What a season it's been for reigning ICE HL champions Red Bull Salzburg who are ready to go up against the mighty Färjestad Karlstad, a team that have only lost once in regulation all season long, with a spot in the Semi-Finals on the line!
- Salzburg's netminders have been excellent
- Färjestad continue to find ways to win
- First-time match-up between these two clubs
Identical in the standings, identical in the stats, anything but identical in the result as Red Bull Salzburg dismantled the Lahti Pelicans to the tune of a 7-1 aggregate defeat in their Champions Hockey League Round of 16 match-up.
Their Quarter-Finals opponents, Färjestad Karlstad, had a tougher time getting past their series against Tappara Tampere, but a narrow advantage secured in their First Game would give the Swedes what they needed as they eventually took down the Finns 6-5 on aggregate.
Salzburg followed up their First Game effort - a 2-1 decision - with a five-goal showing against Lahti, all the while shutting down a Finnish offence that was scoring an average of 3.13 goals per game. This series win was a culmination of everything that has been going right for the Austrian side, as they've now registered wins in six of their past seven games and have managed to keep their opponents to two or fewer goals in seven of eight games played in the 2024/25 campaign.
Several factors contribute to their dominance in play as Salzburg boast one of the best all-around clubs in the CHL this season - fifth in goals for per game with 3.38; second in goals against per game with 1.75; tenth in powerplay conversion with 21.62%; and second in penalty kill percentage with 90.00%. What's more, the Austrians' goaltending tandem of Atte Tolvanen and David Kickert has been lights out, with Tolvanen suiting up for both Playoff wins and Kickert yet to lose a contest.
For Färjestad, recapturing their dominant play of the Regular Season - where they only failed to end one game with a multi-goal lead - was more difficult for the Swedes in their Round of 16 series, yet they still found a way to win. In their First Game against Tappara, the club fell into a two-goal hole early but eventually got their legs going and scored three unanswered tallies, getting some help from their first-ranked powerplay. The Return Game was much the same, with the Finns pressuring Färjestad by netting one late to force OT, but again the Swedes were able to prevail.
As they get set to meet for the first time in their CHL histories, success for these clubs hinges on their ability to meet that adversity and find ways to win. The Swedes have shown they can play with the lead and without, while the Austrians demonstrated their ability to maintain the lead when they get it.