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Kloten were maximally efficient last night

The home team continued their winning streak, but that is far removed from a convincing play on ice. To say the truth, they made the most even of the slightest chances they got from Ambri. Zurich, on the other hand, were resting last night.

Yesterday's win by Kloten will be noted only for the result. The game play wasn't impressive, except to those who believe that "the best win even when they don't play their best" or that "such games verify the maturity of the team".

The fact is that they had only 22 shots on goal, the third goal was scored a few seconds before the end on an empty goal, and the player of the night was goalie Gerber. Moreover, Ambri hit the post three times...

Still, it would be unfair to say that Kloten didn't deserve their win. Felix Hollenstein's team plays well. They have four consecutive wins and are entering the today's duel with a lot of optimism. Goalkeeper Gerber is in good shape and the team looks better and better in the defense, which is the aspect of the game Hollestein underlined as a long term goal. 

Concerning the injury problems, Buhler and Blum were out yesterday. Buhler is certain not to play today and Blum is still uncertain. 

Zurich played their last game on Tuesday so they won't have fatigue issues for sure. In the last duel they were defeated by Sorvette in an incredible way. They had a 2-0 lead and their opponents got a five minute sending off ten minutes before the end. This kind of situation often redounds to the advantage of a team with a player advantage (powerplay isn't stopped in case of goal), but Zurich managed to concede two goals in that period and so the game went to extra time. 

- Things like that must not happen to us. There is no excuse for such a drop in concentration. We shouldn't concede a goal with a player advantage, let alone two goals - said coach Crawford after the game. 

Other than that blackout period, Zurich played a good game. In a 5 on 5 game it is hard to create chances against them since they play a tough and responsible game. This experience will probably hold them firmly on the ground so they should be more cautious in the following games. 

Defenseman McCarthy is absent and Nilsson is still uncertain to play (no specific information about his comeback and it has already been announced a couple of times that his appearance is uncertain).

It should be noted that this is a local derby and that the tensions on ice could be high in this game. 

Upon taking charge of Kloten, Felix Hollenstein said his team would play a firm and disciplined defense, and its cornerstone would be experienced 39-year-old goalie Martin Gerber (had a brief NHL spell). Even though they owe their excellent opening of the season to inspired forwards, I don't believe that this scoring "fairy tale" can last long. Not that Kloten's forwards are poor, but many things coincided in the last two or three games to turn them into goal fests. Yesterday, for example, they played a hard game with a small number of chances against Ambri, and I don't believe that today's game will be much different. This contest with Zurich is a big derby, and the most important thing here is not to lose. Given that they played last night as well, I doubt they will try to force a fast pace. The away team had a few days of rest and they will be fully fit for this game. Expecting Crawford to ask for an offensive makes no sense. Their goalie Flueler had three shotouts in five games, and he conceded two goals in the last game when his team had an extra man. This information is a warning for the away team not to press high and leave plenty of space behind defensemen. Across five games, they remained firmly under on four occasions. I believe there will be no goal fest today here.