Pure excitement between Cologne and Bremerhaven?
The top game of the DEL on Tuesday is a rarity in terms of the starting position. The Kölner Haie and Fischtown Pinguins Bremerhaven are right on par according to the predictions of some of the best bookmakers. In some cases, bookmakers are offering identical odds for betting on the winner on both sides and are not willing to predict who is more likely to come off the ice as the winner. As a neutral spectator, we can only hope that the bookies are right and that the seventh-placed and second-placed teams in the DEL table deliver a game that will remain exciting right to the end.
There has been no shortage of excitement in Cologne’s last few games. The Sharks are on a three-game losing streak. However, the hosts of the upcoming showdown against Bremerhaven did not concede defeat in any of these three games in regulation time. In each case, the winner was only decided after overtime or a shootout
Regardless of whether the winner is decided after regulation time, the Sharks and Penguins have shown one tendency in particular so far this season: scoring lots of goals in the final period. Accordingly, there is a good chance that Cologne and Bremerhaven will really heat up the fans in the Lanxess Arena in the final phase of the top game. The opening face-off of the eagerly awaited game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday
Kölner Haie – Statistics & current form
Aside from the similar betting odds, the Kölner Haie and Fischtown Pinguins Bremerhaven have another thing in common when it comes to their recent performances. Both recently suffered an annoying defeat against defending champions Munich. However, while the Northern Lights were primarily frustrated by unnecessary penalties in the first period against the Red Bulls, Cologne’s overtime loss to the reigning champions was a source of excitement for the team and fans alike. After the Sharks had first equalized a 1:0 deficit and then again the opponent’s 2:1 lead, there was still no winner at the end of regulation time.
Cologne managed to get the puck into the Munich net just 16 seconds after the start of overtime. The problem: the manner in which it was done did not comply with the rules of the International Ice Hockey Federation IIHF. During Cologne’s attack, the puck stopped behind goalie Mathias Niederberger due to a deflection attempt, but still in front of the goal line.
Sharks defenseman Nicholas Bailen went for it, but only hit the goalie’s leg protector with his stick. As a result, Niederberger and the puck slid into the net. As rule 69.7 states that a goal is not allowed if the goalkeeper is pushed into the goal together with the puck after his defensive action, the supposed winning goal did not count. Instead, less than two minutes later, striker Oswald put the lid on the game for the Red Bulls, which caused quite a stir on social media afterwards
Kölner Haie are most dangerous in the final third
The frustrating defeat against the Red Bulls in Munich in overtime deprived the Sharks of an important point in their fight to reach the top six of the table before the end of the main round and avoid having to qualify for the playoffs. It should be a welcome change for Cologne to play at home for the first time in more than two weeks in the upcoming game against Bremerhaven.
Because this year’s European Handball Championship took over the Lanxess Arena, the Sharks have been on the road a lot recently, but are now returning to their home ground. Whether this is an advantage remains to be seen. A look at the entire season so far shows that Cologne are slightly stronger away from home than at home. However, this does not apply to the recent past: four defeats in the last five away matches contrast with three wins and ten points from the last five encounters at the Lanxess Arena.
It is also interesting to note that Cologne are by far the most prolific scorers in the third period compared to their DEL rivals. The Sharks have only scored a whopping 60 goals in the final period so far this season. Taking an early lead against the home side in the upcoming game could therefore be fatal. However, one of Cologne’s Achilles’ heels at the moment is their opponents’ power plays.
With already 455 penalty minutes and thus an average penalty duration of 11.1 minutes per game, the Sharks are in last place in the fair play table. The last match against Munich was the only one of the eight games this year in which Cologne did not concede a shorthanded goal. For the duel Kölner Haie vs. Fischtown Pinguins Bremerhaven odds for under 5.5 goals in regular time reach a peak of 1.75.
Fischtown Pinguins Bremerhaven – Statistics & current form
If the Penguins live up to their performances so far this season, fans can look forward to a match that will be really exciting at the end. In the goal count statistics for the final period, the Cologne Sharks are clearly the lone leaders with 60 goals. However, the Eisbären Berlin with 50 goals in the final periods of their games are immediately followed by the Nordlichter, who are in third place in this respect together with the Schwenninger Wild Wings with 49 goals.
It is unfavorable for the Cologne hosts that the Sharks have a thankless guest in front of them in their eagerly awaited first home game in over two weeks. Bremerhaven is the second-best away team in the German Ice Hockey League this season. 13 triumphs and 39 points from 21 duels away from home place the northerners only behind record champions Berlin in the DEL away table.
Nevertheless, some bookmakers rate the chances of victory for the Kölner Haie and Fischtown Pinguins Bremerhaven exactly the same with identical odds on both sides
Bremerhaven is sure to at least make the pre-playoffs
As already mentioned, the Fischtown Pinguins also had to nibble at an annoying defeat against the defending DEL champions recently. Right in the first period, the Northern Lights conceded a goal while shorthanded. As a result, Bremerhaven’s 1:1 equalizer was disallowed. As if that wasn’t frustrating enough for the fans from the north, Friesen was handed a major penalty for a board check. The result: five penalty minutes and two more powerplay goals from the Red Bulls before the end of the first period.
The 3:0 deficit with which the Northern Lights ended the first period proved to be too great against the strong playing reigning champions. Wejse and Uher added another for the Penguins, but in the end the Red Bulls deserved to take three points with a final score of 4:2. Thanks to the 5-2 home win in the latest match, the northerners are now level on points again with the record champions Berlin, who are top of the table – although the Eisbären have already played one more game than Bremerhaven. More importantly, however, the Penguins’ success against Nuremberg with eleven games to go in the main round means they are now in with a chance of making the pre-playoffs. The next goal now is to avoid the playoffs by finishing in the top six and going straight into the playoffs. On the negative side, however, regular forward Christian Wejse was injured after the match against the Ice Tigers and will be out for the time being
Fischtown Pinguins rely on high game control
The negative streak of three consecutive defeats of the upcoming opponent Cologne does not adequately reflect the level of play of the hosts. It is quite understandable that the Cologne Sharks are rated at eye level for a bet on the winner against the Fischtown Pinguins Bremerhaven, even though the Sharks are currently only seventh in the table. Nevertheless, it would be presumptuous to ignore the advantages of the Northern Lights against the Sharks.
Cologne’s vulnerability when short-handed could cost the home side dearly against Bremerhaven. The Penguins are the most dangerous team in the league when outnumbered. A strong 24.49 percent of Bremerhaven’s power plays have resulted in goals so far this season. Another best value of the Nordlichter in the DEL comparison is the so-called Corsi number, which indicates the ratio between shot attempts for and against a team. Shot attempts in overtime or short-handed are not taken into account here, however. The Corsi figure is often used as an indicator of a team’s control of the game. With 57.62 percent, the Penguins are also at the top of the German Ice Hockey League here – ahead of the success-accustomed Eisbären Berlin with 54.59 percent.
Kölner Haie – Fischtown Pinguins Bremerhaven Direct comparison / H2H result
By 17:16 wins in favor of the Cologne Sharks against the Fischtown Pinguins Bremerhaven. Although Cologne is currently slightly ahead, the Penguins have scored three more goals than the Sharks so far with 94.
Unlike the overall H2H record, the most recent direct comparison speaks a different language. The last match against Bremerhaven was won by Cologne. Before that, however, the Northern Lights managed to beat the Sharks five times in a row
Kölner Haie – Fischtown Pinguins Bremerhaven betting tip
When the Kölner Haie and Fischtown Pinguins Bremerhaven meet on Tuesday, a bet on the winner of both teams will be rewarded identically by some bookmakers. Nevertheless, the two teams’ starting positions in the table give rise to different expectations. Bremerhaven are already certain of at least qualifying for the play-offs and want to avoid them by finishing the season in the top six of the DEL. The Cologne hosts share this goal. However, for the Sharks it’s all about finding a way into direct play-off contention four points ahead of sixth place
After three away matches in a row, the Cologne Sharks are keen to deliver a strong home performance against the visiting team from the north coast in front of over 16,000 fans at the Lanxess Arena. Such a prestigious duel between two offensively strong DEL rivals gives hope for excitement right up to the last minute. Since both teams are statistically predestined to score goals in the final third, our choice is over 2.5 goals in the third period. The triple stake in the event of success provides an appropriate balance between risk and probability
