Release from 27.02.2021

Battle for playoff spots comes to a head

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Four rounds before the end of the Qualification Round, the battle for the playoff spots is coming to a head. Top-ranked Dornbirn Bulldogs and fifth-placed Steinbach Black Wings 1992 are separated by only four points. The EC GRAND Immo VSV is currently in fourth place, just outside the playoff places. In the PULS 24 live match, the "Eagles" will face the HC TWK Innsbruck - Die Haie, who in sixth place and need a win to stay in the race for the playoffs. In the Pick Round, the HCB Südtirol Alperia has the chance to fix the first place. To do so, the South Tyroleans need a win after regular playing time at the EC Red Bull Salzburg. The spusu Vienna Capitals meet Hydro Fehérvár AV19 at home and want to remain the only team of the Pick Round that could score points in every game.

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BET-AT-HOME ICE HOCKEY LEAGUE, SO, 28.02.2021
PICK ROUND:
SUN, 28.02.2021, 16:00: EC RED BULL SALZBURG – HCB SÜDTIROL ALPERIA
REFEREES: BERNEKER, FICHTNER, Bedynek, Kontschieder. I >> FREE-LIVESTREAM <<>> VB33 <<

  • At 16:00 the matchday will start with the game EC Red Bull Salzburg against the HCB Südtirol Alperia. Both teams are in strong form. While RBS won all of their last three games, HCB celebrated two wins in a row.
  • In the standings, Bolzano is still clearly on top. With 15 points, they are already six points ahead of the first chaser, EC-KAC. Salzburg has one point less than the KAC and follows on third place.
  • Three rounds before the end it is already certain that the "Foxes" will have fixed home rights in the quarterfinals. If they win on Sunday after regular playing time, they would also be fix in first place in the pick round.
  • Bolzano has won four of the five duels so far this season. In the first meeting of the Pick Round, the South Tyroleans celebrated a 4:2 home win. Man of the match was Angelo Miceli, who scored twice. In total, the two teams have dueled 55 times. RBS leads with 30:25.
  • Thomas Raffl (RBS) scored his 20th goal of the season on Friday in the 5:3 away win in Klagenfurt. The 34-year-old is currently in fourth place in the scoring charts.
  • In this duel, the strongest power play (HCB - 23.68%) meets the strongest penalty killing (RBS - 86.51%). While the Red Bulls are also enormously strong in the power play (3rd place - 19.79%), the "Foxes" only occupy the eleventh and thus the last place in the PK (77.4%).

SUN, 28.02.2021, 16:00: SPUSU VIENNA CAPITALS – HYDRO FEHÉRVÁR AV19
REFEREES: HRONSKY, TRILAR, HRIBAR, RIECKEN. I >> PPV-LIVESTREAM <<

  • The second match of the Pick Round will be played between the spusu Vienna Capitals and Hydro Fehérvár AV19, also at 4:00 p.m. It will be a duel between the fourth (VIC) and the fifth (AVS) in the standings. Both teams are separated by three points.
  • While the Viennese were free from play on Friday, the Hungarians already conceded their fourth defeat in a row, the second in a row against Bolzano. The Capitals were the only team in the Pick Round to always score points, but were defeated twice after overtime or shootout.
  • In their home arena the Capitals have been waiting for a win for four games. Fehérvár, on the other hand, could not win any of the last four games away from home.
  • In the Erste Bank Arena, however, the Capitals have a clear advantage against Fehérvár. Out of 39 duels in Vienna so far, VIC could win 31. From the last eight duels, the Capitals were victorious seven times, in the first duel of the season AVS won.
  • With a scoring efficiency of 12.85% Fehérvár is at the top of this statistic. The Capitals rank fifth with 10.02%.

QUALIFICATION ROUND:
SUN, 28.02.2021, 17:30: DORNBIRN BULLDOGS - MOSER MEDICAL GRAZ99ERS
REFEREES: OFNER, STERNAT, Nothegger, Seewald. I >> PPV LIVESTREAM <<

  • The leader of the Qualification Round, Dornbirn Bulldogs, will meet the third-placed Moser Medical Graz99ers. The Styrians thus currently hold the last playoff spot. Villach in fourth place has the same number of points as the 99ers. The Bulldogs, on the other hand, cannot yet consider themselves on the safe side. Their lead over the VSV is only two points with four rounds to go.
  • In the first duel of the Qualification Round, Graz celebrated a narrow 2:1 home victory. Vitali Menshikov from Russia scored his first and so far only two goals in the bet-at-home ICE Hockey League. It was the first win of the 99ers against the "Bulldogs" this season.
  • In history, the two teams have already dueled 45 times. Graz holds the upper hand in the H2H with 26:19.
  • With nine away defeats from the past ten games, Graz has big problems especially away from home. However, they won their last away game with 4:2 at Villach. Dornbirn have been victorious in three of their last five home games.
  • With an average of only 7.2 penalty minutes per game, the DEC is the fairest team in the league. Graz concedes an average of 11.2 penalty minutes per game.
  • On Sunday, on the Graz side, Canadian Michael Latta will be missing. The center was suspended for one game because of Boarding in the game against Villach on Friday.

SUN, 28.02.2021, 17:30: EC GRAND IMMO VSV – HC TIWAG INNSBRUCK – DIE HAIE
REFEREES: SIEGEL, SMETANA, BÄRNTHALER, ZGONC. I >> PULS24 <<

  • In the Puls 24 live match, the EC GRAND Immo VSV meets the HC TIWAG Innsbruck - Die Haie. While the "Sharks" are already five points behind the playoffs, VSV is currently in fourth place and thus just outside the playoff places.
  • On Friday, VSV celebrated an important 5:1 away win at a direct competitor for the playoffs, the Moser Medical Graz99ers. Innsbruck was defeated with 4:5-SO at Steinbach Black Wings 1992, despite a two-goal lead until three minutes before the end of the game.
  • In the first game of the Qualification Round, Villach won with 3:1 in Tyrol. Innsbruck clearly set the tone in the previous season duels. HCI won four of the five season duels. Overall, however, VSV has the edge. They won 64 out of the 110 encounters.
  • One of the big weaknesses in Innsbruck's game is the special team. The Tyroleans rank ninth in power play (16.6%). In penalty killing, the "Sharks" are tenth (79%). VSV has its weaknesses especially in the PP (11th place - 16%).
  • With Daniel Ciampini (55 points), Innsbruck still has the league's top scorer in its ranks. The Canadian is in second place in the scoring list with 25 goals.

SUN, 28.02.2021, 17:30: ICLINIC BRATISLAVA CAPITALS – STEINBACH BLACK WINGS 1992
REFEREES: PIRAGIC, ZRNIC, Durmis, Konc. I >> PPV-LIVESTREAM <<

  • In the fifth and last game on Sunday the iClinic Bratislava Capitals will meet the Steinbach Black Wings 1992. For both teams it is an important game towards the playoffs. While Bratislava is in second place with 15 points, the Black Wings are fifth in the standings with eleven points.
  • Bratislava was in action twice during the week against the Dornbirn Bulldogs. They picked up a win after shootout and conceded a loss after overtime. The Black Wings completed the past two games against HC TWK Innsbruck - Die Haie. A 2:5 loss on Tuesday was followed by a 5:4 SO home win on Friday.
  • In the first meeting of the Qualification Round Linz celebrated a shutout. In the fifth meeting with the Slovaks it was the first win for the Upper Austrians, who are currently in excellent form. They have won seven out of their last nine games.
  • With Brian Lebler (28 goals) and Dragan Umicevic (41 assists), the Black Wings have the current league top scorer and the top provider in their ranks. With a total of 53 points, Swede Umicevic is also the second best scorer in the league.