Is league leader Berlin too big for Schwenningen?
When the league leaders and the sixth-placed team in the DEL meet, the best offenses in the league meet at the same time. However, according to the betting odds, the Eisbären Berlin are clearly stronger against the Schwenninger Wild Wings.
The Schwenningen team didn’t let the Ingolstadt team with the same number of points get them down at the start of the year. However, they now have an even tougher hurdle to overcome in Berlin. In the last guaranteed playoff spot, the visiting team also has the Grizzlys Wolfsburg, who are only two points away, breathing down its neck. They have the opportunity to overtake Schwenningen, at least temporarily, in their match against Frankfurt the evening before.
The bookies are predicting a one-sided game between the Eisbären Berlin and the Schwenninger Wild Wings. On paper, however, everything is set up for an entertaining game with plenty of goals. Although the visiting Wild Wings’ away performances are currently a huge construction site, both Berlin and Schwenningen are among this season’s elite in terms of goals scored. Can the fans in the Mercedes-Benz Arena look forward to a heated spectacle on Thursday at 7:30 pm?
Eisbären Berlin – Statistics & current form
The league leaders have made a successful start to the year. Berlin took the full three points against DEG and started 2024 with its sixth triumph in a row. However, the continuation of the wave of success at the turn of the year was not the only reason for the Berlin fans to celebrate. In front of 14,200 spectators in the sold-out Mercedes-Benz Arena, the banner ceremony in honor of former Eisbären player Rob Zepp was held as part of the game.
The memorable event was long enough for the match against Düsseldorf to start 15 minutes late. The back number 72 of the former Eisbären, who is the DEL’s record goalie with five championships, will no longer be assigned by Berlin with immediate effect. This means that the 42-year-old German-Canadian’s number will be the sixth banner alongside Felski, Ustorf, Beaufait, Pederson and Walker
Ice Bears are error-prone in places
The evening against Düsseldorf was also satisfactory in sporting terms – but strange in the eyes of the Berlin head coach. Although the Eisbären won the home game 4:2, the record champions looked a little rusty to Serge Aubin. Against a DEG that played well and with bite, the capital city team allowed themselves too many unnecessary mistakes which, despite the eventual victory, pointed to a number of weaknesses in their play. However, keeper Hildebrand, who had not been on the ice in the previous match against Ingolstadt, did his job well and was on hand at the most important times.
Düsseldorf attacker Ehl equalized Berlin’s initial 1:0 lead after nine minutes, but the record champions regained the lead in the first period with Cormier’s 2:1 goal. After a goalless second period, goals on both sides in the final period finally led to a deserved 4:2 victory for the nine-time German champions. Meanwhile, second-placed Bremerhaven failed to fulfill their task in the long-distance duel and fell to a 4:2 defeat against Nuremberg. This means that for the first time in a while there is a three-point cushion between the Eisbären and the Fischtown Pinguins
Berlin is in good form and the most dangerous DEL team in terms of goals
With the three points at the start of the year, the Eisbären consolidated their position at the top of the DEL form table. In terms of the last five, ten or even 15 games, Berlin is enthroned at the top. In recent weeks, the record champions have also managed to shed the home curse that the blue-and-whites have often been accused of this season. The capital city club has now climbed to sixth place in the home table, while the form table for the last five home games shows the Polar Bears in fourth place.
The current leaders of the German Ice Hockey League are also looking lively again in attack. In the last three games alone, Berlin has scored 13 times. With 125 goals so far this season, Aubin’s charges are by far the most prolific offense. It is therefore interesting to note that in the match between the Eisbären Berlin and the Schwenninger Wild Wings, betting on over 5.5 goals in the regular course of the game can almost double the stake in the event of success
Schwenninger Wild Wings – Statistics & current form
After the Schwenninger Wild Wings, unlike Berlin, had not given their fans a win at the end of the year, they faced a tough task straight after the New Year. At home in the Helios Arena, the team from Neckarstadt welcomed ERC Ingolstadt, who were level on points.
This meant that the Wild Wings were not only facing a powerful rival from the current season, but also a potentially frightening opponent. Although Schwenningen won the previous game against the Schanzers with a 6:3 home victory, the dark blue and whites had previously lost nine in a row to Ingolstadt. Schwenningen could therefore have had a more relaxed start to 2024 in the fiercely contested play-off places
Schwenningen invested a lot of energy in the last win
The Wild Wings didn’t let the gloomy mantle of the past scare them. Schwenningen started the game strongly and quickly. Their opponents, who were level on points, were equally convincing with their playful speed and also created dangerous scoring chances. Nevertheless, the momentum of the entertaining showdown quickly shifted in the Neckarstädter’s direction. By the end of the first period, Schwenningen’s powerful and energetic performance had already given them a 3:0 lead against Ingolstadt.
However, the Wild Wings were sluggish in the second period. This was exploited by Schanzer, who were now playing with more bite again, to score the final goal. A 3:2 penalty converted by Ingolstadt’s Rowe in the final period added extra spice to the encounter towards the end. The home side were now forced to invest more energy than expected in order not to give away what seemed to be a certain triumph. In the end, it was a 4:2 home win, but also a lot of wasted energy
Are the Wild Wings up to the ultimate challenge against Berlin?
Now it’s time to recharge their batteries for the ultimate challenge, as Schwenningen coach Steve Walker calls it. Ahead of the game between the Eisbären Berlin and the Schwenninger Wild Wings, odds of just 1.36 at the top for a two-way home win signal a clear favorite role for the Berliners. After the already difficult task against Ingolstadt, this implies a probability of victory of just 26.5 percent for the visiting team from Neckarstadt.
In terms of form, the Wild Wings are in a good position. Ten points from three wins in the last five matches puts the dark blue and whites in third place in the DEL form table. Away from home, however, there are vehement weaknesses. Schwenningen have only won one of their last five games away from home and are twelfth in the away table so far this season. Only the chronically relegation-threatened Iserlohn Roosters and the Nuremberg Ice Tigers have performed worse away from home. The Wild Wings, on the other hand, are top of the home table. Depending on the venue, there is a clear performance discrepancy. Together with the Fischtown Penguins, however, the team from the Neckar city has the second-best offense in the league
Eisbären Berlin – Schwenninger Wild Wings head-to-head comparison / H2H record
Ahead of the clash between the Eisbären Berlin and the Schwenninger Wild Wings, the odds paint a similar picture to the H2H record of the two rivals. The capital city club and the team from Neckar have faced each other 75 times so far. The Berliners have won 48 of them, while Schwenningen have won 25 and drawn two. With 249 goals, the Eisbären have hit the Schwenningen net more often than the Wild Wings, who have scored 207 times against Berlin.
This makes it all the more surprising that a look at the last five meetings between the two teams gives the visitors the advantage in the upcoming game. Although Berlin won the last match 5:3, Schwenningen emerged victorious three times in the four encounters before that
Ice Bears Berlin – Schwenninger Wild Wings betting tip
The record champions are currently enthroned at the top of the table and are riding a wave of success with eleven triumphs from the last twelve games. Although the Eisbären had to admit to some weaknesses against Düsseldorf, the occasional slip-ups are unlikely to have shaken the confidence of the capital city club, which is accustomed to success.
Schwenningen have been more unpredictable in recent weeks. December heralded a slump with six defeats from seven games. However, the Wild Wings have recently rehabilitated themselves and currently have three wins from their last four matches. Can the team from the Neckarstadt carry the momentum gained into the toughest possible task against the in-form DEL leaders?
No matter what the final result of this potentially fiercely contested game is, it’s not just the first and sixth teams in the table that will meet in Berlin. It is also a duel between the most dangerous offensive teams in the German Ice Hockey League. Both teams have made a successful start to the new year and both have scored an impressive 15 goals in Berlin and 16 in Schwenningen in the last four games. In this Eisbären Berlin vs Schwenninger Wild Wings prediction, we focus on the odds for over 5.5 goals in regulation time. The current top odds of 1.95 would lead to a doubling of the stake in case of success
