DEL preview: EHC Red Bull Munich welcomes Adler Mannheim

Monday, 01. January 2024 | DEL preview: EHC Red Bull Munich welcomes Adler Mannheim

Sold-out home game thriller to start the year! Red Bulls welcome MannheimKick-off in 2024// DEL - PRELIMINARY REPORTEHC Red Bull Munich opens the new year with a top game in front of a home crowd. On Tuesday, January 2, Adler Mannheim will be the guests at Oberwiesenfeld at 7:30 pm (live on MagentaSport and on our blog). The game is sold out.

2023 and the last game in Düsseldorf (1:3) are out of the way. Our boys want to record their next win against the Kurpfälzer. It would be the fifth home win in a row against Mannheim. The Red Bulls have won the last four encounters at the Olympic Ice Stadium.

We won the last meeting on 26 November last year with a commanding 5:1 victory after goals from Yasin Ehliz (2), Ben Smith, Koni Abeltshauser and Austin Ortega. The defeat back then was to have consequences for the Eagles.

Upswing under Dallas Eakins

The following day, Mannheim fired head coach Johan Lundskog, assistant coach Jeff Hill and sports manager Jan-Axel Alavaara. The NHL-experienced Dallas Eakins, who had already coached the Edmonton Oilers and the Anaheim Ducks, was installed as the new Head Coach and Sporting Director. The first four games under the leadership of the US-American were lost.

Highlights: Red Bull München vs. Adler Mannheim (26.11.2023)

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However, the Eagles have won six of their last seven matches and have thus managed to reverse the trend. On the last matchday, the ninth-placed team in the table, who are three points behind Munich with 52 points, won 1:0 against Cologne. The Adler have now won three games in a row away from home.

Threes in Berlin (3:1), Wolfsburg (3:0) and Straubing (5:3) clearly show that Mannheim is back on track.

Adler without a sextet in attack

The team's offense is plagued by a number of injuries. The attacking trio of Ryan MacInnis, top scorer Matthias Plachta (31 points) and Tyler Ennis have already been missing for some time. Against Frankfurt shortly before Christmas, Kris Bennett and Linden Vey, two other key players in attack, were also injured. David Wolf is also missing due to a suspension following a disciplinary penalty against Munich.

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The top match against Mannheim in pictures

However, the Adler have been extremely stable defensively since mid-December. Only in their only defeat (3:5 against Schwenningen) did they concede more than three goals. On the other hand, Mannheim only scored more than three of their own goals once. So the victories were all close.

Defenceman John Gilmour already has four goals and 13 assists, while forward Jordan Szwarz (seven goals, five assists) has also been an asset in recent weeks.

Munich's New Year's resolution

But the Red Bulls' focus is on their own game anyway. More straightforwardness and more drive on goal are at the top of the list of resolutions for 2024.

Unsere DEL-Tore aus dem Kalenderjahr 2023

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"We have to make sure we keep it simple in the new year. We want to make simple moves and not try anything. And then the chances will come our way," said Yasin Ehliz. Like in the last encounter with the Adler.

DEL record against Mannheim

Wins: 31 Defeats: 33 Winning percentage: 48 percent Goal difference: 180:190 Last game: RBM vs. MAN: 5:1 Last ten games: N N N S S N S N N S Last ten home games: N N S N N S N S S S S