- Växjö enter Return Game undefeated
- Ingolstadt continue to have trouble on defence
- The Swedes' consistency on offence has been huge
The Växjö Lakers hold a three-goal aggregate advantage heading into their Return Game tilt with ERC Ingolstadt who are on the cusp of elimination as they trail the Swedish side 4-1.
This is Ingolstadt’s second trip to the Champions Hockey League postseason and it’s in danger of ending in familiar fashion to their 2015/16 venture where the Germans were ousted in the Round of 32 by another Swedish opponent, Frölunda Gothenburg. However, despite being down by three goals, Ingolstadt have shown their ability to maintain the pace with their opponents and have the pieces necessary to make a comeback.
Areas that need a once-over? For starters, their netminding needs addressing. Over the last four games, the Germans have given up a combined 20 goals and have been outscored by three or more goals in four consecutive contests. Cementing their presence between the pipes will be a huge boon to a team struggling defensively as Ingolstadt sit second-worst in goals against per game with 3.71 among the remaining clubs. The Germans will also need to find ways to find the net as they’ve only managed to score two or more goals three times and have scored a combined three goals in their previous three match-ups.
Where Ingolstadt is struggling, however, Växjö is shining. Through their previous four games, the Swedish side has netted 16 goals while only allowing a combined five, they've also secured one shutout in that span. The Swedes sit first in the league with 4.71 goals per game and have 11 players on their roster with four or more points. In their First Game against Ingolstadt, Växjö saw four different players pot a goal, demonstrating their depth up front and on the backend.
Entering Tuesday’s Return Game, their focus will be to continue deploying a sound defensive game against a desperate team in Ingolstadt. So far, their netminders have been up to the task with Adam Åhman doing an excellent job last week holding his opponents to just one goal on 32 shot attempts.