Will the Lions repeat their last success against Wolfsburg?
A duel between two crisis-ridden opponents awaits us on Wednesday. Neither side was able to end last year with a winning record and both teams are currently struggling with a negative streak. At first glance, it therefore makes sense that the bookmakers’ odds hardly see the Löwen Frankfurt at a disadvantage against the Grizzlys Wolfsburg. The Hessians have home advantage on their side and are determined to end their long slump against the Orange and Blacks.
On closer inspection, however, the odds on an away win are more surprising. Unlike Frankfurt, Wolfsburg have recently only lost against top-class teams. At the end of the year, the Grizzlies not only gave their fans a point despite ultimately losing, but also an entertaining festival of goals. Will the start to the new year be just as spectacular?
At least the signs are pointing towards crisis management. However, in the following preview, we discuss whether crisis equals crisis. The opening face-off is scheduled for 19:30 at the Eissporthalle Frankfurt. Will the Hessians and the Lower Saxons deliver a hard-fought duel at eye level or will the Löwen Frankfurt have to accept another clear defeat against the Grizzlys Wolfsburg, contrary to the bookmakers’ predictions?
Löwen Frankfurt – Statistics & current form
The champions of Hesse’s ice hockey heart ended last year with good intentions and bad results. Since December began with an understandable defeat against record champions Eisbären Berlin, the Lions have been dogged by an unparalleled run of bad luck. Since then, only one win has been achieved in the eleven games heralded by the aforementioned defeat in Berlin – and that was against the currently twelfth-placed Düsseldorfer EG.
A look at Frankfurt’s last seven matches shows that their biggest success was a single point from a defeat after overtime against Adler Mannheim. Apart from that, last season’s promoted teams have failed to score in any of their games. Although the hosts of the upcoming encounter are currently more than weak, the Hessians are far from being classified as clear underdogs.
Odds of 2.65 are available for three-way bets on a Löwen Frankfurt home win against the Grizzlys Wolfsburg at the Bwin sportsbook. The assessment of the well-known betting provider implies a probability of 37.7 percent that Wolfsburg will be defeated without being able to redeem themselves in overtime or in the penalty shootout.
Frankfurt failed to pick up any points against the relegated DEL bottom team
Shortly before the festivities of the transition into the new year, the Lions had the perfect opportunity to send the fans towards 2024 with a win after a long dry spell. The team from Frankfurt were guests at bottom-placed Iserlohn. However, any hopes of a conciliatory end to the year were quickly nipped in the bud.
Head coach Matti Tiilikainen’s charges not only failed to secure a win against the Roosters. In addition to the sobering defeat, the Lions did not manage to put the puck in the opposing box once. Iserlohn goalie Jenike thus celebrated his second shutout of the season against the crisis-ridden Hessians.
Outnumbered, Frankfurt put on a brave display and did not let anything get in the way of the Roosters’ six power plays. However, this did not prevent the hosts from taking a 2:0 lead in the first period and finishing the game with a devastating 4:0. Despite their first triumph after seven games without a win, the relegation-threatened Iserlohners are still eleven points off the penultimate place in the table, but were at least able to celebrate New Year’s Eve with a sense of achievement
The Lions are in worse form than their entire league rivals
New year, new luck? Hopefully, because Frankfurt is the team with the weakest form in the DEL. The Lions are at the bottom of the league in terms of form, both in terms of the last five games and the last ten or even 15 matches. Nevertheless, the Grizzlys Wolfsburg are not clear favorites to win against the Löwen Frankfurt. A three-point win for the visitors is valued at interesting odds of up to 2.25.
Is Frankfurt’s home advantage enough to justify such high odds for the Lions? The form table for home games answers this question in the negative. An analysis of the last five or even ten games at the Eissporthalle Frankfurt puts the Lions in last place compared to their DEL rivals. If you extend the analysis to the whole season, the Hessian ice hockey club is still eleventh in the home table. Ideally, the Lions do not want to disappoint their fans again in front of a home crowd at the start of the year
Grizzlys Wolfsburg – statistics & current form
At first glance, the upcoming game against Löwen Frankfurt is also not under a good star for the Grizzlys Wolfsburg in terms of predicting the winner. Like their Hessian opponents, Wolfsburg are currently struggling with a dry spell. The Grizzlys have recently failed to win in four matches in a row.
Another thing they have in common with the stumbling Frankfurters is that the Orange & Blacks have also been unable to send their fans into the new year with a sense of achievement. In terms of their recent record, however, the similarities with Wolfsburg are gradually coming to an end
Wolfsburg only just failed to beat the league leaders
Unlike the Lions, who gave the keeper from the bottom of the table a shutout, the Grizzlies put up a top-class fight at the end of the year. Shortly before New Year’s Eve, Wolfsburg had to face the in-form Fischtown Pinguins Bremerhaven, who were waiting for the Orange and Blacks at home with seven wins in a row behind them. After the Grizzlies took an initial 0:1 lead and then equalized at 1:1, Wolfsburg managed to build up an impressive 1:4 advantage.
However, the mentally strong Penguins refused to be discouraged in the third northern derby of the season. At the end of the final period, the score was 5:5 in a high-scoring exchange, but Bremerhaven forward Conrad scored the 6:5 winner after just 61 seconds of the resulting overtime. Nonetheless, the Grizzlies snatched a point from the league leaders. Other beneficiaries were the Eisbären Berlin, who picked up three points in the game against Ingolstadt shortly afterwards and snatched top spot from the Fischtown Pinguins in the long-distance duel
Grizzlies are dangerous away from home
Wolfsburg’s fourth defeat in a row has left them looking weak in terms of form. Four defeats from the last five meetings look anything but strong. In order to get a more meaningful picture, however, the opponents Wolfsburg have faced in the defeats must also be considered. Before the Grizzlies lost to the Penguins, who are accustomed to success, the Orange and Blacks were defeated by the three biggest favorites for the championship this season. In view of this, Wolfsburg have had an annoying but understandable run of defeats.
The fact that the visitors to the upcoming match are in fourth place in the away form table for the last five games away from home provides additional encouragement. Despite the more devastating slump of their Hessian opponents, the odds on the two-way market between Löwen Frankfurt and Grizzlys Wolfsburg are relatively close. A successful bet that the hosts will prevail after overtime or a shootout at the latest will double the stake. Meanwhile, odds of 1.80 are available for such tips on Wolfsburg.
Löwen Frankfurt – Grizzlys Wolfsburg head-to-head comparison / H2H result
The reasons for the bookmakers’ assessment that the Löwen Frankfurt’s chances of winning against the Grizzlys Wolfsburg are similarly high according to the odds lie in the past. So far, the two teams, which have been hit by negative series, have only met 22 times on the ice. Compared to the Grizzlies’ seven victories, the Lions have a clear lead with 15 wins. A scoring record of 80:62 also attests to the Hessen team’s higher goal threat.
What’s more, Frankfurt emerged victorious from their last encounter with Wolfsburg. In the last five meetings, the Lions and Grizzlies have alternated wins. Now it’s Wolfsburg’s turn again – will the Lower Saxons manage an away win?
Löwen Frankfurt – Grizzlys Wolfsburg betting tip
In the upcoming duel, the tenth and sixth teams in the DEL table will face each other. Although there are still many games to play, with the playoffs in mind, both teams feel a certain pressure to pick up points on Wednesday. With Augsburg breathing down their necks, the Lions do not want to lose the opportunity to qualify for the playoffs. Wolfsburg, on the other hand, are one point behind the Schwenningen Wild Wings, who also want to secure a guaranteed place in the quarter-finals.
The Hessian home side certainly has its strengths. In power plays, Frankfurt is the third most dangerous team in the DEL with a goal rate of 21.6 percent. Defensively, however, the weak Lions concede too much. We don’t think the hosts are without a chance, but we see value in the betting tip for an away win in the regular course of the match between Löwen Frankfurt and Grizzlys Wolfsburg. In the event of success, more than double the stake beckons. We bet three units and refer to top odds of 2.25 at Interwetten.
