The final sprint in the DEL promises high tension: although the direct playoff places seem to have been awarded, it will be a very close race behind them in the last meters.
Five days before the end of the main round in the German Ice Hockey League, it was clear what the name of the winner of the first part of the season would be: EHC Munich had prevailed against ERC Ingolstadt in the Bayern duel and could no longer be knocked out of first place at this point .
The Munich team had played an impressive round of points and could even break the 120-point barrier with 117 points and two games left – that would be a new DEL point record.
Playoffs begin March 14th
Only with the main round victory after 60 matchdays in the DEL, as is well known, nothing is won, only with the start of the playoffs on March 14th does the race for the German championship really open. With their consistent performances throughout the year, the Munich side have already shot themselves into the role of the big favourite.
Two or for some teams three games are still to be played, then the main round will be completed next Sunday (March 5th, 2023). Behind the Munich high-flyers, the remaining five direct places for the playoffs also seem to be taken. ERC Ingolstadt, the Straubing Tigers and ex-champion Adler Mannheim are sure to be in second to fourth place.
The Düsseldorfer EG and the Wolfsburg Grizzlys go into the final stretch of the last games with a comfortable lead, but could – if things go badly – be pushed out of sixth place by the Kölner Haien and the Fischtown Pinguins. However, Düsseldorf in particular has a good cushion on Cologne (84) and the Penguins (81) with 89 points.
Will the polar bears still make it into the pre-playoffs?
Which team will qualify for the so-called pre-playoffs (places seven to ten) remains the big question in the last few meters of the season. And above all, whether the crashed champion Eisbären Berlin still manages to play for the German championship again.
Behind the capitals lies a catastrophic main round, in which the polar bears were notable for their lack of consistency and were never able to compensate for the departure of goalkeeper Mathias Niederberger (to Munich).
After the impressive 5-1 win on Sunday (February 26, 2023) against second-placed ERC Ingolstadt, the Berliners sense their chance for the pre-playoffs again. “We have to do our own homework. We did that this time”said international Marcel Noebels, “Our job in the last three games is to put the others under pressure and hope that a competitor might make a mistake or two.”
Noebels: “It’s no use speculating”
The champions, who had already celebrated a convincing 5:2 in Mannheim on Friday, are still only in twelfth place in the table three games before the end of the main round but cut the two most recent victories to three points.
But now the full concentration is on the upcoming encounter at the Fischtown Pinguins Bremerhaven on Tuesday (7.30 p.m.). “There’s no use speculating at the moment”emphasized Noebels, who converted a penalty against Ingolstadt to make it 2-0: “We can only concentrate on ourselves and try to score again on Tuesday – and hope that others will lose their feathers.”
Augsburg Panthers miss the playoffs – and worry
What is certain is that the Augsburg Panthers and the Bietigheim Steelers will miss the playoffs: both teams are at the bottom of the table. Since 14 clubs will be playing again in the coming 2023/2024 season, there will be at least one, possibly even two, relegated from the DEL.
The prerequisite for promotion to the highest German division is the sporting championship title in the DEL 2. Three clubs from the lower house have applied for it, namely the Krefeld Pinguine, the Kassel Huskies and the Dresden Lions.
Should another team secure the championship in the DEL 2, the Augburgers can still hope for the DEL whereabouts. Until then, however, they have to be patient and can only start planning the season accordingly late.