KalPa Kuopio vs Vienna Capitals

A point tonight, or when the two teams meet in the Austrian capital again on Sunday, would Vienna through, as the Capitals hold their CHL destiny in their own hands. KalPa, on the other hand, need to win both games in order to progress to the next round. Two points (or more) for the Capitals, either tonight or over both games, will also see them qualify as group winners – which would be an astounding achievement for the EBEL club against SHL and Liiga opposition.

"I haven’t really familiarized myself with their roster, but I think they will be a very experienced and hard-checking team. I think that they don’t skate as well as Skellefea AIK, and maybe that’s our chance to make the difference," said Tommi Jokinen, who is looking forward to getting back on the ice in the CHL after four years away from Kalpa. "I believe that our game system is very good against this kind of team, because we play a different style than most of the teams in their own league. We need to remember to play at both ends of the rink and use our opportunities well."

"It's going to be a difficult point to get, KalPa are a very good team," said Capitals' coach Serge Aubin. "Again though, my focus is only on us. We're going to do everything we can to get the point we need to reach the next round."