Can Bremerhaven create a sensation in Berlin?
Curtain up for the hottest showdown of the last matchday! Berlin and Bremerhaven have the opportunity to fight it out in a direct duel to win the main round. The biggest surprise of the season, the Penguins are two points clear at the top of the DEL table. On Friday, a single point would be enough for the Northern Lights to remain top of the table and start the playoffs in the best possible position
The Fischtown Penguins travel to Berlin in good spirits. The Red & Whites have won seven of their last eight encounters. Bremerhaven also enter the ice knowing that they have won two of their three meetings with Berlin so far this season. However, the only away game in the Mercedes-Benz Arena, of all places, was lost – but only narrowly after overtime. A similar result would give the Northern Lights the final place in the sun.
Eisbären Berlin – statistics & current form
After finishing eleventh in the table last season and missing out on the play-offs, Eisbären Berlin are back in familiar territory at the end of this main season. In second place, the record champions can no longer be denied a place in the play-offs or a direct place in the quarter-finals. Berlin is one of the few high-caliber teams that has not fallen short of expectations in the current season.
On the other hand, it was less expected that the final showdown for the lead in the table would take place against Bremerhaven of all teams at the end of the main round. Even more surprising was the fact that the team from the capital are two points behind in the chasing pack. However, this does not change the status of the Capitals as favorites. Ahead of the match between Eisbären Berlin and Fischtown Pinguins Bremerhaven, the odds in the various betting provider apps imply a probability of around 62.7 percent that the Eisbären will prevail after overtime or a shootout at the latest.
Berlin must not get carried away with too many penalty minutes
Two points won’t be enough for the record champions to clinch first place and thus first home game rights until a potential playoff final series. They would need a three-pointer against the hungry Northern Lights to secure their place at the top of the table. The fact that the eagerly awaited showdown is taking place in the Mercedes-Benz Arena should suit the capital club well. The Blue & Whites are in excellent form at home, with 13 out of a possible 15 points from their last five home games.
However, the nine-time champions’ rough style of play could prove to be their undoing in this fiercely contested showdown. With an average of 11.76 penalty minutes per duel, Berlin is bottom of the fair play table. This is a significant disadvantage against the Penguins, who convert their power plays into goals 25.88 per cent of the time and thus have by far the most efficient overtime game in the DEL. However, it is encouraging that the record champions manage to fend off opposing powerplays 86.41 percent of the time when short-handed. This figure puts them in a solid third place in the league.
Nevertheless, the bookmakers assume that a match with few goals is more likely than a festival of goals. Betting odds of over 2.00 are available for more than 5.5 goals between the Eisbären Berlin and Fischtown Pinguins Bremerhaven. Accordingly, betting provider Betano, among others, assumes a probability of less than 50 percent. If you would like to use corresponding quotes, you can convince yourself of the reliability of the provider in our experience with Betano.
Fischtown Pinguins Bremerhaven – Statistics & current form
As the well-deserved league leaders, the Penguins, together with the Eisbären, have recorded the most wins this season. The two teams competing for pole position have each won 35 games over 51 matchdays. Now the inconspicuous club from the north has the opportunity to challenge the record champions for the throne once and for all.
More importantly, however, Bremerhaven is on the verge of setting an internal club record. The Penguins have never reached the semi-finals in the playoffs. As potential main round winners with a direct ticket to the quarter-finals, the Northern Lights should have a good chance of reaching for the stars and advancing further in the race for the title for the first time before the departure of their successful coach Thomas Popiesch.
Apart from the right to play the first game at home until the possible final series, Bremerhaven would statistically put themselves in a promising starting position to even become surprise champions in the end. After all, it has been ten years since a team last won the title without winning the overall title in the main round. Against the Eisbären Berlin, however, the Fischtown Pinguins Bremerhaven are outsiders for a bet on the winner. If you still think the visitors can win, you can use odds of 3.15 on the three-way market and even combine them with the practical Bet-at-home voucher
Fischtown Penguins often score with high game control
Although showdowns like the battle to win the main round at the Mercedes-Benz Arena have a life of their own and are harder to judge based on past performances, the Fischtown Penguins’ away strength is worth mentioning. The Northern Lights have won 15 of 25 matches away from home, making them the second-best away team in the German Ice Hockey League. It is at least unlikely that Bremerhaven will be intimidated by the magnificent fan backdrop of the Mercedes-Benz Arena.
What’s more, the Red & Whites travel to Berlin with seven wins from their last eight encounters. Apart from having the best powerplay success rate in the league, Popiesch’s team regularly impresses with a high level of control and harmonious teamwork. With a Corsi value of 56.65 percent, Bremerhaven is at the top of the DEL in terms of the ratio of shots for and against the team this season.
In addition, the northerners outshine all of their rivals with the exception of Ingolstadt in terms of face-off win rate (54.21 percent). Will the visiting team manage to seize the momentum between Eisbären Berlin and Fischtown Pinguins Bremerhaven despite the contrasting odds?
Eisbären Berlin – Fischtown Pinguins Bremerhaven head-to-head comparison / H2H result
A look at the direct comparison is devastating for the visitors, at least in terms of the overall record. Against the Eisbären Berlin, the Fischtown Pinguins Bremerhaven backed up the predictions of the leading betting providers by winning just nine of their 31 encounters. The record champions won the remaining 22 games. The goal difference of 76:110 also indicates an advantage for the home side.
However, the tide has turned this season. Bremerhaven have won two out of three duels – including the most recent encounter, which the Penguins won convincingly 5:1. Head coach Popiesch’s team only lost the game in the Mercedes-Benz Arena. In December, the Red & Whites narrowly lost by a final score of 3-4 after extra time
Eisbären Berlin – Fischtown Pinguins Bremerhaven betting tip
German ice hockey fans could hardly have hoped for a more prestigious conclusion to the main round. The world looked different in the run-up to the current season, but Bremerhaven now have a good chance on paper of giving the favored Eisbären a leg up and claiming the top spot in the table for themselves.
The Penguins have assembled an outstanding team that not only impresses with a high degree of control, but also with a teamwork that works like clockwork. Coupled with their strength on the road and their red-hot power plays, the Northern Lights will be extremely difficult to play against. The Red & Whites have yet to drop a point against Berlin this season. However, this is exactly what would have to happen for the Polar Bears to regain the lead in the table at the end of the main round.
We place value in bets on the away win, but cover the possibility of a draw in regulation time. For the match between Eisbären Berlin and Fischtown Pinguins Bremerhaven, we place a bet on the draw-no-bet market and predict a triumph for the surprise team from the north. At odds of 2.25, we choose two units as the stake, which we will get back in the event of overtime
