In their first two games, the Odense Bulldogs and ZSC Lions Zurich each won a game and lost a game – one of the decisions coming in regulation time and the other beyond 60 minutes.

The Bulldogs opened their maiden Champions Hockey League voyage with two games in Czechia, and acquitted themselves fairly well. They showed resilience to overcome a 3-1 third-period deficit against Mountfield HK to win in a shootout, and were within a goal of Kometa Brno with 10 minutes remaining before eventually falling 5-2.

Jonathan Brinkman Andersen has been the team’s biggest offensive threat so far with three points, including the two third-period goals against Mountfield to tie it. One of the reasons the team has managed to stay so close to their opponents is the goaltending of Niklas Lundström, who has played both games and leads the CHL with 75 saves.

For the defending CHL Champions, the start of this season hasn’t been perfect. They dropped their opener to Pinguins Bremerhaven 3-2 in overtime but responded with a 4-0 shutout win over GKS Tychy.

Last season’s CHL MVP and Top Scorer Sven Andrighetto has been the Lions’ offensive leader again this year with two goals and one assist for a total of three points, including their only powerplay marker. Otherwise, this talented line-up hasn’t set the world on fire yet.