It was a quick return to league action for many of the sides who qualified to the Round of 16 last week.
After the return legs of the Round of 32 on Tuesday last week, teams headed back into their own leagues – some even playing the next day – as domestic hockey continued around Europe. We take a look at how our remaining 16 Champions Hockey League teams got on as they returned to local action.
Starting in the Czech Republic, where three teams remain, only Sparta Prague sit inside the league's top six – although all teams involved in the CHL have played a game less than everyone else. Sparta's 5-0 win in Pilsen Sunday night saw the home side part company with their coaching staff in a week which saw them lose two Extraliga games and get knocked out of the CHL. Liberec scored four points in their two games over the weekend, while Vitkovice find themselves in 11th after a win and a loss.
Across the border in Germany, the DEL's sole remaining representatives in the CHL, Eisbaren Berlin, find themselves the victims of a shocking result in Bremerhaven, where the Fischtown Penguins came away 3-1 winners. That came after a 7-4 win in Nuremberg and puts the Polar Bears down to sixth in the table.
Moving down to Switzerland, two wins for ZSC Lions Zurich over Geneve-Servette see them top the NLA outright over EV Zug, who were eliminated from the CHL last week by Berlin. SC Bern and HC Lugano sit sixth and 11th respectively – the former beating rivals Langnau at home but losing the away game and being blanked, while Lugano were thrashed 5-0 in Zug just a day after beating them on home ice. Fribourg-Gotteron took five points from their two games with Ambri-Piotta but find themselves still one place above last.
Finland saw its league leaders and defending champions, Tappara Tampere, eliminated from the CHL last week, meaning that second-placed KalPa Kuopio are the top-ranked team in the Liiga currently still in the Champions League, with wins in Turku and Rauma keeping them a point off the lead. IFK Helsinki met TPS again after having knocked the Turku side out of the CHL midweek, and won 2-1 away to consolidate their position in the league in sixth; while JYP Jyvaskyla sit 12th and are without a regulation win in four. SaiPa Lappeenranta are a team whose CHL form is in contrast to their league performance – with one win in five Liiga games they are are two places off the bottom.
Finally to Sweden, where the ninth-place Vaxjo Lakers were back in SHL action just 24 hours after eliminated Munich in the CHL. The schedule didn't help them though as they went down at home to high-flying Karlskrona in a shootout, leaving the Lakers winless in five. HV71 Jonkoping and Frolunda Gothenberg are tied for third in the league after a win and a loss each, while Linkoping HC sit 10th after eight rounds.