Devils in Finland hoping to stay alive

Photo: Diego Cabellos

The Cardiff Devils travel to Finland for the first time in the Champions Hockey League knowing that anything other than a win will see them eliminated from this season's competition.

After a difficult start to their CHL campaign which saw the team have to cancel playing a warm-up tournament in Slovakia, and then losing two players and members of their coach staff through the COVID-19 protocol, the Devils beat Lausanne at home and were then narrowly edged out by the Swiss side on the road. Those games came alongside defeats to Mannheim and give the Devils three points from four games played.

Lukko are joint top of Group C with the German side and will be assured a place in the Round of 16 win a regulation win, with Mannheim and Lausanne facing each other on Game Days 5 and 6. It's likely that the Devils' only route into the next round will be to beat the Finns both away and home, as well as hoping other results go in their favour.

Andreas Valdix will join up with the Devils in Rauma to make his debut for the team while Brandon McNally remained on Injured Reserve.

Lukko have played Elite League opposition before, beating the Nottingham Panthers 6-2 in 2014/15, while JYP Jyväskylä were 3-0 winners against the Sheffield Steelers a season later in the only other EIHL trip to the country to date.