- All Swedish affair as Färjestad Karlstad take on the Frölunda Indians
- Frölunda looking to make it all the way back to their fifth CHL final
- Färjestad have never made it past the first knockout round in their previous 3 competitions
It's a huge clash in the Round of 16 as Färjestad Karlstad host the Frölunda Indians in their first leg matchup of the first knockout round. The two Swedish sides have only met once so far in domestic action back in September in a game that saw Frölunda take a 5-2 victory in the SHL.
Färjestad finished second in a tough Group G with 11 points and four wins to their name. Since their last Group Stage game, the side have impressed in domestic action, winning four of their six contests, outscoring their opponents 20-17 in the process. Marcus Nilsson, the team's leading scorer through the Group Stage, has continued to impress, registering a goal and two assists in the teams last domestic game in early November, and once again he'll be a key figure to watch for in this contest.
For Frölunda, they've got a tremendous record in the CHL, making four of the five previous finals, and they'll be looking to start strong on the road in their quest to make their way to a fifth final in February. Like Färjestad, the reigning champions come into the first leg with four out of six wins since their last Group Stage game in the CHL, but they suffered defeat in their final two games ahead of the international break and the first leg. Samuel Fagemo has been on terrific form through the start of the CHL season, with seven goals to his name, but this squad is stacked with terrific offense like the CHL's All-Time leading scorer Ryan Lasch, as well as Captain Joel Lundqvist, so they'll be a lot to handle in this matchup. Both Lasch and Lundqvist can reach historic milestones in this game. Lasch needs just one more assist to take his total tally to 60 in CHL play. On the other hand, with two points in this game, Joel Lundqvist can become just the second player in CHL history, behind Lasch, to reach 50 points.