- Former Semi-Finalists Skellefteå face another Swedish club in CHL for first time since 2015
- CHL Top Scoring defenceman Olle Alsing looks to continue hot form
- Two SHL midtable teams looking for spark
In what promises to be one of the closest contests in the Round of 16, two Swedish clubs will face off against each other for domestic, and international, bragging rights. Skellefteå AIK and Djurgården Stockholm are only separated by one point in the SHL at the quarter-way mark, so fans can expect an exciting back and forth contest with both teams looking to improve on their current domestic seasons in order to secure qualification for the CHL in 2020/21. Heading into this game, Skellefteå could be assumed to have the upper hand. In the two games played between the clubs in the SHL so far this season, Skellefteå have won both. On 17 October, Skellefteå travelled to Stockholm and defeated Djurgården 3-1. Two weeks later, in Skellefteå, Tuomas Kiiskinen scored twice to give the home side a 4-0 shutout victory.
Skellefteå have somewhat flown under the radar in the Champions Hockey League this season. Despite coming in first place in what was a very tough Group E, they did not have the dominating displays that other teams perhaps showed. Instead, they have gone about their business quietly, collecting points along the way. A disappointing Game Day 2 loss against French side Grenoble aside, Skellefteå picked up two wins from two games against Swiss powerhouse SC Bern, and also handily defeated Kärpät Oulu on home ice. Skellefteå’s fortunes have also been boosted by the return of star Lithuanian netminder Mantas Armalis, who missed the entire Group Stage due to injury. In his first three SHL games of the season, Armalis has incredible figures of 1.47 GAA and 95.1SV%. Look for him to potentially get the start on Tuesday.
Djurgården Stockholm seemed to have it all going their own way. Two wins on the road against GKS Tychy and Vienna Capitals set up their Group F campaign for success. However, on Game Day 3, a 6-3 loss against Vienna Capitals at the Hovet seemed to scupper any chances of finishing top of their group, particularly as Adler Mannheim continued to rack up the points. There are goals in this Djurgården team though, and on any night they can burst into life. Defenceman Olle Alsing was named to the Team of the Group Stage following a remarkable campaign which sees him with three goals and six assists through six games. Up front, Michael Haga has been the star of the show, with ten points through six games, including a hattrick on Game Day 5 in a 6-3 rout of Mannheim.