Sparta Prague's Game Day 1 triumph was met with a Game Day 2 disaster as the Czechs suffered a 4-2 loss at the hands of Storhamar Hamar. On the other side, a disappointing OT loss would be followed by a return to form for Luleå Hockey as they took down Swiss challengers SC Bern by a final of 4-2 in their Game Day 2 fixture.

Three goals were ushered in during the first period of Sparta's match-up with Storhamar, with the Czechs notching two of them, including a shorthanded tally by Roman Horák (1G, 1A). Their first-period dominance, however, would wane as the Norwegians would go on to engineer a convincing comeback - scoring three tallies in the second en route to securing their first points of 2025/26.

Meanwhile, Luleå found themselves leading, before falling behind by one, before eventually getting back on track with two tucks in the third to cap off three unanswered goals and with it, the match. The Swedes' offensive spark began with a Brian O'Neill powerplay goal in the dying minutes of the second period and continued into the final frame where they were able to capitalise on a couple of chances.

Heading into this week's affair, neither side holds a notable advantage as both are scoring and defending at roughly the same pace. Both have a Goals For average of 3.00, while they also share the same stat in Goals Against with 2.50. Consequently, offensively and defensively, they measure up quite well. What does set them apart, however, is their special teams play, where Luleå have found more success.

If the Czechs can find a way to contain the Swedes in this way, a victory is not out of the realm of possibility. Similarly, if Luleå are able to create opportunities on the man-advantage, they may very well be able to secure back-to-back wins.