Tappara Tampere face the Växjö Lakers in the Champions Hockey League Round of 16 during their seventh consecutive Playoff appearance, becoming one of only a select few clubs to do so in CHL history. Their Swedish opponents are back in the Playoffs for the first time since 2017/18 and, despite a mixed season so far, are looking to focus on the positives.

So far through six games, Växjö have played well on the defensive end only allowing a combined ten goals against, tied for second-fewest with Sparta Prague. But while their play without the puck has kept them in contention, their results, or lack thereof, when the puck’s on their stick have to be rectified if they hope to continue on in this campaign. Tappara on the other hand, have had no problem burying their opportunities and are in a three-way tie for second with Fribourg-Gottéron and Red Bull Munich for goals for with 25, just three shy of the current leader, EV Zug, who has been eliminated.

Heading into this defense versus offense matchup, something to watch for will be how each team operates on special teams. Tappara’s currently clicking at 33.33% on the man-advantage, sixth in the entire CHL, while Växjö hold the best PK% in the League with 100%. This is one area that could be the make or break for both teams. To be sure, though, the Swedes' task is twofold – hold off Tappara’s offensive pressure and score more – while Tappara simply need to continue to play the way they have en route to their 5-1 record.