scoring opponents by a mere 13–12. It would seem that HV71 has a deeper roster top to bottom, but the Blues do have some big-game players, so the key will be whether they can weather the strong offence of the Swedish club, and penetrate their stingy defence with some timely scoring.  

Closer look: HV71 Jonkoping

(5-0-1-0, 16 points, 21:7)

As mentioned, HV71 won their group with relative ease. They were expected to battle for top spot with Red Bull Salzburg – a team that beat them twice last year – and the two teams were scoreless after 40 minutes in their first meeting, but then HV71 out-scored them 4–1 in the third period and never looked back. They opened the Round of 32 with a 2–2 tie in Trinec – the only CHL game so far where they've failed to win in regulation – and then won 3–1 on home ice to advance on aggregate. For HV71, CHL success hasn't translated into domestic success, as they find themselves struggling to get into the SHL's top 10, far back of the leaders, but there's still a long time to right that ship.  

Simon

Onerud

2+3, +4

 

Top Forward & CRAMO Top Scorer: HV71 forward Simon Onerud has started the CHL quite well. He had 5 points in four group stage games and, despite being held pointless in the two games vs Trinec's, is the team's leading scorer after six games. With his precision and great shot, he's dangerous on almost every offensive play. He's also a tough player that likes to play a physical game. Espoo will also have to watch Mattias Tedenby, who has 13 points in his first 11 SHL games.

 

Chris

Campoli

2+1, +4

 

Top Defenceman: Chris Campoli may be the biggest star on the HV71 defence. He's a natural leader and a good two-way player. Campoli has great hockey sense and doesn't hesitate to take a shot. So far this season, Campoli has been paired up with veteran Ryan O'Byrne, which will certainly make him develop even more. Niklas Hansson is the team's biggest offensive threat from the back end, recording 8 points in 11 SHL games.

 

Erik

Ersberg

94.38%

 

Top Goaltender: Erik Ersberg, HV71's starting goalie, has been watching the net along with Fredrik Pettersson-Wentzel. While Pettersson-Wentzel has played most of the early-season SHL games, Ersberg's CHL numbers are better. With a save percentage of 94.38, he is ranked 13th among CHL goaltenders. If he gets more minutes between the pipes, he will certainly grow as a top goalie. As was the case against Trinec, there's a good chance each goalie will get a start against Espoo.

 

Click here for team statistics.

The Espoo Blues are trying to find their form after a rather average group stage and a slow start to their domestic season. They took only 4 of 12 possible points against HC Litvionov and Grenoble and were paired up against German champions Adler Mannheim in the Round of 32 – a match-up that few picked them to win. However, despite getting outshot in the first game on the road, they got great goaltending from Christian Engstrand and 3 points from Kim Hirschovits to win 4–1. They then weathered the storm in Mannheim to win 6–4 on aggregate. But while they've managed to sneak into the Round of 16, they're currently trying to avoid the basement of the Finnish Liiga, and now face a big challenge in HV71, meaning they might need more than a couple of big individual performances to go further.  

Kim

Hirschovits

3+4, +4

 

Top Forward & CRAMO Top Scorer: Kim Hirschovits scored 2 goals and added 2 assists during the group stage. He was then the team's biggest offensive catalyst against Mannheim, recording 3 points in the Blues' Game 1 victory, which gave them an aggregate lead large enough to get them through to the next round. He has the ability to make his linemates better, and with the Blues group of forwards that doesn't contain any real stars apart from him, continued strong play from Hirschovits is needed.

 

Juuso

Vainio

0+2, +4

 

Top Defenceman: Juuso Vainio, a World Junior Champion from 2014, was one of the Blues' off-season acquisitions. He's shown a lot of bravery in the team's games so far, while still managing to play without making any major mistakes. He drew a few penalties by the opponents and, thanks to his presence on the point, the Blues have the potential to be very dangerous on the power play. He is one of only three blueliners on the team with 2 points so far, and his +4 is tied for the team lead. 

 

Christian

Engstrand

94.23 %

 

Top Goaltender: Swedish goalie Christian Engstrand had a difficult last season but early CHL games have shown he's returned nearer to the level he had been at earlier in his career. He's allowed 6 goals in four games, was a major factor in the team's win over Mannheim and, if he continues that level of play, he gives his team a decent chance to advance even further. Kaapo Kahkonen has played in most of the team's early Liiga games and has posted good numbers despite the team's limited success.

 

Click here for team statistics.