The gulf widened between the top two teams in Group J and the bottom two on Game Days 3 and 4, as Skellefteå AIK and IFK Helsinki both took the maximum six points to set up a home-and-home series that will decide the group winner. Meanwhile, SønderjyskE Vojens and Krefeld Pinguine remain searching for their first wins.

by Kris Bligh with contributions from Sami Iilomo

The first game on the slate for Group J on Game Day 3 was IFK Helsinki playing host to Krefeld Pinguine. This would be the first of a two game homestand for the Finnish squad. Helsinki drew first blood at 6:30 of the first period when Jasse Ikonen snapped a wrist shot between the legs of Tomas Duba. Mika Partanen continued the home team’s momentum when he blew past the defender and buried a goal. Early in the second period Martin Schymainski finished off a one timer to pick up Krefeld’s lone goal of the match. Helsinki would add two more in the second when Teemu Ramstedt was left alone all in front to restore the two goal lead and Partanen blasted his second of the evening into the yawning cage. Helsinki would not let up as they added two more third period goals from Daniel Grillfors and Sami Blomqvist.

Following the game Helsinki coach Antti Törmänen said: “These are very important games and we want to win and proceed. Every game is an opportunity for the players to show their skills and earn their place on the team. We started off with good energy and got the important first goal. The end of first period was hard and we started to make problems for ourselves. The second period was very even but Ramstedt’s goal was crucial for us and we got the control of the game.”

Törmänen had juggled the lines a little bit the day of the game, placing Ramstedt with Partanen and Micke Åsten, and they were IFK's top offensive line in the game.

“We practiced together only the morning before the game. Sometimes things just click. Today it felt good and we kept going with a good flow,” said Ramstedt, who has seven points in four games altogether.

The second game of the day saw SønderjyskE Vojens making the trip to northern Sweden to take on undfeated Skellefteå AIK. When these two teams met in Vojens on Game Day 2, Skellefteå prevailed 4-1 and they would win by the same score this time. Patrik Zackrisson got the home team on the board first as he hammered home a rocket with the man advantage to the delight of the packed house in Skellefteå. However, the visitors drew even early in the second frame as Cramo Top Scorer Patrick Asselin finished off a beautiful feed from the corner. Unfortunately for Vojens, that would be as close as they would come as one minute later John Norman finished off some nice passing by Skellefteå to pick up his first of the game. Then early in the third Norman’s luck continued as he found himself left all alone in front to add his second. Oskar Sundqvist, a third round pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2012, put this game out of reach as he won a foot race to chip in the empty netter.

On Game Day 4 Krefeld Pinguine continued their Scandinavian road trip with a stop in northern Sweden to take on Skellefteå. The German squad was still searching for their first point in the CHL and they would find picking up that point to be unattainable against the top team in Group J. The home sqaud got things going on the man advantage. Pontus Petterstrom parked himself in front of the Krefeld net and the point shot ricocheted off his skate and in. That was all Skellefteå needed to get the ball rolling, as less than one minute later Cramo Top Scorer Erik Forssell tapped home an easy one at the side of the net following a scramble in front. The third Skellefteå goal was not without controversy as video review was needed to determine a good goal by Norman. It was a tough night for Krefeld goalie Duba having to face 43 shots and given very little chance to even see the puck on the first three goals. The game was starting to get a bit ugly but Skellefteå hit Krefeld where it hurts the most, on the scoreboard as Sunqvist would add a power-play marker. As for the Skellefteå netminder Markus Svensson it was a rather easy night having to only make 11 saves to pick up his first CHL shutout.

The final match of Game Day 4 was IFK Helsinki playing host to their second CHL game against a struggling SønderjyskE Vojens. The home crowd would have lots to cheer for as Helsinki lit the lamp 10 times in this contest, and the goals were spread out nicely with eight different goal-scorers. The nightmare of an evening for Jeff Frazee started just 33 seconds in on a goal from Partanen. Joonas Rask then finished off a nice individual effort with a nifty toe drag move to keep the momentum rolling. Helsinki managed to add two more in the first period and head into the intermission with a four-goal lead. They continued the trend early in the second by adding three more goals less than two minutes apart. Then after being taken down on the breakaway, Thomas Nykopp was awarded a penalty shot and he did not let the opportunity go to waste as he snapped one by Frazee. Nick Dineen took the goose egg away from Helsinki when he snapped home a shorthanded tally. However, IFK did not let up on the Danish squad, adding two more goals in the third.

“We had a great start for the game and our goalie made some great saves," Törmänen explained afterward. "We were very effective in the first period, but we weren't happy with the way we played. We improved our play in the second period and then the game was our's to take. Flattering numbers. We really wanted to win in front of the home crowd.”

When action gets back underway in Group J we will get a home-and-home between top two teams IFK Helsinki and Skellefteå AIK, which will determine the group winner. Depending on how the points fall, it's quite possible the second-place team from this group will also advance. The second home-and-home of the group will be between the Krefeld Pinguine and SønderjyskE Vojens, as both squads are looking to pick up their first CHL wins.

Group J standings

Schedule and results