Cologne wants to continue its ice hockey fairy tale in Berlin!
From an economic perspective, the best-case scenario has come to pass in the DEL Playoffs final. It is a surprise that Berlin will face Cologne in the battle for the title. Ultimately, however, the two teams with the two largest ice hockey arenas in Germany will face each other.
So it’s sure to be a spectacular show! The finalists also have a lot to offer in terms of sport. However, the favorites in the duel between the Eisbären Berlin and the Kölner Haie are clear.
Despite Cologne’s mammoth achievement in reaching the playoff final as sixth in the main round, no one should be surprised by the bookmakers’ clear prediction. The bookies predict that Eisbären Berlin and Kölner Haie will take to the ice in game one with the capital city team having a clear advantage as hosts.
Merkur Bets is the least confident that the unexpected finalists from Cologne can pull off an upset. Betting odds of 4.30 give the Sharks only a 23.6 percent chance of winning in regulation time.
When the long-awaited DEL playoff final kicks off at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday at the Uber Arena, neutral ice hockey fans will naturally hope that it doesn’t turn out to be as clear-cut as the bookmakers predict. In any case, a tentative start is realistic, as the Sharks will probably rely more on their defensive qualities, as they did against Ingolstadt.
Eisbären Berlin – Statistics & current form
While the Kölner Haie are writing their own little fairy tale, it’s almost business as usual for the Eisbären Berlin. Although the reigning champions “only” finished second in the main round, most German ice hockey fans are likely to have already planned for coach Serge Aubin’s team to reach the final.
The bookmakers also seem to be planning for a victory for the capital city team in the final opener. According to odds of 1.35 on the two-way market at NEO.bet sports betting, Eisbären Berlin are likely to beat the Kölner Haie. More specifically, those odds imply a probability of 74.1 percent that the home team will emerge victorious from the ice in a potential overtime period at the latest.
What approach will the Eisbären take against the Haie’s defense?
Given the Eisbären’s playoff performances, it’s not surprising that the bookies are so confident of a home win for the Berliners. With the exception of the third game against Straubing in the quarterfinals, the capital city club, which is accustomed to success, has won every playoff game so far. Even the supposed ice hockey giant from Mannheim didn’t stand a chance in the DEL classic against Berlin and had to bow out of the semifinals with a 4-0 series defeat.
The coach’s track record also speaks for the defending champions: since Serge Aubin took over as coach in Berlin in 2019, the 50-year-old has contested eleven playoff series with the capital city club – and lost none of them! Exceptional talent Ty Ronning is also currently enjoying an impressive run. Most recently, the lively forward scored at least one point in his 23rd consecutive game. In fact, Ronning was involved in four of Berlin’s six goals in their most recent match against Mannheim. The 27-year-old broke the previous record held by Peter Draisaitl in his 22nd consecutive game. How far will Ronning take the record?
Against the Haie, the decisive question will be whether the experienced record champions can find enough answers to Cologne’s defensive bulwark. The regular season winners from Ingolstadt unexpectedly failed to do so. In addition to its explosive offense, Berlin also benefits from an exceptionally high level of game intelligence, which allows it to seamlessly switch to an equally robust defense. Do the visitors still have another surprise up their sleeve, or will Eisbären Berlin confirm the betting odds against the Kölner Haie?
Kölner Haie – Statistics & current form
Who would have thought it? Of all teams, the one with the worst regular season record among those with a direct ticket to the playoff quarterfinals has made it to the final against the defending champions! Malicious tongues claim that Cologne did not deserve to advance from the semifinals and that Ingolstadt deserved to be eliminated. Even more cynical observers claim that ERC Ingolstadt’s arrogance proved its downfall after its convincing victory in the main round.
One thing is certain: if the Haie do indeed win the championship title in their first final appearance in eleven years, they will have achieved it via the most difficult playoff route possible. After Cologne knocked Bremerhaven, who finished third in the season, and league leaders Ingolstadt out of the championship race, the reigning champions and regular season runners-up Berlin now await them in the final. Can the team led by successful coach Kari Jalonen cause another sensation?
Can Cologne keep its cool against Berlin?
Looking at Cologne’s style of play (especially in the semifinals), one thing is clear: The Sharks have a clear goal and don’t waste any time thinking about making the game attractive. Instead of taking excessive risks on offense, the Cathedral City team prefers to rely on a rock-solid defense. Is it pretty to watch? No, but it’s super efficient. When it comes to shooting efficiency, which stands at an impressive 10.45 percent for the Sharks, only defending champions Berlin can keep up in the playoffs, and they even beat that number (15.25 percent).
A high degree of discipline is also required for the kind of cautious play that Cologne displays. This is exactly what the Cathedral City team currently has: no other team has spent less time on the penalty bench in the playoffs than the calculated Sharks.
Coach Jalonen’s team has only received 8.33 penalty minutes per playoff game. In their most recent game against Ingolstadt, which was decided in spectacular fashion by goal scorer Justin Schütz in overtime, Cologne did not receive its first and only penalty of the entire game until overtime. Will this discipline pay off for the Kölner Haie against the Eisbären Berlin despite the bookmakers’ odds, or is the underdog role insurmountable this time?
Eisbären Berlin – Kölner Haie Head-to-head comparison / H2H record
The fact that Berlin coach Serge Aubin has yet to lose a playoff series with the Eisbären is certainly not a good omen for the Haie. Nor is it cause for optimism that Berlin and Cologne have met five times in the playoffs so far, with the Haie winning only one of those series (quarterfinals in 2016).
The two teams have only met once in the final. Although Cologne suffered a crushing 4-0 defeat, twelve years have passed since then, so this misery has no sporting relevance for the upcoming best-of-seven series. Nevertheless, Eisbären Berlin lead Kölner Haie 84-63 in the head-to-head record, in line with the prediction by betting provider Vbet.
Eisbären Berlin – Kölner Haie Tip
At first glance, the most dangerous offense in the regular season faces a Cologne team that relies mainly on a rock-solid defense in the playoffs. Basically, it seems reasonable to assume that Berlin is skilled enough on offense to break through the wall of the Domstadt team. However, this assumption was bitterly punished in the semifinals against Ingolstadt.
Of course, the seasoned Berliners, who can count on Ronning and Pföderl, the two best scorers of the main round, should have something in their repertoire to counter the Haie’s uncompromising defense. Nevertheless, the Eisbären have repeatedly shown in the past that they like to combat robust defenses with their own exceptional defensive skills.
Accordingly, it is quite possible that the DEL playoff final will get off to an even more defensive start than expected. In light of this, it is certainly worth considering placing a bet on under 5.5 goals in the first game between the Eisbären Berlin and the Kölner Haie.