Current Situation
Give it your all to hold onto third place! That's the motto now for the Red Bulls, who, despite their home win against Pustertal on Sunday, can no longer catch Graz and thus cannot reach second place. The battle for third place will also be a close one, as Bolzano is only one point behind Salzburg in fourth place, but has three games left to play – one more than the Red Bulls – and could therefore still overtake Salzburg.
Regardless, the Red Bulls want to continue getting into top form for the playoffs and reinforce this with a strong performance in Székesfehérvár. The recent, hard-fought victory against Pustertal was a signpost, even if some areas – including scoring and the power play – still need improvement.
Good Playoff Test
A real test awaits the Red Bulls in Székesfehérvár. The Hungarians, currently in tenth place, are fighting for a spot in the pre-playoffs and must defend it in the remaining rounds, as FTC Telekom Budapest is lurking just one point behind. The Devils from Székesfehérvár therefore need every point and will be highly motivated – especially considering they have only won one of their last ten matches.
The Red Bulls have a 2-1 season record against Székesfehérvár, but lost the away game against the Hungarians last October. This time, Salzburg (still without the recovering Lukas Hörl, Philipp Wimmer, and Peter Hochkofler, as well as the suspended Tyler Lewington) wants to take all three points in Székesfehérvár and thus keep their hopes of finishing third alive.
