The Adler Mannheim and the Cologne sharks met at the 52. The two remaining direct places were secured for the quarter-finals of the playoffs. Mannheim trembled to fifth place thanks to a 4:3 (2:0,0:3,1:0,0:0,1:0) victory after a penalty shoot-out at the Augsburg Panther. At the 1-0 (0-0,0-0,0-0,1-0) at the ERC Ingolstadt, the sharks took advantage of the competition’s failures by scoring a goal shortly before the end and secured sixth place.
Vice champion Grizzly’s Wolfsburg, who was fifth before the matchday, lost the direct ticket for the final round at the Schwenninger Wild Wings 0:3 (0:1,0:1,0:1,0:1). In the pre-playoffs it will be the duel from the 7th minute on. March already.
The Iserlohn Roosters will face Fischtown Pinguins Bremerhaven as the eighth in the pre-playoffs after 4-3 (0-1,1-1,2-1,1-0) at title defender Red Bull Munich. For the first time in Munich, the Olympic riders were back on the ice after returning from Pyeongchang.
The polar bears defended their second place with a 6:1 (2:0,3:0,1:1) victory over Bremerhaven and thus secured their qualification for the Champions Hockey League. Main round winner Munich, record champion Berlin, the Nuremberg Ice Tigers and ERC Ingolstadt had already secured the play-off participation.
After Sebastian Uvira’s (59th) last-minute goal, the sharks will face Nuremberg in the quarter-finals, while Ingolstadt will face Mannheim.
The first pre-playoff round of the teams in positions seven to ten starts on the 7th. March and will be played in best-of-three mode. The quarter-finals will start on 14 March. March, the German champion will stand at the latest after the possible seventh game of the final round on 26 March. April.