HC Pilsen overcame a fierce Fribourg-Gottéron comeback and sealed a 4-2 victory with an empty-netter to collect their third straight win and enter Game Day 4 unbeaten.

Pilsen pushed the play right off the bat and generated many scoring chances from early on. They were, however, turned aside by Fribourg’s goaltender Loïc Galley. A brief lapse in the defensive zone allowed Fribourg to slip one past Pilsen’s goaltender. The goal was however successfully challenged and overturned for offside via video review.

The deadlock was finally broken in the second period when Pilsen opened the scoring thanks to Lukáš Strnad assisted by Dominik Simon. The celebration was also briefly put on hold, following a Coach’s Challenge for goalkeeper interference, but after video review, the goal was confirmed, giving Pilsen a 1-0 lead. Shortly after, Pilsen capitalized to double their lead, this time with Simon as the goal scorer. The rest of the middle frame was defined by a flurry of disciplinary issues, as the game dissolved into a parade of penalties, mainly on the visitor’s side.

The momentum swung in the final period when Fribourg broke through to score their first goal of the game thanks to Yannick Rathgeb, cutting Pilsen’s lead in half to 2-1. The comeback unfolded shortly after, when Sandro Schmid struck for Fribourg to finally level the score. Pilsen answered back, retaking a 3-2 lead with a Matyáš Filip strike.

The drama reached its peak in the final two minutes as Fribourg pulled their goalie in an attempt to score the equalizer, but the gamble didn't pay off and Igor Merezhko sealed the game with an empty-netter, making it a 4-2 victory for the visiting team.