Starting position
You have to look back a long way to find a game in which the Red Bulls started with an almost complete lineup. Nevertheless, they always manage to make up for the absences and find the right chemistry in the frequently shuffled lines. Young players from the Red Bull Ice Hockey Academy are regularly integrated into the professional team, who - as was the case yesterday - help to compensate for the absences with courageous performances and great commitment.
This mixture of seasoned pros and rookies who are gaining their first experience in the ICE Hockey League will be in demand again in Vienna when they face the capital for the fourth time in the current basic round. While the Red Bulls climbed to 3rd place in the table for the first time in many weeks with yesterday's win against the KAC (with supplementary games still to be played), the Capitals lost in Villach, but remain in 10th place.
Spectators as the seventh man
The Vienna Capitals are fighting for a place in the pre-playoffs. At the moment, they have a four-point lead over the Pioneers Vorarlberg, who want to challenge them for 10th place. The Viennese can definitely count on the support of their fans, who will give them an extra push in their own arena. With an average of over 4,600 spectators, the Vienna Capitals have the largest crowd in the league. By comparison, the Red Bulls play in front of 2,842 spectators on average.