Read below for information on the quarter-final series between Karpat Oulu and the Espoo Blues. Karpat won on aggregate 5–3 to advance to the semi-finals.

Preview

This all-Finnish quarter-final seems at first glance to be a David vs Goliath match-up: two-time reigning domestic champions Karpat Oulu, one of the most popular teams in Europe with the northern half of Finland all to themselves, against the upstart and little-known Espoo Blues from suburban Helsinki, who play in the shadows of the capital's two pro teams and qualified for the Champions Hockey League as a wildcard but have quietly made it this far. 

After winning back-to-back Finnish titles and getting to the CHL semi-finals last year, expectations were high for Karpat this season and they breezed through their first six CHL contests, surrendering only a single goal along the way. First it was a perfect showing in Group J, overpowering the Vienna Capitals and Krefeld Pinguine by a score of 12–1. Next it was 2 more shutouts for goaltender Sami Aittokallio against Dusseldorfer EG in the Round of 32, making it 5 in 6 games. Then they hit a bit of a bump in the road against Sparta Prague – losing 4–2 in the Czech capital before rallying to win the aggregate score on home ice, thanks to a magnificent last-minute goal from Mika Pyorala. They won't have Pyorala or Aittokallio to rely on against the Blues, however, as the team has run into a rash of injuries. Domestically, Karpat started out slowly but have turned it on of late, and are now in 3rd place and climbing in the Liiga standings after 25 games. 

The Blues, meanwhile, have been mired in a miserable domestic campaign, sitting 13th place in the 14-team league, but they're still alive in the CHL. They did the bare minimum to qualify for the playoff stage by finishing 2nd in Group F with 4 points – 3 in a win against Grenoble plus 1 from an overtime loss in Litvinov. They opened the Round of 32 against German champions Adler Mannheim with a 4–1 home-ice win, thanks to brilliant goaltending from Christian Engstrand and 3 points from Kim Hirschovits, and that put them in good shape for the return leg, which they lost by a goal, but that was enough to see them through. They again used home ice to their advantage in the next round against HV71 Jonkoping, getting a two-goal advantage in the first leg and then drawing away to get to the quarters.

Karpat won the first meeting between these teams back on 13 October in Espoo by a 4–2 score. They'll meet again in Oulu on Saturday, just three days before the start of the quarter-final, which starts on Tuesday, 1 December in Espoo before they return back to Oulu exactly one week later for the return leg. Both games begin at 18:30 EET, 17:30 CET.

As the only Liiga team in the northern half of Finland, Karpat have perhaps the largest fanbase in Europe in terms of geographical area. In the 21st century, those fans have had a lot to cheer about. Of the club's seven Finnish titles, six have been won since the 2003–04 season, when they won their first of four in five years. This Finnish dynasty was led by goalies goalies Niklas Backstom and Pekka Rinne, defencemen Ilkka Mikkola and Mikko Lehtonen, and forward Petr Tenkrat. In that time, they twice advanced to the final of the European Champions Cup, losing in overtime to Avangard Omsk in 2005 and in a shootout to Dynamo Moscow in 2006. In recent years, they have strung together two more back-to-back Finnish titles and now they're looking for a third. They're also looking for more success on the European stage, and had their appetites whetted last year when they got to the semi-finals, where they lost a thrilling two-game set to Frolunda Gothenburg in overtime. 

With their combination of stingy defence and dangerous offence, they look to be as good a bet as anybody to claim the European club title this season, but they might have to overcome a bit of adversity in the quarter-finals, as they will be without some of their best players. Aittokallio has 5 shutouts in 7 CHL games but will be out of the lineup for at least the first quarter-final game. Defenceman Mikko Niemela will also miss both games, as will the team's top scorer in the CHL – Pyorala, who's reportedly out for one month. As well, No. 2 scorer Sebastian Aho is day-to-day, so Karpat will need some other players to step up. With their depth, it shouldn't be a huge problem.

Julius

Junttila

1+4, +6

 

Top Forward & CRAMO Top Scorer: With Mika Pyorala out of the lineup and Sebastian Aho questionable, the top scorer's jersey would fall to third in line, and that's Julius Junttila, a winger on Pyorala's line, who fed him the pass for the series-winner against Sparta. At 24 years of age, Junttila is already a veteran on this Karpat team, now in his fifth season on the A-team with two titles under his belt. But a team with the scoring depth of Karpat won't expect Junttila to shoulder the burden. At full strength they have three lines that can score, and even with injuries they still have Mika Niemi – the Liiga's No. 2 scorer with 21 points in 21 games - Miro Aaltonen, Ivan Huml and 18-year-old phenom Jesse Puljujarvi. 

 

Lasse

Kukkonen

0+4, +6

 

Top Defenceman: Karpat captain Lasse Kukkonen is a warrior who leads by example. Usually logging very high minutes on ice, Kukkonen’s job is to keep goals against to a minimum and make opposing players pay the price in front of the Karpat net. The fact the team has only given up 6 goals in 8 games is a testament to his effectiveness in this area. With the team's depth being challenged somewhat with injuries, it is experienced players like Kukkonen and blueline partner Adam Masuhr who will be called upon even more to lead. The Oulu-born Kukkonen is the embodiment of the northern work ethic and winning mentality.

 

Iiro

Tarkki

94.74 %

 

Top Goaltender: Throughout this year's CHL run, Karpat have been Sami Aittokallio's team, but when you've got a goalie like Iiro Tarkki to fall back on, you needn't worry too much. Tarkki was the incumbent starting goalie on this team but was injured in training camp, which opened the door for Aittokallio's brilliance. It was 30-year-old Tarkki who backstopped this team to back-to-back titles and deep into the CHL last season, and he showed in the clinching game at home against Sparta that he's back in top form.  

 

Click here for team statistics.

Closer look: Espoo Blues

(3-0-2-3, 11 points, 17:14)

A relative newcomer on the Finnish professional hockey scene, the Espoo club was established in 1984 and has played in the Liiga since 1992. An early product of the club was Jere Lehtinen, who went on to a fine career with the NHL's Dallas Stars. In 1998, they changed their image by moving into the brand-new Barona Areena and naming the club the Blues. They have yet to win a title, coming closest in 2011 when they made the Liiga finals, and the following year made Liiga history by becoming the first team to overcome an 0–3 series deficit and win. They qualified for the Champions Hockey League this season by finishing 5th in 2014–15.

So far this season, as go Engstrand and Hirschovits, so go the Espoo Blues. The goalie and the centre have been there best performers in an otherwise forgettable domestic campaign, and are the two biggest reasons that they've made it to the quarter-finals of the CHL. Engstrand has bounced around a few different leagues the last few years and has re-established himself as a starting goalie at the elite European level, while 33-year-old Hirschovits, a product of IFK Helsinki, is now in his third year with the Blues – all as team captain. They have shown so far that with strong goaltending, solid team defence and opportune scoring, they can win games against more talented opponents. Karpat will be their biggest challenge yet, however. 

Kim

Hirschovits

4+5, +5

 

Top Forward & CRAMO Top Scorer: Kim Hirschovits scored 2 goals and added 2 assists during the group stage, and has continued to be the team's biggest offensive producer throughout the season, both in the CHL and Liiga. He was then the team's biggest offensive catalyst against Mannheim, recording 3 points in the Blues' Game 1 victory, which gave them an aggregate lead large enough to get them through to the next round. He has the ability to make his linemates better, and with the Blues group of forwards that doesn't contain any real stars apart from him, continued strong play from Hirschovits is needed.

 

Otso

Rantakari

1+4, +1

 

Top Defenceman:  Otso Rantakari is a puck-moving defenceman for the Blues. He is a good passer and one of the key players on the power play. In the early part of the season has shown that Finnish teams pressure him harder than others, leaving him fewer opportunities to use his great shot. Sometimes Rantakari is not so good in the defensive zone, although this has improved over his stint in Espoo. In the CHL he is the only Blues defenceman with a goal, and his 5 points is more than twice as much as anyone else. He'll be counted on a lot against Karpat with Juuso Vainio out of the lineup. 

 

Christian

Engstrand

95.03 %

 

Top Goaltender: Swedish goalie Christian Engstrand had a difficult last season but his play so far in the CHL and Liiga seems to indicate that he has returned near to the level he had been at earlier in his career. He's allowed 8 goals in 6 CHL games, was a major factor in the team's wins over Mannheim and HV71 and, if he continues that level of play, he gives his team a decent chance to advance even further. Kaapo Kahkonen played in most of the team's early Liiga games but it has been mostly Engstrand lately, and his numbers are slightly better.

 

Click here for team statistics.