It's playoff time! Follow the results here
It’s playoff time in Europe, and you can follow how all the top leagues progress from the early rounds to the finals at Eurohockeyclubs.com. Follow each series as E.H.C. Alliance members Red Bull München, Vienna Capitals, Tappara Tampere, SC Bern, Comarch Cracovia, HV71 Jönköping, Kometa Brno, HC ‘05 Banská Bystrica and HC Donbass are all vying to defend their national titles.
In all, E.H.C. Alliance members participate in 13 different leagues in 11 countries. Click on the links to those leagues below and select the appropriate tab, with up-to-date post-season results under the “PLAYOFFS” tab.
Austria
The Erste Bank Eishockey Liga is in its Quarter-Finals, with the Vienna Capitals, Red Bull Salzburg and Medveščak Zagreb of Croatia all up 2-0 in games, while EC Klagenfurter EC and HC Bolzano of Italy are tied 1-1 in their series.
Czech Republic
In the Tipsport Extraliga, the Preliminary Round is over and the Quarter-Finals are set with two series to start Tuesday – 3) Oceláři Třinec vs (6) Dynamo Pardubice and (4) Vítkovice Ostrava vs (5) Kometa Brno – and the other two on Thursday – (1) Škoda Plzeň vs (8) HC Olomouc and (2) Mountfield Hradec Králové vs (7) Bílí Tygři Liberec.
Finland
The best-of-three Liiga Preliminary Round begins on Tuesday, with Ässät Pori taking on Lukko Rauma and SaiPa Lappeenranta facing Pelicans Lahti. The winners will join the top six teams from the regular season in the Quarter-Finals.
Germany
In the Deutsche Eishockey Liga, the Preliminary Round is done and the best-of-seven Quarter-Finals are set to begin on Wednesday, with all four series beginning: (1) Red Bull München vs (8) Fischtown Pinguins Bremerhaven, (2) Eisbären Berlin vs (7) Grizzlys Wolfsburg, (3) Thomas Sabo Ice Tigers Nürnberg vs (6) Kölner Haie and (4) ERC Ingolstadt vs (5) Adler Mannheim.
Great Britain
The Elite Ice Hockey League’s regular season is not yet finished, and the Cardiff Devils are very close to clinching the title. With six games to play, they need only five points to secure top spot, as the only team has a chance at catching them – the Sheffield Steelers – have played one more game and trail by four points.
Norway
With the five-time reigning champion Stavanger Oilers deposed in the Quarter-Finals, the GET-ligaen will have a new champion in 2018. The Semi-Finals begin on Thursday with the league’s remaining E.H.C. Alliance member, Storhamar Hamar, facing Lørenskog IK. The other semi starts on Friday between Sparta Sarpsborg and Lillehammer IK.
Poland
The Semi-Finals of the Polska Hokej Liga are underway, with the country’s lone E.H.C. Alliance member, Comarch Cracovia, tied 1-1 in games with Tauron KH GKS Katowice. In the other semi, GKS Tychy leads TatrySki Podhale Nowy Targ 2 games to 0.
Slovakia
The Tipsport Liga regular season concluded on Sunday with the top eight teams advancing to the Quarter-Finals, with two series starting on Thursday: (1) HK Nitra vs (8) HC Nové Zámky and (2) MHK Zvolen vs (7) MsHK Žilina. The other two series start on Saturday: (3) Dukla Trenčin vs (6) HK Poprad and (4) HC ‘05 Banská Bystrica vs (5) HC Košice.
Sweden
In the top-tier Svenska Hockeyligan, the best-of-three Preliminary Round has just begun, with HC Linköping defeating defending champ HV71 Jönköping and Brynäs Gävle one game up on Luleå Hockey. The winners of those two series will advance to the best-of-seven Quarter-Finals.
Meanwhile, the second-tier HockeyAllsvenskan is already in its Final series, wtih Timrå IK holding a 2-0 lead in games over Leksands IF. The winner of the best-of-seven series will play for advancement to the SHL for next season.
Switzerland
The Quarter-Finals are already underway in Switzerland’s top division, the National League, with SC Bern, HC Davos, EV Zug and HC Lugano winning the opening games, with all four series continuing on Tuesday night.
In the second-tier Swiss League, the regular season is complete with the league’s two E.H.C. Alliance members – Rapperswil-Jona Lakers and SC Langenthal – finishing 1 and 2. With the Quarter-Finals on the horizon, the eight remaining teams will seek promotion to the National League.
Ukraine
The Preliminary Round is finished and the Quarter-Finals are coming up in the Ukrayinsʹka Khokeyna Liga. The overwhelming favourite to win it all is HC Donbass, who absolutely dominated the regular season with 38 regulation victories and only one defeat in 40 games.
Photo: Action from last year's Czech Extraliga Finals between Kometa Brno and Bílí Tygři Liberec. Both teams are in the league's Quarter-Finals this year. (Michal Eger/hc-kometa.cz).
