Game Summary
The Vienna Capitals capitalized on an early power play and got off to a perfect start with Mitch Hults' close-range goal (4th minute). Salzburg then slowly found their rhythm against the agile Viennese, initially without posing a significant threat. This changed during Salzburg's first power play (starting in the 10th minute), in which the Red Bulls unleashed a barrage of shots on Vienna's goaltender, Evan Cowley. The Red Bulls maintained the pressure and quickly equalized. Michael Raffl deflected Brandon Coe's well-placed shot from mid-range to make it 1-1 (14th minute). Less than a minute later, Travis St. Denis fired a shot on the power play immediately after Michael Raffl won the face-off, giving Salzburg a 2-1 lead (15th minute). With this quickfire double, the home team had turned the game around and remained the dominant team until the first intermission.
And they continued to do so in the second period. Vienna struggled to contain Salzburg's attacks. During the power play, Travis St. Denis struck again, converting Michael Raffl's pinpoint pass into the face-off circle with a one-timer to make it 3-1 (24th minute). Shortly after, Benjamin Nissner also got on the scoresheet, firing an unstoppable shot from the half-high slot into the net (26th minute). Salzburg continued to dominate the game, relentlessly circling the Vienna goal. Salzburg's goalie, Atte Tolvanen, was rarely tested and was alert to the occasional good shot. For a few minutes, the visitors managed to relieve some of the pressure on Salzburg's attack, but in the final stages, the Red Bulls became aggressive again with further scoring opportunities and deservedly led 4-1 after 40 minutes.
The final period saw no change in the flow of the game. The Red Bulls controlled the play – Peter Schneider, among others, with his chance right in front of the goalie (44th minute) – while the visitors launched some offensive counterattacks. The intensity wasn't quite as high anymore, but the Red Bulls continued to win the battles and relentlessly attacked the goal. They added two more goals: Troy Bourke converted a 2-on-1 break (57th minute), and Mario Huber sealed the victory with a breakaway bypassing the defense (58th minute).
