Match of the 2nd round of the hockey extra league HC Sparta Prague – HC Olomouc on February 25, 2022 in Prague. From the left, David Dvořáček from Sparta and Lukáš Nahodil from Olomouc.
Prague – Sparta hockey players can move to second place in the extra league table today. If they get three points in the play-off of the 42nd round against Olomouc, they will overtake Vítkovice, against whom they have a better score and head-to-head record. Liberec also faces an important finish, which will challenge leaders Pardubice in the 50th round. The White Tigers are fifth and lose five points to fourth-placed Hradec Králové, who hold the last position ensuring direct progress to the quarterfinals.
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Photo gallery: Hockey Extraliga 2022/23
Pražany awaits the second of a miniseries of three home matches. They will be favorites against Hanák, who are seventh in the table, but Olomouc already managed to win in the O2 arena this season. “We have a tough opponent ahead of us. We respect his strength, because I've already experienced so many games when we thought they weren't that good at hockey, but then they outplayed us,” forward Miroslav Forman said on the club's website.
While Sparta won 14 of the last 16 matches and did not score in only one of them, Olomouc is not doing so well at the end of the regular season. The Hanáci have lost four of their last five matches and failed to score twice in a row. In addition, they have big problems with the team, on Sunday in Brno they were missing nine players from the basic squad, including the most productive duo Jan Káňa, Lukáš Nahodil or captain Jiří Ondrušek.
“They are getting together, they should make it to the playoffs, but it doesn't look like Sparta yet,” coach Jan Tomajko said after Sunday's match. He perceives the current strength of Sparta, but in Prague he wants to bounce back with his team from the combativeness, commitment and honest approach for which he praised the team in Brno. “We go into every match wanting to win,” added Tomajko.
Liberec will defend a six-game winning streak against Pardubice, thanks to which it moved up to 5th place and entered the fight for direct promotion to the playoffs off The Tigers won six times in a row at home: they managed to beat Sparta, Třinec or Hradec Králové. However, they lost 3:4 against Dynamo in mid-January, when they conceded two goals, including the decisive one at 59:49, in a weakened state.
“We have been playing well in the last few matches, even luck has been on our side a little. We are still in the fight for the top four, we have to keep working hard and I believe we will make it. And we will be in a good mood for the playoffs,” said Slovakian forward Martin Faško-Rudáš at the club's youtube channels.
Dynamo already has a certain victory in the regular season, but at the moment it alternates wins with losses. Failed against Sparta, Vítkovice and Brno, beat České Budějovice and Karlovy Vary. However, the East Bohemians are still the most successful team on the opponent's ice rink, they scored 58 points from 24 games and only lost twice after regular time.
“Nothing has changed for us, we still have motivation. The peak awaits us in the playoffs , but now we need to fine-tune the game so that we are satisfied with it. There is no question of relaxing,” defender Peter Čerešňák said in a recording for the media.
Statistics before Tuesday's finals hockey Tipsport extraliga matches:
42. round:
HC Sparta Prague (3rd) – HC Olomouc (7th)
Match start: 18:30.
Head-to-head matches this season: 0:4, 2:5, 1:0.
Most productive players: Michal Řepík 46 matches/36 points (23 goals +13 assists) – Jan Káňa 41/32 (12+20).
Goalkeeper statistics: Jakub Kovář average 2.19 goals conceded per match, save success rate 91.47 percent and six clean sheets, Josef Kořenář 2.26, 90.10 and two clean sheets – Jan Lukáš 2.45, 91.84 and kept a clean sheet five times, Branislav Konrád 2.52, 90.13 and kept a clean sheet three times.
Interesting facts:
– Prague won seven of the previous eight matches, they have already won eight times at home in a row and each time they managed to do it in regular time.
– The Hanáci scored only two points in the last five starts thanks to a 5:4 victory in overtime on the ice of Kladno. They have been waiting for a three-point win from their opponents' arenas since January 17, when they succeeded after a 3:1 result in Třinec.
– Sparta can skip the second Vítkovice in the event of a full point gain. Prague lose three points to Ostrava and have a better score. In the event of a point match between the two teams even after the end of the regular season, they would be better off than Rider due to better matches.
– In matches in the regular season, the Hanáci have won three of the last four matches at Sparta.
– Striker Jakub Orsava from Olomouc celebrates his 32nd birthday today.
50. round:
White Tigers Liberec (5th) – HC Dynamo Pardubice (1st)
Start of the match: 18:00 (CET sports).
Mutual matches this season: 0:1 in overtime, 3:1, 3:4.
Most productive players: Oscar Flynn 48/36 (20+16) – Lukáš Radil 46/40 (14+ 26).
Goalkeeper statistics: Petr Kváča 2.14, 92.49 and one clean sheet, Jakub Neužil 3.11, 90.09 and one clean sheet, Daniel Král 3.84 and 85 ,45 – Roman Will 2.09, 92.28 and five clean sheets, Dominik Frodl 1.37, 94.61 and three clean sheets, Milan Klouček 2.00 and 89.47.
Points of interest:
– Liberec has won the last six matches, which is the longest winning streak of the White Tigers this year.
– The North Bohemians have won six times in a row at home, losing only two points during that time.
– In in the event of success, the White Tigers will revive their chances of placing in the top four, Hradec Králové loses five points to fourth place.
– In the 48th round, Pardubice already secured the overall triumph in the regular season ahead of time, after a nine-match streak without losing a single points, but they lost three of the last five duels.
– Dynamo won nine of the past ten matches away from home.
– In the last six mutual matches, Liberec scored five times, three times the winner had to be decided in extra time.
Table:
