All 14 teams have played 50 games, the last two full rounds of the season are coming up on Thursday and Saturday – and the starting position is extremely exciting at all levels. With two games to go before the end of the regular season, only Lausanne HC is certain of winning the qualifiers and Ajoie of placing 14th. Theoretically, there could still be shifts anywhere from 2nd to 13th place, including for EVZ. 

Realistically, EVZ can still move up one place, but there is also a threat from behind from HC Davos. The EVZ is separated from the third-placed Mutzen by 3 points. Should Zug be level on points with SCB after 52 rounds, they would be ahead thanks to their better head-to-head record – EVZ took 7 out of 12 points in the head-to-head meetings. The situation is different against Josh Holden’s HCD. With one win after regulation time and one shootout victory, the Zug team only collected 5 points against the Grisons team. Should Davos make up the two-point deficit and the SCB also maintain their lead, the EVZ would still have to surrender home ice for the playoff quarter-finals in the final stretch.

In the best-case scenario, however, the team of head coach Dan Tangnes, who will be back behind the boards against Kloten on Thursday, could mathematically secure second place. If they were to pick up 5 or 6 points and draw level with the ZSC Lions – and possibly the SCB – in terms of points. To do so, the Zurich team would have to pick up a maximum of 1 point in their last games against Davos and in the derby against Kloten, and the SCB would have to drop at least 3 points against Ambrì and Geneva, who are both still fighting to qualify for the play-in games. In the head-to-head with ZSC, both teams have 6 points – the next tie-breaker in the table would then be goal difference. After 50 games, Zug and Zurich stand at +35, but with the scenario outlined (EVZ, ZSC and SCB all 91 or 90 points after 52 games), EVZ would end up with the better goal differential than the current Swiss champions.

In the end, Zug’s goal must be to take full points in the remaining two games and thus create the best starting position for the playoff quarter-finals, regardless of what their direct table neighbors do. We will certainly be smarter by Thursday evening after 10 pm.

Here is an overview of the remaining games of the EVZ, ZSC Lions, SC Bern and HC Davos: