Will Bremerhaven be able to withstand the maximum pressure in Cologne?
A lot of frustration, bad luck, and mishaps: the quarter-final against the Cologne Sharks didn’t have much more in store for the Pinguins Bremerhaven; however, a bet on an away win is currently still considered a bet on the favorite – at least with most bookmakers.
The home side now have the first of up to four opportunities to win the quarter-final tie in the DEL playoffs when they take to the ice at the Lanxess Arena on Monday at 7:30pm.
Although the bookies largely agree that the shaken Fischtown Pinguins are favorites to take the ice, Bet365 sees the situation as completely even. In the two-way market, the experienced betting provider without tax attests the two teams identical victory odds of 1.87 each. After the two goal festivals, the bookmaker is also expecting a low-scoring game with quotes of just 1.67 for bets on less than 5.5 hits.
In the heated quarter-final series, which the team from Cologne has comfortably led 3-0, betting on an above-average number of goals involves certain risks, but also offers attractive potential. Although one game already exceeded the 5.5-goal mark and the other two matches only just missed it with five goals, a successful prediction on the Cologne Sharks vs. Pinguins Bremerhaven encounter will earn you at least six goals for more than double the stake.
Kölner Haie – Statistics & current form
The Sharks have truly picked a great time to be in top form. Not only did Cologne win their last four regular season games, but they have now also won all three of their quarterfinal playoff matches so far. Since the team of head coach Kari Jalonen ended the regular season with a duel against the Fischtown Pinguins, the team from Cologne has now won four straight games against Bremerhaven. You can’t get more of a tailwind than that!
Nevertheless, despite home advantage and an optimal form curve, Jalonen’s team enters the ice as slight underdogs. Merkur Bets is offering odds of 2.76 for bets on a regular victory by the Cologne Sharks against the Bremerhaven Pinguins. Thus, the tax-free betting provider implies a probability of around 36.2 percent that the home side will prevail without having to work overtime in extra time.
Has Cologne seen through the Fischtown Pinguins?
Despite all of Cologne’s enthusiasm for their dominant winning streak, it should not be neglected that the frustrated northerners almost managed to equalize in the most recent game. The duel only ended with a final score of 2:3 in overtime after a curious lucky goal from Münzenberger. Nevertheless, the Cologne team started the last duel like a fire brigade and took the 0:1 lead after less than two minutes of play.
Above all, Cologne showed once again that it is currently repeatedly managing to punish the numerous oversights of the Fischtown Pinguins. Bremerhaven is unsettled – and Cologne knows how to exploit this. Jalonen’s players make up for their poor tackling record in the playoffs so far (success rate: 43.8 percent) with a clinical shooting efficiency of 13.79 percent (Bremerhaven: 7.02 percent).
In addition, the Sharks spend little time in the penalty box, with an average of eight minutes per game. The northerners’ power play unit, which is already clearly faltering and only converted one of nine power-play opportunities into a goal in the quarter-finals, is therefore rarely given the opportunity to improve. In addition, the Cologne Sharks converted two-thirds of their own power play situations into goals against the Pinguins Bremerhaven, despite the odds signaling a disadvantage at home.
Pinguins Bremerhaven – statistics & current form
Admittedly: the last home defeat of the northerners against the Haie came about extremely unfortunately in overtime. The scorer of the winning goal, Münzenberger, only got his chance to score because his teammate’s initial shot rebounded and happened to land exactly at his feet. Nevertheless, it must be stated that Bremerhaven once again only has itself to blame for the unlucky defeat.
After the fans of the runners-up had already criticized the lack of playoff hockey on the part of the Pinguins in the first two quarter-final games, the problem was obviously not yet resolved in game three. Although the Cologne Sharks were considered outsiders against the Pinguins Bremerhaven according to the bookmakers’ predictions, the northerners made numerous careless mistakes and quickly paid the price.
The result: once again, Bremerhaven was trailing 0-2, although it hadn’t done anything wrong. The once perfectly coordinated Fischtown Pinguins had now become a poorly oiled ice hockey machine. Even if this phrase is not something anyone in the north likes to hear at the moment, Bremerhaven has one main opponent: itself.
Bremerhaven makes too many unforced mistakes against Cologne
The place at the abyss is probably anything but comfortable for the runner-up. Nevertheless, the situation is not hopeless for the favorites, who are 3-0 down in the quarter-finals on Monday. After all, the Penguins did manage to play the much-cited playoff hockey for about 20 minutes in their last game, to equalize at 2-2 and take it into overtime. But it didn’t do the Sulzer team any good.
At least the fact that the northerners are clearly superior to the sharks with a duel rate of 56.2 percent is something to build on. However, if the game plan doesn’t work better and the chances created aren’t used more effectively, Bremerhaven won’t get very far.
To make matters worse, defender Rayan Bettahar will probably be missing from the shark tank for what could be the last quarter-final game. The 21-year-old was caught checking the head in the most recent game and was suspended for one game. However, this absence has not significantly shaken the Cologne Sharks vs. Pinguins Bremerhaven odds.
Cologne Sharks – Pinguins Bremerhaven direct comparison / H2H record
Even though the runners-up from the north are now considered to be the stronger team in terms of play, Cologne leads the overall record with 23 wins to 18. The Haie have worked hard for this lead recently, as they have won the last four games against the Pinguins.
In the hot-blooded playoff series, the Haie are already leading 0-3. Nevertheless, the numerous betting providers that offer sports betting with Paysafecard deposits largely assume that the northerners have a better chance of winning. Will the currently vulnerable Fischtown Pinguins hold out in the quarter-finals or will the third-placed team in the main round have a day off unexpectedly early?
Kölner Haie – Pinguins Bremerhaven Tipp
On Monday, the Fischtown Pinguins find themselves in a maximally unpleasant situation. In the pompous Lanxess Arena, of all places, they now have to avert their fourth playoff defeat in a row and fend off their first match point game. The once so confidently acting vice-champion showed unusual insecurity already at the beginning of the quarter-final. Will self-confidence return at the right moment?
In general, Bremerhaven is known for its defensive style of play – especially in the current season. Depending on how the next game develops, however, there could still be a game in which an above-average number of goals are scored overall if the Pinguins fall behind again and are forced to take more risks.
In addition, boiling emotions could repeatedly become a factor that leads to more goals than expected between these two teams, which are both strong in offense. As a result, I consider the increased odds for the Monday match between the Kölner Haie and the Pinguins Bremerhaven in the DEL playoffs to be an interesting proposition for placing a bet on over 5.5 goals.