HC Pilsen are off to the Round of 32 after a 6-4 home-ice win over the Stavanger Oilers, who are now finished. Read more in Gamecentre. 

After winning their first CHL game in Stavanger, HC Pilsen found themselves in trouble of advancing after two straight losses to HK Nitra. However, in a must-win game for both teams, they built up a 5-1 lead on home ice against the Oilers and held on for a 6-4 win.

Pilsen got the quick start they needed with a goal by Dominik Kubalik before most of the fans had settled into their seats after just 18 seconds of play. Stavanger then evened the score on the power play six minutes later, with Cramo Top Scorer Josh Soares picking the top corner on Matej Machovsky. For the rest of the first period, though, Machovsky was brilliant – as he had been in Stavanger – stoppping 15 of 16 shots in the opening frame.

At the other end of the ice, the Pilseners were opportunistic on their chances, converting just seven shots into three goals. Miroslav Indrak restored the lead just shy of the nine-minute mark, taking a pass from Jaroslav Kracik from behind the net and firing it top corner. Then Jakub Lev made it 3-1 on a quick counter-attack, streaking down the right side and firing a perfect wrister over Henrik Holm's glove.

Pilsen's opportunism continued in the second period, with two more quick goals. First David Strach on a breakaway, after which Holm was pulled and replaced with Ruben Smith, but on the first shot he faced, Lukas Pulpan fired a rocket into the top corner to make it a 5-1 game.

The teams then traded goals and Dan Kissel's goal off the crossbar an in with 34 seconds left in the period made it a 6-3 game headed into the third period. Then Marcus Soberg scored Stavanger's third power-play goal of the game to make it a two-goal difference, followed soon after by a double-minor to Michal Spacek for high-sticking to put them back on the power play, and it looked like we could be in for a dramatic finish.

That was as close as the Oilers would come, however, as Pilsen settled down and played well defensively over the last 10 minutes to secure their spot in the Round of 32.

“It was a weird hockey game,” Stavanger coach Pal Gulbrandsen thought. “I think we played pretty well compared to the score. They seemed to capitalize on their chances better, but tough luck. I thought my guys showed some character coming back from 5-1 – that was something – but overall we didn't score on enough of our chances and gave up too many goals. Obviously, we're not happy going out after the first round.”

Despite the win, HC Pilsen head coach Michal Straka wasn't totally pleased with his team's game. "Our performance wasn't the best one, but we are very happy about moving on to the next round," he said. "We were making a lot of mistakes on defence. We'll have to look and work on it before Sunday's league game. Three power-play goals against? That's too many - we have to be better in that!"