It was a poor showing for Tappara Tampere who were blanked by Rögle Ängelholm in their previous contest, while the ending wasn't too encouraging for Storhamar Hamar, either, as they dropped their third contest with a loss against Frölunda Gothenburg. 

The Norwegians' failure to maintain the pace against a lethal Frölunda squad led to another missed opportunity for points. Storhamar managed to tie the game late in the middle frame, but then in the third the Swedes took over and left the Norwegians scrambling. But while Storhamar didn't get their desired result, their ability to generate high-quality chances against a stout Frölunda defence is noteworthy. If they can continue to find gaps in the opposing defence, they have a chance against a team in Tappara that's currently allowing 3.25 GAG.

Meanwhile on the Finnish side, it all about the offence. Ten goals through the first two games turned into two goals through the next two contests and that drop in offence has been costly. While credit is definitely due to a tenacious Rögle team, Tappara know they're capable of more and need that offensive spark back if they hope to fend off a hungry Storhamar team.

So far through four games, only six players have totaled more than a point and that egregious inequality in production cannot continue if the Finns have hopes of advancing. Spacing out that production is a necessity for Tappara if they hope to find the win column once again.