Ice Hockey World Championship
Chances and hopes of the DEB team after three World Cup games
DEB striker Nico Sturm (l) found critical words. photo
© Antti Aimo-Koivisto/Lehtikuva/dpa
The pressure on the German ice hockey team after the three World Cup opening defeats is enormous. There is still hope, also for Leon Draisaitl and Philipp Grubauer to take part in the World Cup at a later date.
After three unfortunate defeats at the start of the Ice Hockey World Championships in Finland and Latvia, Germany is under extreme pressure. There is already an all-or-nothing game against Denmark on Thursday (7.20 p.m./Sport1 and MagentaSport). There could be reinforcements from two world-class players from the NHL.
Does Germany still have a chance of reaching the quarter-finals?
Yes. Four preliminary round games are still to come. After the important duel with Denmark, the games against the weaker teams Austria (Friday), Hungary (Sunday) and France (Tuesday) follow. After the defeats against Sweden (0:1), Finland (3:4) and the USA (2:3), the selection of the German Ice Hockey Federation has to win all of them. “I still think it’s going to be very interesting for us,” said Detroit Red Wings NHL defenseman Moritz Seider. “You still can’t write us off.”
How is the mood in the German team?
Divided. According to national coach Harold Kreis, the team is “also very self-critical”. In particular, Stanley Cup winner Nico Sturm from the San Jose Sharks seemed frustrated after the games and spoke clearly about deficits. “I think the third thirds were always our weakest thirds. We somehow got away from our game plan,” the NHL striker complained. Most of the other players emphasized that they played at least on an equal footing against the top teams and commented positively. “The Finland game showed that we can keep up. Now we were clearly the better team. Anyone who tells me anything else should tell me first,” Seider said after the USA game.
How does the coach react?
For Kreis it is the first World Cup as head coach. The 64-year-old national player and DEL coach has a lot of experience and seems very relaxed. Kreis leaves much of the training and coaching to his younger assistants Alexander Sulzer and Pekka Kangasalusta. Kreis gave his team no training on Tuesday. “The two days without a game are definitely good now. We can not only recover physically, but also mentally,” said Kreis, who would also have to put up with critical questions in the event of elimination in the preliminary round. In Daniel Schmölz, Dominik Bokk and Maximilian Kammerer, Kreis voluntarily relinquished three of the top four German goalscorers of the past DEL season. And so far his team has been struggling with scoring goals.
Are striker Leon Draisaitl and goalkeeper Philipp Grubauer coming to Finland for the World Cup?
That is still unclear. After the NHL playoff elimination of Draisaitl’s Edmonton Oilers on Sunday and Grubauer’s Seattle Kraken on Monday, both are due for final talks. Draisaitl in particular, who is considered one of the top three strikers in the world, is frustrated. Getting to Tampere from Edmonton and Seattle is also anything but straightforward. Ideally, Draisaitl could land in Finland a few hours before the Denmark game. In both cases, an arrival at the earliest for the game against Austria on Friday is more likely. Theoretically, the chance of reaching the quarter-finals could already be gone.
What needs to be improved?
Despite a good compact overall performance, Germany acts too awkwardly in front of the goal. “We also play around too much on the outside in the power play,” said Sturm. Especially when there is a majority, there is not enough traffic in front of the goal to block the view of the opposing goalkeeper. “If I could criticize something, it would be that,” said captain Moritz Müller.
What is going well so far?
Germany plays well organized and compact. The defense around the strong Seider and the AHL defenders Kai Wissmann and Leon Gawanke is secure and important for building up the game. Goalkeeper Mathias Niederberger is a safe backup and the fourth line of attackers with World Cup debutants Parker Tuomie, Justin Schütz and Wojciech Stachowiak have also surprised positively so far.
Who or what is important now?
It will be interesting to see if the team will take a different approach in the upcoming games. Unlike against the top nations, Germany will now have to shape the game itself. There is still too little from players like Marcel Noebels from Eisbären Berlin. The Munich champions Frederik Tiffels and Maximilian Kastner also have to step up their game offensively.
