Berlin wants to teach the Kölner Haie another lesson!
Such a situation is a real rarity: Eisbären Berlin are not only the clear favorites against Kölner Haie in the DEL Playoffs Final, but the gap between the two teams is wider than it has been for a long time. What’s more, the capital city team is on the verge of another championship and chasing unprecedented records. Will the defending champions get into a frenzy again at their home Uber Arena after their last two crushing 7-0 victories?
While the Berlin fans have certainly already put plenty of champagne on ice for the upcoming championship celebrations, the team from Cologne will take to the ice at 7:30 p.m. on Friday in a very tricky situation. The Cologne underdogs managed to win the second game of the best-of-seven series.
Nevertheless, the Eisbären’s triumphs in the other three games highlighted the noticeable difference in class between the two teams.
Eisbären Berlin – Statistics & current form
Dominant, more dominant, Eisbären Berlin: The 1-2 overtime defeat in the second game is little more than a footnote considering the other three games. After their 5-1 opening victory, the capital city team actually managed to win the last two games even more convincingly with two 7-0 triumphs.
At the team level, the capital city club has achieved something remarkable: the two 7-0 victories are among the highest final wins in the entire history of the DEL. There was also plenty to celebrate on an individual level. Berlin goalie Jake Hildebrand set a new record in the German Ice Hockey League with three shutouts in the current playoffs. The 31-year-old is also the first goalkeeper to keep a clean sheet in two playoff matches in a row.
Forward Ty Ronning also seems to be unstoppable until the end of the season. The playoff top scorer (24 points) has now scored at least one point in 27 consecutive games. As if that weren’t enough, the Eisbären also have the postseason’s best assist provider in their ranks in Frederik Tiffels (15 assists).
Accordingly, it should come as no surprise that betting provider Betano, which incidentally offers sports betting with Klarna, is not very confident about Cologne’s chances of success in its Eisbären Berlin vs. Kölner Haie odds. High odds of 5.50 on the three-way market imply a probability of only 18 percent that the visiting team will win within regular time!
Berlin has no problems compensating for the absence of captain Wissmann
To ensure that the cliché jar doesn’t remain empty today, it should be noted at this point that the experienced record champions are not allowing themselves to be carried away by premature confidence, because: “We know that the last victory is always the hardest,” states successful coach Serge Aubin promisingly. “Anything can happen in the playoffs,” adds forward Gabriel Fontaine, completing the cliché bingo.
Despite the clarity of the situation, it should be obvious that both players are right in the DEL final. In fact, the previously clear-cut best-of-seven series has not only been a source of joy for the defending Berlin champions. In game two, captain Kai Wissmann injured his wrist and will miss the rest of the playoffs as well as the upcoming Ice Hockey World Championship.
Judging by the two 7-0 victories that followed, however, captain replacement Jonas Müller seems to be doing an excellent job. In fact, the Eisbären have been showing their best side in the playoffs so far. In addition to having by far the best shooting efficiency in the league at 15.47 percent (Cologne: 8.31 percent), the record champions have only suffered two defeats in total. In the semifinals against Mannheim, the capital city club remained completely unscathed.
Despite the absence of Kai Wissmann, one thing is certain: the omens for Eisbären Berlin against the Kölner Haie could hardly be better, confirming the prediction that Aubin’s team will once again be crowned champions on Friday evening.
Kölner Haie – Statistics & current form
Analogous to the admiration that many fans have for the dominant performance of the Eisbären Berlin, some angry spectators are wondering what the Kölner Haie are actually doing in the DEL final. However, such a harsh judgment would be not only premature but also unfair in view of the vehement improvement compared to the regular season.
After all, the Sharks have not only knocked the Bremerhaven runners-up out of the current playoffs, but also the regular season winners from Ingolstadt. In light of this, the underestimated team from Cologne is still a side that can spring a surprise at any time. The problem is that, as encouraging as Cologne’s playoff fairy tale has been so far, the Sharks can’t do much with those performances in the current final.
Are the Cologne Sharks heading for another humiliation in Berlin?
Anyone who concedes a whopping 14 goals in the last two games and fails to find the back of the net even once needs solutions urgently. The bookies think it’s unlikely that the visitors will find those solutions in time to confirm the betting odds for a surprise victory for the cathedral city team in the match between the Eisbären Berlin and the Kölner Haie.
Betting provider Bet365, considered one of the hottest candidates for the best sports betting app, gives the home team a two-way odds of 1.27, meaning they have a nearly 79 percent chance of winning the championship title in overtime at the latest! Contrary to what the sobering 0-14 goal record from the last two games might suggest, however, the Sharks’ weak point is not in Cologne’s goal.
On the contrary, the fact that goalie Julius Hudacek still has a save percentage of 91.89% in the current DEL playoffs speaks volumes about the quality of the 36-year-old Slovakian, who always delights the stadium crowd after games with his infamous “Huda shows.” Much to the dismay of Cologne fans, however, rumors are currently circulating about the goalkeeper’s future, with the possibility that he could be between the posts for another team next season.
Eisbären Berlin – Kölner Haie Head-to-head comparison / H2H record
A look at the results of the main round reveals that the balance of power this season has been even, at least in terms of results. Both Berlin and Cologne have recorded two wins each. However, after the Sharks lost the last two final games by a landslide, the overall win-loss record between the two teams stands at 87:64 in favor of the capital city team.
In the current best-of-seven series, the reigning champions lead 3:1. For the bookmakers, however, the DEL final is as good as over, because ahead of the fifth match between Eisbären Berlin and Kölner Haie, the odds suggest that the visitors’ chances of keeping their title hopes alive are anything but good.
Eisbären Berlin – Kölner Haie Tip
Even though the last two games have set a clear course, different scenarios are conceivable for the match point game in the DEL final. Basically, the most realistic game scenarios can be broken down to whether Cologne manages to take the lead against Berlin.
If the Sharks manage to score the first goal, head coach Kari Jalonen’s team will once again focus on consistent defense and close up all the gaps. This would open the door to a low-scoring encounter.
However, the Sharks have repeatedly shown in the final that they have great difficulty finding solutions against an Eisbären lead. If Berlin scores the first goal again and doesn’t switch into management mode, we could once again see a high-scoring contest – especially since Cologne will definitely have to throw everything into the mix if they fall behind in the final stages.
This is exactly what my tip for the upcoming clash between Eisbären Berlin and Kölner Haie is based on. Since bookmakers tend to expect fewer goals in playoff games, Bwin has interesting odds of 1.95 for bets on over 5.5 goals. Because corresponding betting tips in the DEL playoff final can yield almost double the stake if successful, registering with Bwin is definitely recommended.
