For most Champions Hockey League teams, there's plenty riding on Game Days 5 and 6. Take a look at the scenarios that will get your team into the final 32.
Staff Writers
As we headed to the final two game days of the group stage, two groups had already determined which two teams will advance to the Round of 32, but it was still wide open in the other 14. Some of the scenarios are quite complicated, but we will try to break them down for you as simply as possible, explaining what each team needs to do in order to qualify.
First of all, the top two teams in each group advance, ranked in order of points. If two or three teams are tied on points, the following criteria will be used to rank the teams, based only on the games involving the tied teams (if it's a three-way tie, therefore, all group games would be involved):
- points,
- aggregate score (goals for–goals against),
- most goals,
- most wins in regulation time,
- highest number of goals in one game.
In a case of a two-way tie that is still not broken, the same criteria would then be used against the third team in the group. If any ties remain unbroken, overtime wins will take precedence over shootout wins (game-winning shots). If both teams won their head-to-head game in game-winning shots, the highest number of goals scored in the shootout will be ranked higher. If two teams still remain tied and they meet in their group's final game, they will play a shootout to determine which team is ranked higher. If they don't play each other in the last group game (or in the extremely unlikely event that three teams are still tied), they will be ranked by their pre-draw rankings.
Got all that? Every day now, more groups get settled and, as they do, we removed them from this table and update the criteria in the groups that are still open.
Group A
| Team | GP | PTS |
|---|---|---|
 Linkoping HC | 3 | 8 |
 IFK Helsinki | 4 | 4 |
 SC Bern | 3 | 3 |
Remaining game: 05.09. SCB–LHC.
Linkoping have advanced.
IFK Helsinki will advance if:
- Linkoping get 2 points from their remaining game.
Bern will advance if they get:
- 2 points from their remaining game.
Group P
| Team | GP | PTS |
|---|---|---|
 ZSC Lions Zurich | 4 | 12 |
 Eisbaren Berlin | 3 | 3 |
 Gap Rapaces | 3 | 0 |
Remaining game: 06.09. GAP–BER.
ZSC Lions have already advanced.
Berlin will advance if they get:
- 1 point from their remaining game;
- 0 points from their remaining game, but lose to Gap by less than 5 goals, 6–1 or 5–0.
Gap will advance if they get:
- 3 points from their remaining game, beating Berlin by 6+ goals, or by 5 goals 7–2 or higher.