In late action on Sunday, TPS Turku edged HC Pardubice in a shootout, while Red Bull Salzburg and Kölner Haie got regulation wins on home ice. In the day's nightcap, HC Linköping needed a late goal to win in Bolzano.
HC Bolzano 1–2 HC Linköping
After winning their first game on Friday, HC Bolzano came very close to gaining at least another point from HC Linköping on Sunday. Roland Hofer tied the game on the power play with 6:32 to play and it looked like the game was headed to overtime. But Gustav Forsling fired home a slap shot with 1:04 left in regulation time to secure three points for Linköping, who remain perfect and open up a four-point lead atop Group F.
"We had a good start to the game, but as it got near the end we ran into trouble against an opponent that played well positionally," said Linköping coach Roger Melin. "We took the early lead, but Bolzano was a lot stronger than in the first game and got better over the course of this one. The game was on a knife's edge for a long time. I'm glad that after the 1-1 goal we were able to answer. The three points are very important for us in regard to the knockout stage. I must pay the Bolzano fans a compliment: the atmosphere in the arena was excellent."
"This defeat hurts, of course," Bolzano coach Mario Simioni said understandably. "Nevertheless, I am very pleased with my team's performance. They have taken the next step forward. We've got a good base that we can build on. Unfortunately we again had only 16 skaters available. If we'd had a full roster, maybe we'd have taken a point or even more. We were able to keep the game up for grabs for a long time and had several power play chances to score goals. The 1-1 goal gave us a big boost. Then we wanted to win and, unfortunately, we took an icing. I took the time-out so that my players could rest. Unfortunately we lost the face-off and the puck was quickly in our net."
Red Bull Salzburg 3–1 HV71 Jönköping
In a tight battle between two teams battling for top spot in Group I, Red Bull Salzburg and HV71 Jönköping were tied 1-1 after two periods. Salzburg then scored twice in the third to win, with Brett Sterling and John Hughes figuring on both goals. Salzburg now leads the group with nine points, followed by JYP with eight and HV71 with six.
"What a crazy game," Salzburg coach Dan Ratushny said afterward, in apparent disbelief of what he'd just seen. "The first period was pretty sleepy. The good thing was the guys put in a strong defensive game and were mentally strong. We won today with a strong defensive performance against a very strong offensive team. We want to finish first place in the group and will prepare accordingly for Kloten."
Kölner Haie 3–2 Kärpät Oulu
On Friday night, Kärpät Oulu overcame a 2-0 defict on home ice and beat Kölner Haie. On Sunday, Köln did the exact same thing on their home ice and defeated Kärpät 3-2. The win brings Köln to within a point of Kärpät atop Group A. Christopher Minard was the hero, scoring two power-play goals in the last 10 minutes, including the game-winner with 6:05 remaining.
“I think we played a little more aggressively than on Friday," said Minard. "Maybe Friday we sat back, we didn’t know what to expect. Today we knew how they were gonna play. We went at them and played our game. I don’t think we doubted ourselves after the first period. We were just a lucky bounce away or a shot away from getting back in it. Our power play obviously did a good job; we scored all three goals on the power play so that was key."
"I think both games were tight games," said Kärpät captain Lasse Kukkonen. "Both teams had their momentum. Today, unfortunately, we couldn’t score enough on the power play. They had a good power play, we knew that, but they managed to get three goals and that was the difference today. The first 20 to 25 minutes was kind of the hockey we wanted to play. After that we ran into some penalties and they got their momentum going. That’s how it is when two teams are pretty close. It’s all about how you use your momentum."
HC Pardubice 2–3 TPS Turku (SO)
TPS Turku scored twice in the first 13 minutes but HC Pardubice came back to tie it in the second period. In the end, Turku won in a shootout to temporarily move within one point of Group F leader Linköping.
"We had a very good start, leading 2-0, then we let in one easy one," said TPS coach Kai Suikkanen. "We had many good chances on the power play to win this game and get three points but our power play didn't work and they even scored one shorthanded. Our penalty killing was very good, five-on-five was okay, but we need to work on the power play. But coming here to play a good Pardubice team, we are happy with two points."
"It was an even game, just as it was in Turku," said Pardubice coach Zdenek Venera. "But we have only one point, so we can't be satisfied. I think our game is not yet ideal. Milos (Riha, assistant coach) and I have seen the shortcomings that we have to eliminate. Our satisfaction is only partial, the point is not enough."