The Red Bulls are embarking on a 3-game away trip in the win2day ICE Hockey League and have to play one after the other against FTC-Telekom Budapest (Wed) and the two teams at the top of the table, Graz (Fri) and Klagenfurt (Sun).
This is an enormous challenge for the Red Bulls and at the same time a good test for the playoffs that are about to begin. The third place in the table should also be defended abroad and thus the chance of climbing even further up the table should be preserved.
Initial situation
It remains exciting! Nine laps before the end of the regular round, the scramble for places in the top half of the table is in full swing. League leaders Klagenfurt have moved ahead slightly with 82 points and a four-point lead. This is followed by Graz, Salzburg (with one game more) and Bozen, each three points behind. You still need every point if you want to start as high up as possible in the playoffs (keyword home advantage) and, in the best case, qualify for the CHL 2026/27 early (the first two teams after the regular round plus the eventual ICE champion).
Salzburg in the flow
The Red Bulls have only lost one of 15 games since December 7th – on January 11th in Bruneck – and have climbed inexorably to third place in the table. The form curve is constantly pointing upwards and reached its peak with the last 7:4 home win against Bozen, which itself is fighting for third place. The Red Bulls not only made up a 3-1 deficit in the game, but also impressively overcame the South Tyroleans with a strong team performance. Things will continue in this vein on Wednesday in Budapest, where Salzburg lost 1-2 in their only away game against Hungary on December 3rd.
Budapest fights for pre-playoffs
The Red Bulls are once again preparing for a difficult game in Budapest, and the tenth-placed Hungarians also need every point to qualify for the pre-playoffs (places 7 to 10). Head coach Timo Saarikoski’s team has only won twice in the last eleven games and has also lost the last three away games. Before that, they celebrated home wins against Feldkirch and Innsbruck. Particular attention should be paid to strikers Braeden Shaw, Tyler Coulter and Jussi Tammela, who together scored 46 goals, almost half of all Budapest goals (102).
Statement Mario Huber
“We want to start the road trip well and get the first points in Budapest. But we expect the next difficult game against the Hungarians because the team is very strong offensively. We are focusing on executing our system even better, then the results will come by themselves. It is important that everyone plays for the team. That is our top priority.”
Season duel Red Bulls vs. FTC-Telekom Budapest | 2:1
10/24/25 | EC Red Bull Salzburg – FTC-Telekom Budapest 7:2 (3:0, 3:2, 1:0)
12/3/25 | FTC Telekom Budapest – EC Red Bull Salzburg 2:1 (1:0, 1:1, 0:0)
12/28/25 | EC Red Bull Salzburg – FTC Telekom Budapest 5:1 (1:1, 3:0, 1:0)
win2day ICE Hockey League
FTC Telekom Budapest – EC Red Bull Salzburg
Wed, January 21, 2026 | Budapest, 6:30 p.m
ecrbs.redbulls.com , Image: Fradimedia
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