The German national ice hockey team qualified early for the World Cup quarterfinals. With another success against Switzerland even the table lead is possible. For this, the DEB selection needs a high win. The game from 11.20 a.m. in the live ticker.
1-0 Ambühl (2nd), 1-1 Wissmann (12th), 2-1 Loibl (16th), 2-2 Suter (22nd), 2-3 Malgin (39th)
Germany – Switzerland
05/24/2022 | 11:20 a.m
Initial situation: Both teams are already qualified for the quarter-finals. Switzerland goes into the game as favorites with six wins from six games. One point is enough for the Confederates to win their group, for which Germany would have to win in regular time. The selection of the German Ice Hockey Federation only needs one point to secure second place. That would also mean avoiding the supposedly stronger opponents in the quarter-finals and not having to travel to Tampere yet.
Opponents: Switzerland, who is sixth in the world rankings, has been marching through the tournament confidently so far and also won against record world champions Canada 6:3. “It’s the strongest Swiss team in years,” said Detroit Red Wings defender Moritz Seider about the opponent, who started with seven NHL players.
Statistics: German teams have won 15 and lost only nine of the 27 World Cup games so far. Three games ended in a draw when they had not yet been decided. Germany has also often triumphed in important games at major tournaments, for example at the 2018 Olympics on the way to the silver medal and at the 2021 World Cup on the way to the semifinals.
Perspective: The quarter-finals will take place on Thursday. The outcome of the game against Switzerland will determine who the German team will play against and whether they will play again in Helsinki or have to travel to Tampere. Olympic champions Finland, Sweden, the USA, the Czech Republic and Latvia could become opponents in the quarterfinals.
National coach Toni Söderholm says: “Switzerland is definitely one of the strongest teams in the tournament so far. They are top-class and have developed their style of play. There is a lot of joy in playing.”
