Several important battles took place Saturday night, with playoff spots on the line. Liberec, Storhamar and Djurgarden all came up with big wins on the road, Krefeld came from behind to win in a shootout in Vienna, and Vaxjo advance with a win in Braehead. 

Braehead Clan 1–3 Vaxjo Lakers

For the second time in as many games, Braehead scored the first goal, and this time they were buoyed by a sellout home crowd in suburban Glasgow. However, the Swedish champions came back with three straight goals for their third straight win. Scott Pitt scored for the Clan on the power play, while Vaxjo got goals at even strength by Erik Josefsson, shorthanded by Josh Hennessy and on the power play by Richard Gynge. With the win, Vaxjo assure their place in the round of 32.

“I thought we did enough here to maybe get a second goal and really pressure them, but credit to the team for the performance,” Braehead coach Ryan Finnerty said afterward. “We're a team that's getting better every game, and I thought at times we made them look a bit normal. But they're a heck of a hockey club! Don't get me wrong, we want to win, especially in this building, but tonight we competed and gave ourselves a chance. They did a great job defending at the end.”

Vaxjo coach Sam Hallam commented, “We spent a lot of time in their end, but they made it hard for us to get the puck to the net. At times we were trusted and couldn't create some scoring chances - they made it tough for us. Our goal is to go very far in this tournament, and we're playing to win it.”

Vienna Capitals 2–3 Krefeld Pinguine (OT)

The Vienna Capitals were so close to taking hold of second place in Group J, leading 2–1 into the last minute before Krefeld's big player, Daniel Pietta, backhanded a rolling puck into the net to tie the score. It was eventually settled in a shootout, where Henrik Eriksson scored the winner in the sixth round. The Pens now have a 1-point lead on Vienna for the group's last playoff position, but the Caps have a game in hand. 

“We let them have too many chances in the opening 20 minutes. In the end it was going to be the odd goal here or there to decide the winner, but it was a great game over 60 minutes from both teams,” said Vienna forward Rafael Rotter, who had 1 assist in the game.

“This was a very important game and we knew it,” acknowledged Krefeld coach Rick Adduno. “We knew how strong Vienna are in the EBEL, and we fought back to tie the game late – then our goalie did a great job. We're happy with the two points.”

EV Zug 2–3 Djurgarden Stockholm

HIGHLIGHTS

Djurgarden picked up 5 of 6 possible points on the road trip and are now in good shape in Group B after a narrow win in Zug. They built up a 3–0 lead in the third period before the home team battled back for a pair of late goals, but couldn't get the third. Alexander Fallstrom's power-play goal with 15:06 to play turned out to be the winner. For Zug, while their playoff hopes are not totally gone, they've got a tough road ahead of them, as they now must win in Stockholm and Tampere and to advance. 

Geneve-Servette 0–3 Storhamar Hamar

HIGHLIGHTS

Just 24 hours after pulling off a stunning upset victory in Prague, Storhamar's amazing road trip continues with another upset, this time in Geneva. The visitors from Norway played another extremely disciplined game and got a goal each period, while Robert Hestmann stopped all 31 shots he faced for the shutout. Hampus Gustafsson and defencemen Erik de la Rose and Christian Bull all had 2-point efforts from Storhamar, who now amazingly lead Group M and can wrap up a playoff spot in the return meeting with Geneve on Thursday.

“We have to give lots of credit to Storhamar,” said Geneve goalie Robert Mayer, who stopped 17 of 20 shots. “We had chances, but they scored. We knew the game would be very tight after the win they had in Prague. They are smart on the ice: they play smart in their zone and are very well organised. They wait for opportunities and they had rebounds they converted into goals.”

“We played yesterday in Prague and again today,” Storhamar coach Alexander Smirnov reminded everyone. “It is tough. After the game yesterday, I talked with my guys and told them we had to work hard today. Tonight was a good game. Both teams played well. We played smart. I haven't thought about next week yet. I don't feel that we are in front of the others or already qualified. We play one game at a time. We are ready for revenge from Geneva. We are ready!”

HK Nitra 0–9 Bili Tygri Liberec

HIGHLIGHTS

With Skelleftea having already claimed top spot in the group, it is between these two teams to determine the other playoff team in Group D, and Liberec loudly declared their intentions to take it with a five-goal outburst in the first period on a fog-covered rink, en route to an easy win. Jakub Valsky was Liberec's only multi-goal scorer with 2 along with 2 assists, while linemate Lukas Krenzelok had 1 goal and 3 assists. Jan Lasak had a relatively easy game, stopping all 18 shots for the shutout. The win gives Liberec a two-point lead on Nitra with a game in hand. The two teams meet Thursday in Liberec, with the White Tigers having a chance to secure a playoff spot.

“It’s difficult to find something positive after a game like this,” a disappointed Nitra coach Antonin Stajana began. “We were slower in everything today and we made a lot of individual mistakes and they took advantage of all of them and scored several times. We have to forget about this game and play the next one with certainty and only then can we win. I wouldn’t say that Liberec were a more difficult opponent than Skelleftea – we played well in Sweden and we wanted to win against Liberec and get some points, but we didn’t do it.”

“The conditions were hard, but they were same for both teams and from the time when we managed to score once, twice and three times, we took the lead, had the game under control and played well,” said veteran forward Branko Radivojevic, who assisted on the third Liberec goal. “Nitra were maybe a little bit tired from the game in Sweden, but we didn’t make the schedule and we’re glad that we won. From the moment that we scored our third goal, it was difficult for them to catch up, and they kept making more and more mistakes. We have to be careful, though, and make sure we’re ready for the next game.”