Defending champion Red Bull Munich won his home game against the Straubing Tigers 3-1 (1:0, 1:0, 1:1) on the second matchday and took the lead for the time being. Vice champion Eisbären Berlin won his second defeat in the second match at the 3:4 (2:2, 0:2, 1:0) at the Nürnberg Ice Tigers.
Michael Wolf (16th), John Mitchell (34th) and Derek Joslin (47th) gave the Munich-based team an impeccable record with their goals in front of 5100 spectators, after Red Bull had prevailed at the season opener in Berlin with the new edition of the last final series 4:2. Straubing, who in the meantime was shortened by Antoine Laganiere (42nd), lost for the first time.
The polar bears kept up in the first period in Nuremberg when James Sheppard (18th/20th) briefly made up for the 2-0 lead by Olympic silver medalist Patrick Reimer (4th) and Christopher Brown (11th) with a double. Again Brown (31st) and Shawn Lalonde (37th) scored three and four goals for the hosts, Brendan Ranford (52nd) only managed to catch up with the polar bears.
After two disappointing years, former champions Düsseldorfer EG underlined their play-off claims with their second victory in the second game. Coach Harold Kreis’s team swept the Iserlohn Roosters off the ice 5:1 (0:0, 2:0, 3:1) in the Westderby on Sunday. Already on Friday, the eight-time champion had convinced Adler Mannheim with the 2:1 after extra time.
Alexander Barta (26th), John Henrion (32nd/57th) and newcomers Braden Pimm (46th) and Philip Gogulla (47th) scored the goals for the hosts in front of 8086 spectators, who had recently missed the play-offs twice in a row. Christopher Fischer (41st) scored for the people of Iserlohn, who had won 5:2 against the Grizzlys Wolfsburg.
The Adler Mannheim won 5:1 (3:1, 1:0, 1:0) at the Augsburg Panther, ERC Ingolstadt shot the Krefeld Penguins 7:4 (4:0, 3:2, 0:2) from their own hall.
The Cologne sharks won the game 6:2 (0:0, 1:2, 5:0) thanks to a strong final quarter at the Fischtown Penguins Bremerhaven. Wolfsburg also clinched their first win of the season by beating the Schwenningen Wild Wings 3-0 (1-0, 0-0, 2-0).