- Both teams make CHL Playoffs in first season
- Biel-Bienne 2nd in Switzerland, Augsburg 12th in Germany
- Neither team was in top form before international break
Group C runners-up Augsburger Panther host Group A winners EHC Biel-Bienne in the first game of their Round of 16 matchup. This is the first season that both of these teams have played in the Champions Hockey League and, therefore, this is the first playoff game for both teams. Following the recent international break, this will be the first game for each team in more than a week.
Augsburg finished the Group Stage on a high with a 3-2 win in Liberec to secure advancement. However, things have been downhill for them on the domestic front since then. In the six DEL games they’ve played since Game Day 6, Augsburg have only earned four of 18 points, and have fallen to 12th place in the standings. The recent international break may have been welcomed by the struggling Panther, and they will now look to see if they can reverse their fortunes on the European stage.
Biel-Bienne were very strong in the Group Stage and domestically, their season has also gone quite well. They currently sit second overall in the Swiss National League, five points behind ZSC Lions Zurich and four ahead of third-place Lausanne HC. Their play was somewhat inconsistent prior to the break, with only three wins in their last seven so, like Augsburg, they’ll come into this game fresh from the break and looking to get back into winning form.