Finnish side Lukko Rauma came out on top of last night's 10-goal thriller in Czechia against Dynamo Pardubice. Despite being outshot and pushed, the visiting team were lethal in their execution and prepared for almost everything Pardubice threw at them.
Combined with a stellar night in net for Daniel Lebedeff, Lukko headed back home with a two-goal aggregate lead in their pocket.
"We knew their strength coming here - they've only lost two games in regulation in the Extraliga so far this season!" said Lukko Head Coach Tomi Lämsä after the game, "it's a really difficult place to play so scoring six goals was satisfying."
The coach wasn't done with praising his opponent: "I really think they really are one of the top teams in Europe at the moment."
Despite the high praise, it looked like Lukko were on a completely different planet in the opening 16 minutes as the Finns went 4-0 up and prompted a goalie change in the home team net, but a two-goal powerplay for Pardubice in the dying minutes of the first frame got the Czechs onto the scoresheet.
But another Lukko goal in the second period and a sixth in the final frame meant the Finns were 6-2 up with just six minutes of game time left, however, a late two-goal Pardubice surge meant the game ended 6-4. Are Lukko happy with the result?
"A two-goal lead is important and it gives us some space and confidence," commented Lämsä, "but there's a whole 60 minutes still to come," he ended.
Don't miss the Return Game of this Quarter-Finals match-up in Rauma on Tuesday, 12 December at 17:30 CET!