“We want to build on the last third of the game against Fribourg and play with the same passion and energy—but this time from the start and more consistently,” says Michael Liniger ahead of the game against EHC Kloten. He expects the opposing team to be well organized defensively, ready to “do the dirty work,” block shots, and be particularly dangerous on counterattacks. “We also have to remain patient on offense and wait for our chances.”

Kloten will play only their second home game on Friday, having won their first against the SCRJ Lakers 5-3 – the three other away games all ended in defeat. This leaves the airport town team in 11th place after four games. The pressure is therefore already high to deliver in front of their own fans.

The situation could be made even more difficult by the months-long absence of Ludovic Waeber. The regular goalkeeper, who will leave Kloten for Fribourg at the end of the season while Reto Berra goes the other way, injured his shoulder in the game against Geneva. He will be replaced by 24-year-old Davide Fadani, who joined EHC from Ambrì in the summer. Also new to the Zurich squad are defenders Lukas Klok (CZE, from Bern) and Max Lindroth (SWE, TPS Turku), as well as forwards Petteri Puhakka (FIN, Tappara Tampere), Brandon Gignac (CAN, Laval Rocket), and Robert Leino (FIN, Örebro).

The injury curse has struck again at EVZ: Elia Riva, who already missed the first four games of the season with an upper body injury, will be forced to take a break for several weeks, as further examinations have revealed. Riva is already the third regular defender, alongside Dominik Schlumpf and Lukas Bengtsson, who will be missing from EVZ for an extended period of time. The Zug team responded to the current injury situation in defense on Wednesday, September 17, by signing Jesse Graham. It is unclear whether the Canadian will be in the lineup on Friday evening – it is more likely that he will make his debut on Saturday against the SCRJ Lakers in front of a home crowd.