Dynamo Pardubice scored a late comeback goal while three of their skaters notched a pair of points to lift the Czech side 4-3 over Skellefteå AIK to improve to a 1-1 record. In Norway, the Stavanger Oilers nearly engineered a comeback of their own, netting four goals in the final frame to force extra hockey, but would eventually lose 7-6 to the Växjö Lakers.

After falling to Ilves Tampere in their opening bid, Pardubice needed a bounce back effort in order to gain ground in a tournament where every point matters – and that’s what they did. The Czech side's top producers succeeded in getting them the win against a competent Skellefteå squad as Adam Musil, Peter Čerešňák, and Tomáš Hyka provided the offensive boost to lift them to victory.

Now going up against a Stavanger team that’s in desperation mode after dropping their first two contests, including a nail-biting shootout loss, Pardubice need their scorers to keep their stride. 5-on-5 wasn’t an issue for the Czechs, but they did go 0-for-7 on the man-advantage. The Norwegians' penalty kill is operating at a decent click of 83% as they’ve killed 10 of 12 opportunities, so exposing their special teams should be a priority for Pardubice.

As for Stavanger, the Norwegians pushed the Swedes to the brink but fell shy of their desired outcome. This was not for lack of effort and if they hope to secure three points against Pardubice, they’re going to need to bring that same effort and intensity showcased in the third period.

Playing a full 60-minute game on both sides of the puck should be the focus for the Norwegians. Despite coming back from a four-goal deficit, Stavanger were the victim of one too many mistakes leading to that substantial goal gap. Staying consistent will be key in that regard especially on foreign soil.