Rögle Ängelholm and Red Bull Salzburg meet in a Round of 16 matchup that promises to be interesting in all aspects as the Swedes' title defence enters the knockout stages and Salzburg aim to beat their previous best of reaching the Semi-Finals during their seventh straight appearance in the Champions Hockey League Playoffs.
- Rögle defending champs, Salzburg reached Semis in 2018/19
- Rögle's Marco Kasper will play first CHL game in his home country
- Salzburg have CHL's top-ranked penalty kill, Rögle strong on powerplays
Rögle were very strong in the Group Stage, taking 17 of 18 possible points – the only blemish being an overtime win over ZSC Lions Zurich on Game Day 5. With 26 goals scored, they have the CHL’s fifth-ranked offence, and their +14 goal difference is third-best.
Salzburg’s path to the Playoffs was much less comfortable, being the only team that needed Game Day 6 to qualify. Heading into their final game, they needed a point from their last game against Fribourg-Gottéron and they got it with a late game-tying goal – before ultimately losing in a shootout. During the Group Stage, they were average in almost every way with three wins and three losses, 12 goals for and 12 goals against, but one area they excelled in was special teams. Salzburg had the best penalty kill, operating at a remarkable 96.15%.
Expect this to be a physical matchup: Salzburg and Rögle rank second and third in the CHL with 13.00 and 11.83 hits per game, respectively. Salzburg defenceman Andrew MacWilliam led all players with 13 hits and Rögle’s Erlend Lesund is tied for second with 11.
In the First Game in Salzburg, the local fans will get to see young Austrian star Marco Kasper in Rögle colours. With seven points in the Group Stage, Kasper ranks third in team scoring behind centre Adam Tambellini and defenceman William Wallinder, who each have eight points. Goaltending is split rather evenly between Christoffer Rifalk and youngster Calle Clang.
Salzburg’s top scorer is Austrian national team forward Peter Schneider with six points, followed by Ali Wukovits, Troy Bourke and defenceman Dennis Robertson with four each. Finn Atte Tolvanen has been the main man in net with a 1.76 goals-against average in five games.
Despite their success, Rögle are relative newcomers to the CHL, with last year’s triumph coming during their first time playing on Europe's biggest stage. Salzburg, on the other hand, are regular competitors. They are by far the most successful Austrian club in the CHL, with this being their fifth time reaching the Round of 16 stage. Their most successful season was 2018/19 when they reached the Semi-Finals.