Quick Glance:

They are a short distance from each other – less than 2 hours by car – but Bern seems farther this season from the Lions’ perspective. The Bears seemed to shift into another gear halfway through the season and they only gained momentum from then on, finishing 3rd in the overall standings. They are led by their Swiss captain Nico Hischier, who tied for 4th in league scoring with 103 points. It was his second 100-plus season and 4th season in a row with 30 or more goals. If the Lions have any hope of winning, they first have to shut down Hischier.

Goalies:

• Zurich – Stuart Skinner, 3.63 GAA, .882 save pct.
• Bern – Juuse Saros, 2.75 GAA, .905 save pct.

Top Plus/Minus players:

• Zurich – Jonathan Huberdeau +9
• Bern – Thomas Harley +30

Expert Panel Predictions:

• Commissioner Chuck: Bern in 5 games. It’s a strong feeling, but also … most of the stats point to Bern winning this battle of the Swiss teams. Especially the stats that reflect Zurich’s defensive play. Only 3 teams gave up more goals than the Lions did and that is something Bern forwards like Jake Debrusk – who came to the team this year after 8 seasons in Zurich – will be looking to exploit.
• Rose: Zurich in 6 games. The Bears danced away with the Southern Conference crown under first-year GM Shalom Connell and they beat the Lions 5 times in 6 meetings this season. But look closer. Three of those wins were in shootouts. A few bounces here and there and Zurich could have won the season series, and they can accomplish that in the next two weeks if they can get an upset win under their belt and gain some needed confidence. The key for them is to be able to wipe away the feeling that Bern is invincible.