Genève-Servette enter the Champions Hockey League Playoffs as the defending European Club Champions, and they are in good shape to advance from this round after a 5-0 away victory over Swiss rival Lausanne HC, meaning they take a five-goal aggregate lead into their home game next week.

The two teams are separated by only 63 km along Lake Geneva, which resulted in a rather bipartisan crowd of nearly 9,000 at the Vaudoise Arena.

Former NHL goaltender Antti Raanta was in fine form, stopping all 29 Lausanne shots he faced for the shutout. Lausanne actually outshot Genève 29-27.

Each team had their chances in the first period but both Raanta and Kevin Pasche were on top of their games. It looked like the opening period was destined to end scoreless but it was Genève’s high-scoring Finnish line that opened the scoring late. Pinpoint passing, Teemu Hartikainen to Markus Granlund to Sakari Manninen for the easy tap-in at the post made it 1-0 with 11 seconds remaining in the first.

Early in the second period came a potential game-changing event when Genève’s Roger Karrer was assessed a major penalty and game misconduct for checking to the head and neck area. But instead of Lausanne tying it on the powerplay it was Genève extending the lead shorthanded. On a 2-on-1, Marco Miranda fed Tanner Richard, who picked the top near-side corner.

With under six minutes to play in the middle frame, the visitors went up 3-0 on a brilliant backhand by Oula Palve which went over Pasche’s glove.

Winning the game was now a longshot but Lausanne still had a chance to cut the aggregate deficit with a strong third period. However, it was Genève’s Finns striking again, this time on the powerplay with defenceman Sami Vatanen teeing up a Granlund one-timer.

With exactly one minute to play, Palve scored his second of the game on another backhand, upstairs over a diving Pasche.