Hradec Králové hockey players will play in Olomouc for their tenth win in a row

Illustration photo – Match of the 36th round of the hockey extra league: Mountfield Hradec Králové – HC Olomouc, January 8, 2023, Hradec Králové. Radek Pilař from Hradec Králové in the middle.

Prague – In Friday's match of the 49th extra league round in Olomouc, the hockey players of Hradec Králové will aim for their tenth win in a row, which would further improve the current club record. If successful, they would also consolidate their position in the top four ahead of Liberec, which also finished well. On the other hand, Plzeň, who will face Třinec, wants to break the streak of five defeats. Kladno can come off the bottom. To do this, the Knights need to get at least two points in the battle against the third Sparta.

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Hanáci have won only two of the last seven matches and in seventh place, which guarantees the penultimate advantage of the home environment for the preliminary round of the elimination battles, they have five points ahead of ninth place Karlovy Vary. “Again, it's not that much of an advantage. For us, it's more about getting to the level of comfort we were in in October. To believe in ourselves and for some guys to heal,” striker Silvester Kusko said in an interview for the club's website.

Hradec Králové did not lose a single point during their successful streak, but they must be careful in front of the home team. They did not score a goal in the first two matches of the season for both teams, and in January they were defeated at home only in overtime (5:4). “I believe that if we continue to play the way we are playing, there is a good chance to grab the top four. It is only good for us if we play for a lot, it can only benefit us. Hopefully we can carry our good game into the playoffs,” he said striker Jan Eberle.

In the opposite mood is Plzeň, which has a streak of five defeats without gaining a point with a total score of 4:15. In the last three rounds, the Indians scored a single goal. “We are not going through a good period,” said defender Jan Piskáček. Despite another loss, the last match in Hradec Králové (1:2) showed improvement. “In the last matches, we had problems getting more into the game, we didn't believe in ourselves, in Hradec it was about something else. The match had a lot of pressure, it was played out, the boys blocked a lot, the dedication was great, so we have to go to the next matches as well,” he emphasized Whistleblower.

Třinec beat Plzeň twice at home, but came away empty-handed. The Steelers are also going through a difficult period and in the last 12 matches they have won only over Vítkovice (2:1) and Kladno (5:4). They lost all four of their games last week, despite leading in each, and dropped from fourth to sixth in the table.

“I don't think that all of our matches were downright bad. We just don't play for the full sixty minutes, we prepare for points by our own game and that's frustrating,” said captain Petr Vrána before the match with Pilsen. “Perhaps we miss the fact that we are not able to win games for a goal, those games at 1:0, 2:1, 3:2. I noticed that we lost a lot of games in the third periods and in the last minutes,” indicated Vrána, what the team needs to focus on in the final rounds.

The Knights of Klagenfurt still have a chance not only to avoid the playoff, which will be played by the last team after the regular season, but they can also think about the preliminary round thanks to the gain of seven points from the last three games. Wednesday's defeat of České Budějovice against Liberec (3:4) also helped them. They lose a point to South Bohemia, twelfth Litvínov has one more point. “We have to go into the next matches with the same commitment. With the kind of game we played now, we are capable of tormenting everyone,” said forward Martin Procházka.

Sparta has not yet lost a point against Kladno in the season. And it's still in the game for second place – in Vítkovice, Prague have a three-point deficit. “It's always good to have a goal and to go after something, so that we're not just playing to keep the top four. The loss to Vítkovice was huge not long ago, so we're pushing it with all our might. But we're taking it more as preparation for the playoffs,” said forward David Tomášek .

On Friday, Pardubice will receive the Jaroslav Pouzar Cup for the winner of the regular season, which they lead by a large margin, but they are eager to win the match with Brno. “It's nice to be awarded for the regular season, but the more important trophy is given only at the end of April. And that's our main goal. We have to polish our game and get back on the winning streak so we can go into the playoffs with a lot of confidence. We can't don't let anything go,” emphasized defender Jan Kolář.

The South Moravians have lost three of their last four matches, they lose a point from tenth place to eighth place Plzeň, but at the same time they are not sure that they will play in the preliminary round. “There are four rounds to go and still nothing is done, we can still finish thirteenth or fourteenth. However, I believe that we will fight for eighth place to start the preliminary round at home,” said coach Patrik Martinec.

Vítkovice have not lost a single point against Karlovy Vary this season. In the last round, however, they stumbled on their ice with České Budějovice, who are fighting to avoid the playoffs. “Karlovy Vary is a team that relies on fast breaks. They are good skaters. But we want to make up for the home loss against České Budějovice. We have been preparing for this all week, so I hope that we will put our hard work to good use in the match,” he told the club's website coach of the Ostrava club Miloš Holan.

Team Energie is ninth, lagging behind rival Pilsen with the same point gain only because of a worse score. However, even Karlovy Vary are still not sure of the preliminary round. “I will be very satisfied if we stay in the same place after the last four games. I wouldn't be against it if we jump one more place. I think it's better to be humble and cautious,” said coach David Bruk.

< p>Mladá Boleslav will face Litvínov in the eleventh vs. twelfth match. The Central Bohemians stopped a streak of six defeats last time in Brno. “The relief is huge, but it will be important that we confirm the win in the next match. Because if we don't win that one, then we are where we were,” said defender Adam Jánošík.

In the event of a win in regular time, Litvínov will catch up to his Friday performance and thus leapfrog Motor, who is behind by a single point. České Budějovice have already played the match of the 49th round, losing to Liberec 3:4 at home in Wednesday's preliminary game.

Statistical data before Friday's matches of the 49th round of the Hockey Tipsport Extraliga:

BK Mladá Boleslav (11th) – HC Verva Litvínov (12th).

Start of the match: 17:30.

Inter-matches this season : 4:3, 6:4, 3:4.

Most productive players: Róbert Lantoši 43 matches/25 points (7 goals + 18 assists) – Šimon Stránský 42/35 (8+27).< /p>

Goalkeeper statistics: Filip Novotný average 2.19 goals conceded per match, save success rate 92.13 percent and four clean sheets, Gašper Krošelj 2.33 and 91.89 – Šimon Zajíček 2.67, 91.18 and one clean sheet , Matej Tomek 2.05, 91.46 and kept a clean sheet twice, Denis Godla 3.08 and 90.70.

Interesting facts:

– Mladá Boleslav after a series of six defeats, during which they scored only two points, they won 4:1 in Brno nad Kometou on Sunday.

– The skating club lost three times in a row at home and did not score a single point.

– Litvínov, after a series of three defeats in which he only scored a single point, won twice in a row in the setup.

– Verva is waiting for a full point gain in nine matches, four of which they won.

– Litvínov has lost four times in a row away from home and has not scored a single point.

– Mladá Boleslav has won three of the last five mutual duels.

– Litvínov's attacker Patrik Zdráhal is missing a single shot to the 100-goal mark in the extraliga.

HC Vítkovice Ridera (2nd) – HC Energie Karlovy Vary (9th).

Start of the match: 17:30.

Inter-matches this season: 5: 4, 4:2, 3:1.

Most productive players: Roberts Bukarts 48/45 (21+24) – Tomáš Rachůnek 46/29 (6+23).

Statistics goalkeepers: Aleš Stezka 2.18, 92.26 and kept a clean sheet five times, Lukáš Klimeš 2.26 and 92.16 – Vladislav Habal 2.39, 91.19 and kept a clean sheet once, Štěpán Lukeš 3.12, 90, 16 and kept a clean sheet three times, Petr Hamalčík 4.50 and 85.00.

Interesting points:

– After a streak of three wins without a single loss, Vítkovice lost to Český Budějovice 1:4 at home on Sunday.

– Ostrava lost five of their last six games at home.

– Karlovy Vary lost two of their previous ones three duels.

– Energie won three of the last four matches away from home.

– Vítkovice won six consecutive duels and lost only one point.

– Defender Ondřej Dlapa from Karlovy Vary will serve a one-match disciplinary punishment for a foul on Pardubice striker Tomáš Hyka.

– Striker Tomáš Redlich from Karlovy Vary can play his 200th game in the extra league.

– Two Karlovy Vary players will celebrate their birthdays this weekend – goalkeeper Štěpán Lukeš will be 27 years old on Saturday and forward Tomáš Rachůnk will be 32 years old on Sunday.

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– Goalkeeper Aleš Stezka from Vítkovice can catch his 100th match in the extra league on Sunday in Kladno.

HC Škoda Plzeň (8th) – HC Oceláři Třinec (6.) /p>