Bern 6, Bratislava 3 – The Bern Bears burst out of the gate and took control of their game against Bratislava early, leading 4-0 after about 16 minutes and outshooting the Eagles 18-5 after the first period. Pascal Dupuis led the way with assists on the first two goals and a goal of his own in the second period. He is the left wing on the Bears’ second line with center Andy McDonald and right wing Johan Franzen. They were plus 2 Wednesday, playing mainly against a Bratislava line that had two rookies on it. The McDonald line, which features a 35-year-old and two 33-year-olds, had a definite experience advantage but that can be said on most nights about all Bern’s lines. Their original GM built the team with veterans with an eye on the Season 1 Cup, and for a long while, it looked like they were the favorites. When the GM abandoned the team before the start of this season, it left his successor, Joe Page, with a veteran team of 30 somethings whose attributes are on a decline and who can’t be counted on for the long term. What’s more, Ray Whitney flew the coop during free agency, giving the Bears a gut punch for the short term. They are currently 10-11-2 and in 9th place in the Southern Conference, 3 points from a playoff position. Last year at this time, the top of the league’s individual scoring charts were littered with Bears logos. This year, without Whitney, Bern doesn’t have any league leaders but they have a pretty balanced attack. Three players share the team scoring lead with 20 points in 23 games and 12 players are in double figures in scoring. The biggest problem this year seems to be what was the biggest asset last season: the top forward line. Jason Spezza, Henrik Zetterberg and Radim Vrbata are all in the minus 12 to 16 range. Their veteran defense, led by all-star Brent Seabrook, remains quite strong. The Bears have won 3 of their last 5 games, scoring 16 times in those three wins.
Belfast 5, Paris 3 – Rick Nash, who has been relatively quiet this season, was a force against the tough Paris Rouges Eiffels, getting 8 shots on goal but more importantly scoring twice and adding an assist. Nash now has 7 goals and 12 points in 23 games. Matt Duchene, Pavel Kubina and rookie Nazem Kadri, all scored two points for the winners. Evgeny Malkin of Paris kept a 12-game point scoring streak alive by assisting on two Joffrey Lupul tallies.
Zurich 4, Stockholm 2 – Drew Stafford scored twice and now has 15 goals this season, placing him one behind the league leader, Ryan Kesler of Dublin. Eric Staal of Stockholm kept pace with his 14th of the season to tie the game at 1-1 in the first 13:20 of the game. Another offensive star was defensive specialist Patrice Bergeron of Zurich who assisted on 3 goals.
Madrid 4, Berlin 3 (OT) – Erik Karlsson earned the extra point for the Royals by scoring his 4th of the season in overtime of a wide open game that saw his team outshoot Berlin 44-36. A key moment of the game came halfway through the third period when defenseman Kevin Klein scored his first goal of the season – shorthanded – to make it a 3-1 Madrid lead. Gabriel Landeskog scored 3 points in the game for the winners, while Smurf Ray Whitney led his team with 2 points. Berlin defensemen Matt Carle and Brian Campbell blocked 4 and 3 shots respectively, with forward Josh Holden blocking 3.
Athens 4, Edinburgh 3 – With his brother Niclas injured, first overall draft pick Staffan Kronwall was super. He assisted on all 4 Athens goals and fought Edinburgh’s Wayne Simmonds. Another Greek defenseman, Lubomir Visnovsky, led his team in points Wednesday with a goal and an assist. Derek Stepan of the Capitals had 2 assists.
Dublin 7, Gothenburg 6 (OT) – Bobby Ryan led the high-flying Fighthing Irish, who scrambled back from a 4-2 deficit to treat the home fans to a win. They scored 3 powerplay goals in the process. Ryan scored 4 goals, including the biggest one in overtime, while linemate Ryan Kesler piled up 5 points on a goal and 4 assists. He is the league’s top scorer with 36 points in 23 games. Four of Gothenburg’s goals were scored from the blueline. Daniel Girardi scored 2, with Stephane Robidas and Erik Johnson each scoring once. Girardi and Devil Adam Henrique had 3 points each.
