The Swedish team inflicts a significant defeat on the DEB squad.
In just two days, the German national ice hockey team endured two disastrous evenings: a humiliating defeat against the United States, followed by a near-catastrophe against Sweden.
The second loss saw them concede a massive 16 goals and suffer from harsh criticisms by their own fans. It's been a year since they won the silver medal at the World Championships in the Czech Republic, and they've now sunk to their lowest point. Their star player, Nico Sturm, was missing again due to a knee injury, leaving the runners-up without any hope against gold favorites Sweden. However, they still have a decent chance of advancing to the quarter-finals.
With three points from their first three preliminary round games, national coach Harold Kreis' team is in a better position than last year, but their performances don't show it. They were outclassed by the eleven-time world champions. German fans pleaded with their team to show more fight, screaming "We want to see you fight!" as their players were dominated for several minutes.
Relying on Sturm's Return
Berlin's Leo Pföderl managed to score a consolation goal (48') in front of 8,309 spectators in Ostrava, while Erik Karlsson (3'), Marcus Pettersson (15'), Victor Olofsson (20'), Carl Grundström (25'), Andre Burakovsky (30'), and Isac Lundeström (52') sealed Germany's worst World Championship defeat against Sweden in 33 years. Germany had managed to beat Sweden on their way to earning Olympic silver in 2018. The team's next opponent, Wednesday's match against Latvia, will feature a return for defender Fabio Wagner, but NHL forward Lukas Reichel and NHL debutant Maksymilian Szuber are still out.
In his place, NHL forward Dominik Kahun and Frederik Tiffels filled the lineup, with John-Jason Peterka making way for Reichel. Sturm, who had also traveled to Germany after the AHL playoffs, was sidelined due to a knee injury.
"He's on a good path. But nobody knows his body as well as he does. I'm confident that he'll be able to play again soon," said Künast.
Adjusting to the Pace
"We have to play a smart game," Kreis had demanded before the game started on Pro7. But Sweden's third shot found the net, with Karlsson outscoring NHL goalie Philipp Grubauer. The Germans weren't aggressive enough in their forechecking, much like they were against the U.S. With Peterka receiving a frustrating foul penalty shortly before the end of the first period, they trailed 0:3.
Even captain Moritz Müller couldn't keep up with Sweden's attacking frenzy. Peterka missed a great opportunity to score for the DEB team (27'), but Mathias Niederberger came on as a replacement, taking over from Grubauer who had faced 35 shots so far. In the final period, Sweden slowed down, allowing Germany to score a consolation goal.
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Despite their efforts to adjust to the pace of the game, Germany struggled against Sweden's attacking frenzy in the World Championships. Their defeat against the eleven-time world champions was a harsh reminder of the importance of maintaining aggression in ice hockey, especially against top-tier opponents like Sweden. Next year, the World Championships will once again offer a chance for Germany to prove their mettle and potentially avenge their loss at the hands of the World Championships titans.
Source: www.ntv.de
