The EVZ will play the final qualifying round on Monday in Lausanne.

A few things are already clear after Saturday’s 3-2 home win over Geneva after the overtime win before the 52nd round of the 2023-24 regular season. Firstly: EVZ can still win after all – the victory against the current European champions ended the negative streak of eight defeats! Secondly, and more importantly, EVZ is at least fourth and will start the quarter-finals with a home game on Sunday, March 17. Thirdly, the EVZ can still finish third on Monday with a win in regulation time or after overtime and penalties in Lausanne and qualify for the 2024/25 Champions Hockey League, provided the future National League champions are from the top three or are called Geneva-Servette. Either way, Zug will be ahead of the Vaud team if they win after 60 minutes, while both teams will have two wins and six points if they win in overtime or on penalties. In this case, the central Swiss are ranked third ahead of Lausanne due to their one-goal better goal difference from all 52 games. After 51 rounds, both teams have a goal difference of +29.

The opponent in the playoff quarter-finals is still undecided. It will either be the resurgent SC Bern or Davos with EVZ legend Josh Holden at the helm. Both teams have beaten the EVZ recently: the HCD 6:3 at home, the SCB 4:1 at the BOSSARD Arena. Lugano can still catch up with the sixth-placed team from the Grisons in terms of points, but is 1:3 behind in the direct comparison, which is the first criterion in the event of two teams being tied on points. In any case, a tough opponent awaits in the 1st round.

A LOOK AT LAUSANNE

Even a win in Lausanne is a difficult task. Despite the smooth 5:0 away win on the same date, 4 March 2023, in the last game of the 2022/23 regular season. The visitors from central Switzerland are still the second-best away team with 46 points from 25 games, although they have recently dropped three points in Langnau, Davos and Rapperswil. However, they have lost seven of their last nine away games in Lausanne since the 2019/2020 season, including the first of this season with a 4-1 defeat. And in their last 15 games, the Vaud team, who were once 13 points worse off, have taken twice as many points (28) as Dan Tanges’ team (14).

But perhaps the Zug team also remembers the 9-2 home win on October 7, 2023, when the attacking engine was still running at full speed and injuries were not yet an issue. Who will be fit on Monday? Is it worth taking a risk before the start of the playoffs? In addition to Grégory Hofmann, Brian O’Neill, Niklas Hansson, Tobias Geisser, Livio Stadler and Riley Sheen, Lukas Bengtsson was also missing for the home win against Geneva. In the meantime, Dominik Schlumpf remained in the dressing room with an ailment, so that Sven Senteler had to step in as a defender and became the scorer. Fortunately, he returned in the final period after being hit by an opponent’s shot. Tim Muggli has served his fifth suspension and will be available again in Lausanne.