Eisbären Berlin and Lukko Rauma each split their first two games, therefore making this a crucial one as the winner will look to hop above the Playoff line and the loser will have a tough second half of the Champions Hockey League Regular Season.

Berlin opened with a 3-0 shutout win in Norway over Storhamar Hamar, then dropped a tight 3-2 decision in Austria to KAC Klagenfurt.

The team’s top scorer is defenceman Jonas Müller, who has arguably been one of the CHL’s top performers so far with three assists, six blocked shots and an average ice time of 24:34 over two games. Among forwards, Leonhard Pföderl is one of only two players to score two powerplay goals so far. Die Eisbären have the CHL’s top-ranked powerplay at 28.57%.

Lukko’s first two games at home were a mixed bag, with a very impressive 4-1 win over star-studded Lausanne HC, but then blew a 2-0 lead to HC Bolzano and lost 4-3 on a last-minute powerplay goal.

Alex Beaucage has been one of the CHL’s top gunners with nine shots on goal and a team-leading three points. On defence, Jacob Stenqvist has two points, seven shots on goal and five blocked shots. Beaucage and Stenqvist have Lukko’s only two powerplay goals so far.