Zero points, only two goals, and a historic derby drubbing: the German national ice hockey team is stumbling towards another preliminary round exit at the World Championship.
In a heated duel with host Switzerland, the team coached by Harold Kreis suffered their highest World Championship defeat against their arch-rivals since 1937, losing 1-6 (0-0, 0-5, 1-1).
This loss threatens an early exit, similar to last year. The German Ice Hockey Federation (DEB) selection is last in their group after their third defeat in as many games. With the disappointment also extending to the Olympics, where NHL stars like Leon Draisaitl were expected to perform, the pressure on Kreis is mounting just one year before the home World Championship. The downward trend since the sensational silver medal in 2023 has rapidly accelerated. Germany has lost its last seven World Championship games, marking its longest losing streak in 31 years.
To keep their slim chances of reaching the knockout round alive, the German Ice Hockey Federation (DEB) selection must defeat Olympic champions and defending titleholders USA on Wednesday (8:20 PM/ProSieben and MagentaTV). The Americans, who are awaiting reinforcements from NHL star Matthew Tkachuk, have so far only won against promoted Great Britain and are also concerned about advancing.
Denis Malgin (26th minute), Sven Andrighetto (30th/46th minute), Christoph Bertschy (30th minute), Nico Hischier (38th minute), and captain Roman Josi (39th minute) sealed the third consecutive defeat against Switzerland. The Swiss, boasting almost their full squad with six NHL professionals at their home World Championship, are aiming to finally win the title after two consecutive silvers. The DEB team started with more purpose but fell behind while on a power play. The Swiss then capitalized on individual errors with a quick double strike in 35 seconds, after which the dam broke. Frederick Tiffels (56th minute) scored Germany’s consolation goal in his 100th international appearance.
Ice Hockey World Championship: Germany Experiences Another Disappointment
Disappointment ran deep even after the bitter 0-2 loss just 24 hours prior against Latvia. «As frustrated as I am standing here, the team is sitting in the locker room just as frustrated,» Kreis had said, pondering the reasons for the glaring weaknesses in power play and penalty kill: «It’s not a lack of system or understanding of how we want to play. Believe me, the guys are the most frustrated.»
The issue was intensely discussed before the Switzerland game. «We talked to the guys, a lot of talking,» said forward Dominik Kahun to MagentaTV, «the special teams need to get better.»
Kreis made changes: For Philipp Grubauer, Berlin’s final hero Jonas Stettmer took over in goal for his first international start. In defense, Munich’s World Championship debutant Phillip Sinn replaced Nuremberg’s Marcus Weber, and in attack, Berlin’s Andreas Eder rotated into the team for his club colleague Manuel Wiederer. Furthermore, Kreis restructured the forward lines, «that gives us momentum and energy.»
The power play remained ineffective; the DEB selection couldn’t even set up their offense during the first two minutes with an extra man. However, the first penalty kill was successful, with Switzerland barely getting any shots. No goal was scored on a power play at the start of the second period either. On the contrary, Malgin scored on a counter-attack for the shorthanded hosts. Before the 0-2 goal, Berlin’s captain Kai Wissmann, who had been surprisingly weak so far, made a mistake. 35 seconds later, the game was decided.