ERC Ingolstadt will host already-qualified Växjö Lakers on Game Day 5 as the DEL side look to confirm their own place in the 2023/24 Champions Hockey League Playoffs.

Ingolstadt head into this tie having seen their perfect three-game winning streak across Game Days 1-3 come to an end one afternoon in Pardubice, Czechia, where the visiting Germans fell 6-1 to home team Dynamo Pardubice. 

Game Day 4 blunder aside, Ingolstadt have been strong offensively, having scored in every game so far this season and racked up a total of 11 goals for vs. seven against. Interestingly, five of those seven goals against have come from powerplays - PK performance will definitely be a talking point ahead of this tie for Ingolstadt!

Michael Garteig and Devin Williams have split netminding duty, with both of them on 120 minutes of game time each, while offensively, Wojciech Stachowiak and Andrew Rowe lead the team in scoring with three goals a piece. Additionally, four players have been performing at a solid 1+P/game. 

Heading into this game, Ingolstadt will look to put their shaky domestic season start behind them and return to pre-Pardubice form as they mustn't lose sight of Playoff qualification which can be as close as 60 minutes of game time away!

Standing in Ingolstadt's way will be reigning SHL champions Växjö. The Swedes were the de-facto team to beat in the September portion of CHL games, picking up four consecutive wins to secure them a place in the Playoffs for only the second time since they made it all the way to the CHL Final in 2018.

Växjö have scored 21 goals so far this season, which is the most of any team across the first four Game Days, mainly thanks to two five-goal outings against the Aalborg Pirates and the Lahti Pelicans and a seven-goal night against the Stavanger Oilers.

Seven Växjö players have been performing at over 1P/game, with Joachim Blichfeld leading the team in scoring with four goals, meaning the numbers are very evenly split across positions and lines.

Emil Larmi recorded a shutout against EHC Biel-Bienne on Game Day 4 and has spent two games in net, while the same can be said bar the shutout for Adam Åhman. Upon closer inspection, it seems Växjö have two very solid options to pick from in net and will be in good hands regardless of who lines up on Tuesday in Germany. 

And 'solid options' is a phrase that characterises this team best, as wherever you look, there's always a top-notch choice.