Read below for information on the Round of 32 series between HC Davos and IFK Helsinki. Davos won 6–4 on aggregate to advance to the Round of 16.
IFK 2–1 HCD
Game 1
22. 9., 18:30 EET
HCD 5–2 IFK
Game 2
6. 10., 19:00 CET
Game 2
There was little to choose between these teams in Game 1 in Helsinki and IFK came into Davos with the narrowest of leads. The teams traded goals in the first and second, and still it was the club from the Finnish capital in front by a goal in the final period. Davos peppered Ville Husso with shots all night – 39 in all. Finn Perttu Lindgren scored his second of the game to tie the series for Davos early in the third, and then on a late power play Dario Simion scored the winner with 1:10 to go. An empty-netter put it away.
GAME HIGHLIGHTS | LIVE BLOG & STATS
Game 1
On home ice, IFK Helsinki got 2 power-play goals from Joonas Rask in the 10th and 47th minutes to escape with a 1-goal lead over Davos, depsite getting out-shot 39–22. Goalie Ville Husso was the hero on the night, stopping everything except a Marc Weiser shot in the 45th minute that temporarily put Davos on even terms, just 2:28 before Rask's second goal. The series is still quite wide open, however, with Davos needing a 1-goal win on home ice to force overtime, or a 2-goal win to take it outright.
GAME HIGHLIGHTS | LIVE BLOG & STATS
Preview
In their first Champions Hockey League campaign, Swiss champions HC Davos looked mightily impressive as they claimed supremacy in Group E. They say offence wins games, but defence wins championships, and Davos exemplified this perfectly in the round robin stage, conceding just six goals, with star goaltender Leonardo Genoni looking in particular to be in fine form. Genoni recorded two shutouts in four games as Davos were undefeated in regulation time. The Swiss champions will travel to the Finnish capital to face IFK Helsinki, who finished second in Group A, one of the “Groups of Death” in this year’s CHL group stage. Drawn against Linkoping HC and SC Bern, qualification for any of the teams was going to be difficult, and while Linkoping soared to the top of the group, IFK and SC Bern slugged it out for second place, with IFK’s point gained in the Swiss capital eventually proving vital. Davos’s impressive defence will be a major concern for IFK, who only netted six times in the group stage, recording a scoring efficiency of just 5.94 percent.
Closer look: HC Davos
(3-0-1-0, 10 points, 12:6, 1st in Group E)
HC Davos began their CHL life on the road, starting their campaign with a pair of games against Farjestad Karlstad and HC Pardubice. Three second-period goals, including an Andreas Ambuhl shorthanded goal while Farjestad had a two-man power-play, helped Davos to a 4–0 victory, with Genoni making 25 saves. In the Czech Republic, Pardubice made life a little harder for the Swiss champions, as the hosts took the lead twice. Once more Ambuhl was the hero, scoring twice, including the game-winning goal which came with just 42 seconds left in the third period. At the Vaillant Arena, Game Day 3 saw a mighty goaltending battle as Genoni, and his opposite number in the Farjestad net, Justin Pogge, stole the show. Genoni and Pogge made 36 and 23 saves respectively in a game which was goalless after regulation time. Robbie Earl’s power-play goal 50 seconds into overtime eventually gave Farjestad the 1–0 victory. With top spot in Group E secure prior to Game Day 6’s clash against Pardubice, Davos still put in an impressive performance, taking a 5–3 victory after leading 3–0 at the mid-point in the game.
Dario
Simion
2+3, +5
Top Forward & CRAMO Top Scorer: In his first full season as a pro, Dario Simion scored 27 points in 43 NLA games, then 9 more in the playoffs en route to Davos's title. The 21-year-old winger continues to show his offensive flair this year in the CHL, leading the team in scoring after the group stage.
Jan
Brejcak
1+1, +5
Top Defenceman: 26-year-old Slovak defenceman Jan Brejcak is a huge presence on the Davos blueline, is a physical force and is very defensively responsible. This year in the CHL he's shown a bit of an offensive flare too with a goal and an assist in the group stage.
Leondardo
Genoni
97.25%
Top Goaltender: Leonardo Genoni has been one of the real stories of the CHL so far this season, as he has been almost unbeatable in goal for Davos – 1 shutout in the group stage and just 1 goal against in each of the other three, despite high shot totals against him. If he continues that kind of play, this team could advance far.
Closer look: IFK Helsinki
(1-0-1-2, 4 points, 6:8, 2nd in Group A)
A string of solid defensive performances coupled with a meagre offence meant that goals were often difficult to come by in games involving IFK Helsinki in the group stage. The Finnish club put in their best performance of the round robin stage on Game Day 1, outclassing Swiss side SC Bern in a 3–1 victory on home ice. IFK restricted SC Bern to just 17 shots. Two goals by Mika Partanen were not enough for IFK in the return game on Game Day 3, as SC Bern snatched a 3–2 shootout victory. However, the point gained in Switzerland would prove all-important. In Sweden, IFK mustered just 16 shots on David Rautio as Linkoping eased to a 2–0 victory on Game Day 4. Four days later, in the Finnish capital, it was Partanen once again who found the back of the net for IFK, who took the lead in the first period against Linkoping. However, two second period goals, and another impressive performance by Rautio secured Linkoping’s 2–1 victory. However, Linkoping’s win against SC Bern on Game Day 6 handed IFK qualification to the Round of 32 by virtue of their one point advantage over the Swiss side.
Mika
Partanen
3+0, +3
Top Forward & CRAMO Top Scorer: Mika Partanen is a youngster who was one of the leading players for HIFK in the CHL last year as well. He has a natural sense of scoring and he is dangerous every time he gets the puck. Other notable forwards for HIFK are Tomas Zaborsky and Juuso Puustinen, who are both also natural scorers.
Top Defenceman: HIFK’s defence is very deep and there are several players to be mentioned, but one of the best individuals is Daniel Grillfors. He might not be the most shiny player on the ice but he does right all the small things and is capable of scoring goals when they are most needed.
Ville
Husso
92.31 %
Top Goaltender: Ville Husso had a rough year last season, especially after the World Junior Championship, where he was Finland’s starting goalie. At the end of the season Husso suffered from injuries and was more of a backup goalie. The start of this season has been tremendous so far, since Husso has played most of the games at a very high level.