- Six different players scored for Zug
- Sparta were unable to score on the road
- Leonardo Genoni secures sixth career shutout
If the opening 20 minutes were anything to go by, it wasn't a surprise that EV Zug ended up being the more dominant team between the two clubs as they cruised past Sparta Prague to take a six-goal aggregate lead in this Champions Hockey League Round of 16 series with a 6-0 final in Switzerland. Six different players scored for the Swiss and Leonardo Genoni posted his sixth career CHL shutout, denying all 16 shots.
Zug would not be denied as the puck dropped in the first period against their Czech challengers. The Swiss secured four goals through the first 20 minutes while keeping the puck out of their net. Grégory Hofmann got things going when he lit the lamp with a little less than five minutes gone in the period, going far side just inside the post.
The hosts then continued to extend their aggregate advantage when they netted three in the span of four minutes.
Dominik Kubalík added a powerplay tally when he played catch with Hofmann before rifling it past Josef Kořenář. Mike Künzle followed up with a breakaway goal through the pads of the opposing netminder, and then Colin Sean Lindemann capped off the first period scoring when he converted on a beautiful cross-crease feed from Sven Leuenberger.
The Swiss showcased more of their scoring prowess in the second when David Sklenička notched his third of the competition. The Czech D-man blasted one from the blue line through traffic to make it 5-0 four minutes into the middle stanza.
Once the puck dropped in the third, Fabrice Herzog became the sixth different scorer and 12th different point-getter when he swatted home a rebound on the powerplay to continue the Swiss side's dominance over Sparta.
The Czechs' attempts at putting any kind of dent into this massive scoring margin would go unrewarded, however, as they head back to Czechia to host the Return Game with a lot to think about. Meanwhile, Zug are all but confirmed for their place in the Quarter-Finals come December.