After losing their first CHL game to Djurgarden Stockholm, Fribourg-Gotteron has won four straight games and can now close out Group D with a single point against Djurgarden. The Swedish club has its sights on first place too, while PSG Zlin has a slim hope for a wild-card.
by Derek O'Brien
After taking four of six points in a home-and-away series against PSG Zlin on Game Days 3 and 4, Fribourg-Gotteron went into Game Day 5 leading Group D with eight points, one ahead of Zlin. Still in the mix was Djurgarden Stockholm another point back with six points, while Eisbaren Berlin had three and pretty well had to win their last two games and get help to advance.
Berlin entered their game against the group leaders knowing they needed all three points and out-shot Fribourg 26–15, but the Swiss club got a big goaltending performance from Melvin Nyffeler, who stopped everything. Meanwhile, playing without injured scoring star Greg Mauldin, Fribourg got a goal in each the first and second periods by Martin Ness and Christan Dube, both assisted by Tristin Vauclair, to win 2–0 and ensure they would carry the group lead into Game Day 6. They then watched the end of Djurgarden–Zlin to see how big their lead would be, and which team would be their closest competitor.
As it turns out, that team is Djurgarden, who turned in a monstrous performance to win 8–0. The game was scoreless until late in the first period, but Zlin ran into penalty trouble in the second and Djurgarden scored four times on the power play, including twice 5-on-3. Markus Ljung and Marcus Hogstrom each had four-point games, while Mantas Armalis made 30 saves for the shutout.
The group title will come down to the Fribourg–Djurgarden game on 7 October, with Fribourg only needing a point on home ice to advance. Even with a loss in regulation, 11 points might be enough to be one of the top five second-place teams. Djurgarden would take first place with a regulation win in that game, with their chances of advancing as a second place wild-card decreasing with every point they leave on the table. If they lose in regulation, they could even be overtaken by Zlin for second place, who hold onto a very slim chance to earn a wild-card spot.
Group D standings
| Team | GP | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF:GA | GDF | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fribourg-Gotteron | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 18:12 | +6 | 11 |
| Djurgarden Stockholm | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 20:13 | +7 | 9 |
| PSG Zlin | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 11:18 | -7 | 7 |
| Eisbaren Berlin | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 12:18 | -6 | 3 |
Schedule and results
| Date | Time | Group | Home | Away | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21.08.2014 | 20:05 | Group D | Djurgarden Stockholm | Fribourg-Gotteron | 5:4 (0:0, 1:3, 3:1, 1:0) |
| 22.08.2014 | 19:30 | Group D | Eisbaren Berlin | PSG Zlin | 3:4 (1:2, 1:1, 1:0, 0:0, 0:1) |
| 23.08.2014 | 19:45 | Group D | Fribourg-Gotteron | Eisbaren Berlin | 6:3 (0:0, 3:0, 3:3) |
| 24.08.2014 | 17:05 | Group D | PSG Zlin | Djurgarden Stockholm | 3:1 (0:0, 2:1, 1:0) |
| 04.09.2014 | 19:45 | Group D | PSG Zlin | Fribourg-Gotteron | 2:3 (1:1, 0:1, 1:0, 0:1) |
| 05.09.2014 | 20:05 | Group D | Djurgarden Stockholm | Eisbaren Berlin | 3:2 (0:1, 2:0, 1:1) |
| 06.09.2014 | 19:45 | Group D | Fribourg-Gotteron | PSG Zlin | 3:2 (1:1, 0:1, 1:0, 0:0, 1:0) |
| 07.09.2014 | 14:35 | Group D | Eisbaren Berlin | Djurgarden Stockholm | 4:3 (1:1, 1:1, 1:1, 0:0, 1:0) |
| 23.09.2014 | 19:30 | Group D | Eisbaren Berlin | Fribourg-Gotteron | 0:2 (0:1, 0:1, 0:0) |
| 23.09.2014 | 20:05 | Group D | Djurgarden Stockholm | PSG Zlin | 8:0 (1:0, 6:0, 1:0) |
| 07.10.2014 | 19:30 | Group D | PSG Zlin | Eisbaren Berlin | |
| 07.10.2014 | 19:45 | Group D | Fribourg-Gotteron | Djurgarden Stockholm |
Game Day 6 possibilities
For an explanation of how the final 16 teams are determined, click here.
Fribourg-Gotteron: home vs Djurgarden. Clinch 1st place with 1 point. 2nd place wild-card possible, but not guaranteed, with 0 points.
Djurgarden Stockholm: away vs Fribourg. Clinch 1st place with 3 points. 2nd place wild-card possible with 2 points, highly unlikely with 1 point, impossible with 0 points. Hold tie-breaker vs Zlin.
PSG Zlin: home vs Berlin. No chance to finish 1st place. Can finish 2nd place with 3 points combined with 0 points from Djurgarden, but even then a wild-card spot is highly unlikely. Lose tie-breaker vs Djurgarden.