Nearly one year after becoming the first Swiss side to hoist the European Trophy, Genève-Servette are two games away from making a return trip to the Champions Hockey League Final as they get set to battle fellow Swiss challengers ZSC Lions Zurich in a heated series between two highly ambitious teams.
Genève earned their second straight Semi-Finals appearance by defeating Pinguins Bremerhaven 6-2 on aggregate in their Quarter-Finals series, while Zurich qualified by narrowly edging out Eisbären Berlin by a 9-7 aggregate in their tight two-game series.
- Zurich in first Semi-Finals since inaugural CHL season of 2014/15
- Genève have been dominant in the Playoffs so far
- Both sides are on a level playing field from a statistical standpoint
After coming close twice in their CHL tenure, Zurich will finally be suiting up for Semi-Finals action in their eighth campaign since the competition's launch in 2014/15 and for good reason. The team from northern Switzerland have been outstanding all season, posting the best goals for with 4.00 and the second-best goals against with 2.00 all the while occupying the top ten in both powerplay conversion rate (9th) and penalty kill percentage (9th).
But while they handily defeated several of their challengers this season, Zurich's recent series against Berlin betrayed a concerning lack of defence in the early going. The series saw the Germans secure back-to-back three-goal leads before the Swiss eventually stormed back. This offensive outburst has been one of many reasons why Zurich sit atop the statistical metrics, however, if they're to continue their CHL journey, the Swiss would do well to find their stride early.
This is something that should be achievable for a side that boasts both the first and second-place point leaders in Sven Andrighetto and Denis Malgin. Through nine games played, Andrighetto has amassed 17 points (7G, 10A), while Malgin has sunk six tallies and assisted on nine others for 15 points in eight games played with the duo combining for seven points in their series against Berlin.
On the opposing bench, it's hard to imagine that Genève were once on the verge of elimination before turning it around and assuming their familiar lethal selves as they went on to eliminate both Playoff opponents in convincing fashion, with their most recent bid against Bremerhaven being another demonstration of their proficiency with the puck.
The Swiss side never trailed in aggregate scoring in their Quarter-Finals match-up and were able to blank Bremerhaven in the First Game to maintain a commanding edge in scoring. Up front, they own the second-best goals-for-per-game average with 3.90, while on the backend, Genève are fourth in penalty kill percentage with 88.24% and are in the top ten in goals against, allowing 2.50 goals per game.
Yet, unlike Zurich, Genève do not have any one true star - their scoring is spread throughout the line-up with Sakari Manninen claiming the title of points leader following Michael Špaček's departure for Sparta Prague. This hasn't hampered the Swiss side's ability to score, however, and could be an asset moving forward as they're able to deploy players who are able to produce in all situations.
Statistically, both they and Zurich are on a level playing field with both having similar success with and without the puck. Between the pipes, they each possess excellent options with Zurich utilising Šimon Hrubec, who is flawless in eight starts, while Genève are able to call on Antti Raanta who has also been perfect in his three starts.
Both sides have continued to serve up terrific hockey throughout the season, and in a series where either club could make it to the Final, fans of both organisations will be in for a treat when puck drops in both of the games of this series!