Things took a turn for the worse just 52 seconds into their derby against Ilves Tampere as the Finns potted their first of three goals on the night in a 3-1 decision, handing ERC Ingolstadt their first loss of the season. KalPa Kuopio, however, played with tenacity, and despite trailing for much of the latter half of the match-up, managed to squeak out a win against the Belfast Giants when Juuso Mäenpää secured the equaliser with a little over a minute to go in regulation and then Patrick Curry completed the comeback to give KalPa the 3-2 victory in overtime.

Despite the early setback, Ingolstadt were able to keep pace with Ilves for most of the contest. The Germans mustered 28 shots on net to the Finns' 25, and their high-danger chances didn't fall far below those of Ilves with the latter achieving six to Ingolstadt's four. And while the Expected Goals story (3.06/2.72) didn't go as planned for the home side, they can take some positives away, one of which is puck possession, having managed to win 35 face-offs to Ilves' 26.

More than capitalising on offence, the Germans need to re-evaluate their defensive ethics. Once Ilves scored, Ingolstadt seemed to be on their heels for long stretches with the Finns directing the flow of the game. Maintaining a sound defensive game, as they did in the last 37 minutes of the match-up, can go a long way to helping them secure their first win.

KalPa's play was relentless. Outshooting their opponents 34-25, it was only a matter of time before the Finns would find their way, and that tenacity paid off in a big way with two massive goals coming in dramatic fashion. Sustaining that same intensity will continue to prove useful against Europe's elite and should help them in their bid to gain back-to-back wins.