The Stavanger Oilers are coming off a 1-0 win over Fribourg-Gottéron and will look to use this momentum to gain the advantage over Red Bull Salzburg in this Game Day 3 rematch. Meanwhile, Salzburg dropped their bid against Ilves Tampere in OT to fall to 1-1 on the season.

Shots were 44-25 in favour of the Austrians following their first tilt, as the Norwegians had a tough time setting up in their offensive zone and an even tougher time getting shots through. While they were able to put two past Atte Tolvanen, Salzburg were able to answer in rapid fashion and control play for most of the match.

However, one constant for Stavanger has been in net. Henrik Holm has been the difference maker in both matches, effectively stealing the victory against the Swiss, and will need to be relied upon again when they travel back home.

After winning 3-2 in OT against Stavanger, the Austrians dropped their next contest 3-2 in OT to Ilves. So far, Salzburg have yet to find their identity. The club that scored an average of 3.25 goals per game last season has been struggling so far to find the net. Addressing their man-advantage needs should be a priority as the Austrians have converted on one of six opportunities.

Fortunately, they’ve been getting help from their star forwards, notably Peter Schneider who leads the team in points (1G,3A), but their captain Thomas Raffl has been conspicuously absent from the scoresheet. He’ll need to turn things around if he hopes to see his club suiting up in the Playoffs come November.