The Linz ice hockey cracks slid in front of 2810 spectators in a bitter 1:4 (0:1, 0:2, 1:1) home defeat against the table eleventh, who had previously lost three times en suite.
Now the fight for a place in the top six that will qualify directly for the play-off quarterfinals becomes a nail-biter. Maybe because the flu virus has spread in the Linz cabin and the strength is dwindling. Daine Todd, Raphael Wolf, Emilio Romig and Dennis Sticha were absent on Sunday. But Andreas Kristler was back after his suspension.
Despite the clear superiority in the middle third, the EHC only let its loyal fans cheer after 41:38 minutes. But by then it was already too late. Julian Pusnik shortened to 1:4. Nothing more jumped out.
Eight matches are still to be completed in the regular season, the Black Wings, who are in fifth place, feel the breath of the Vienna Capitals (6th) and KAC (7th).
On Tuesday (7.15 p.m., live ticker on nachrichten.at) it should work out in Ljubljana with a win. The Slovenians have lost eight times in a row.
Source: Nachrichten