This is a true clash of champions as DEL champions Red Bull Munich lock horns with NL champions Genève-Servette in the very first round of the Champions Hockey League Playoffs!
- First meeting between these two clubs
- Poor powerplay efficiency for Genève while Munich have struggled on the PK
- Both scored 22+ goals in six games
2019 CHL Finalists Munich have had a tough run in the pan-European competition so far, winning just three of six games to make the Top 16 by only a single point. The eight-time CHL participants started their season with a 4-3 loss to fellow Playoff contenders Vítkovice Ridera in a very close shootout, before taking their first win of the season days later against Czech Extraliga champions Oceláři Třinec.
Game Days 3 & 4 saw Bavaria's finest pick up two more wins and make a huge leap up the Regular Season Standings but back-to-back losses to Lukko Rauma and Färjestad Karlstad left much to be desired from Toni Söderholm's side.
A healthy +6 GD and a very nice 22 goals for are the highlights of Munich's stats which also show a less-than-optimal Penalty Kill % of just over 80%. Given the fact they let in six goals while on the PK over the course of the Regular Season, this is definitely a big weak spot that Genève will look to push on unless Munich focus on special team play.
Four Munich players sit on or above the magical point per game margin, while superstar D-man Jonathon Blum leads the team in scoring with 1G+9A in five games played.
Compared to Munich, Genève finished the first phase of the new CHL season with a nice four wins and 11 points which landed the one-time NL champions seventh place in the standings.
They best their German rivals in almost all areas: more powerplay goals scored (25), fewer powerplay goals against (just one), higher face-off win % (nearly 55%) and, most impressively, one of the best PK%s in the whole CHL (nearly 95%).
Six Genève players have been producing more than a point per game, with Marc-Antoine Pouliot leading the team in scoring with four goals, while teammates Tanner Richard (8A) and Sami Vatanen (1G+6A) lead the team in scoring.
Vatanen deserves all the praise you can get. The 32-year-old ex-NHLer has averaged over 24 minutes of TOI so far this season and taking into account his productivity, there's no debate about why he landed a place on our Team of the Regular Season.
The only poor number on Genève's Regular Season report is their very below-average PP% which was ranked sixth-worst following Game Day 6.
Munich struggled with the tougher opponents in their six-opponent Regular Season schedule so Genève with their star-studded roster will be a proper test to see if this German mega club have what it takes to go all the way this season, while the Swiss club will have to prove themselves against an experienced and successful CHL veteran!