Who will become the champion of the Swiss hockey National League 2023/2024: preview
The regular championship of the Swiss Hockey National League started in September 2023 and will end in March 2024. 14 teams compete in the competition. The top six at the end of the regular season will advance to the quarterfinals of the playoffs, and the teams from seventh to 10th place will play in the 1/8 finals. At the same time, the clubs that finish in the last two lines will play in a playoff for the right to remain in the Swiss hockey elite. If you want to earn money by betting on sports, then we recommend betting on mostbet az.
The three main contenders for winning gold medals in the Swiss National League are Geneva-Servette, Zug, and Zurich Lions. By studying these teams, you can more likely guess who will become the winner of this tournament.
Geneva-Servette
The “red-yellow-whites” were not stable in the current regular championship and after 29 matches were in seventh place in the standings. At the same time, Geneva-Servet was four points behind sixth Lugano and had one less match played. Having won 14 victories (11 in regular time), the inhabitants of Patinoir de Vernet suffered 15 defeats. It should also be noted that Yann Cadieux’s men had one of the worst attacks in the top eight, scoring on average just under three goals per 60 minutes of playing time.
Geneva-Servet has won gold medals at the national championship only once in history, and that happened last season. So now Yann Cadieux’s boys have to defend their title. At the same time, given the poor performance form of the “red-yellow-whites” during the regular season, one should not expect good results from the Geneva club in the playoffs.
Zug
The Blue and Whites performed quite well in the current regular season. Having played 29 matches, Zug is in second place, two points ahead of third Friborg and five behind first Zurich Lions. Having won 21 times, Dan Tangnes’ team suffered eight defeats. At the same time, the club from the city of the same name had the strongest attack in the league. On average, the inhabitants of the Bossard Arena scored three and a half goals per 60 minutes of playing time. Jan Kovar and the company look great in the regular championship and if the team manages to continue in the same spirit in the playoffs, then the “buffaloes” will be able to win the trophy.
Zug has won the league title three times in history, twice since 2020. Considering the selection of the “blue and white” players, they are quite capable of wedging their way into the fight for gold medals. The Dan Tangnes boys have serious rivals, but the “buffaloes” do not shed their hind legs and are capable of surprising.
Zurich Lions
The Blue-Red-White have an excellent regular season and after 29 matches played, the Lions led the standings. At the same time, the second Zug Zurich Lions were ahead by five points. Having won 21 times (19 in regular time), Mark Crawford’s men suffered eight defeats. It should also be noted that the inhabitants of Hallenstadion had the strongest defense in the championship, conceding an average of two goals in three periods. The nine-time Swiss hockey champion last won the title in 2018.
Zurich Lions will try to win the 10th league title in the club’s history. At the same time, the fact that the “blue-red-whites” play well in the regular season does not mean that Patrick Giering and his partners will confidently perform in the relegation battles. However, we should not forget that the Lions have a competitive squad and the team is quite capable of performing well in the playoffs.
Our forecast
Geneva-Servette is not consistent and is unlikely to perform as well in the playoffs as it did last season. Most likely, Zug and Zurich Lions, who look great in terms of play in the regular championship, will compete for the championship title. In terms of composition, the “buffalos” are preferable to the “lions”, and the attack of the “blue-whites” is stronger. Based on all of the above, we can assume that Dan Tangnes’ team will most likely win gold medals.
