In the last game of the 2025 calendar year, the Vienna Capitals will meet FTC-Telekom in the regular round for the last time. The game in Budapest’s Tüskecsarnok starts at 6:30 p.m. The previous season duels between the Capitals and Ferencvaros each went to the home team, the Viennese want to put an end to this series and get back on the road to success. As usual, tomorrow’s encounter will be broadcast live via sporteurope.tv.
Yesterday the Vienna Capitals suffered a 1:3 home defeat against the EC-KAC in the sold-out STEFFL Arena. For the Viennese, who are again in eleventh place in the table, it was the second defeat in a row. Tomorrow’s duel with FTC-Telekom is of great importance in the fight for a post-season place. The gap between Hydro Fehérvár AV19 in seventh place and the Caps is only five points. With a win after regular time, the Viennese would leave eighth-placed FTC behind.
Tomorrow’s meeting is also fundamentally important in view of the direct duel, which could decide the placement if there is a tie at the end of the regular round. The Caps won two games and collected five points, FTC scored four points against the Viennese with a win and an overtime defeat. The last duel went to the Vienna Capitals 4-3 on December 17th. The guest game on November 12th in Budapest was the Viennese’s first game under head coach Kevin Constantine. The previously vulnerable defense was significantly improved under the American. In the 15 games before Constantine, the Caps conceded an average of 3.53 goals per game; under the 67-year-old, the figure was significantly reduced to an average of 2.4 goals per game.
It is questionable whether Constantine and his coaching team can rely on the same personnel tomorrow as in previous games. Jérémy Grégoire had to end yesterday’s duel against EC-KAC early due to an unpunished blow with the stick. The 30-year-old is suspected of having an upper body injury; further examinations are currently pending. However, Senna Peeters, Marco Richter and Sebastian Wraneschitz are out. However, there are positive signals from the 23-year-old goalkeeper. Wraneschitz was able to complete a light training session on the ice for the first time today with Caps goalie coach Bernhard Starkbaum.
FTC-Telekom suffered a 5-1 defeat at champions EC Red Bull Salzburg yesterday, Sunday. From their last five games, the Hungarians only won the away game at EC iDM Heat Pumps VSV. The Villachers are one of only two teams that have collected fewer points than FTC in the last five games. The newcomer to the league is still in eighth place in the table, but the Villachers, Linzers and Viennese placed behind are all within striking distance.
As far as the special teams are concerned, both the power play and penalty killing of the Budapest team occupy a place in the bottom third of the win2day ICE Hockey League. With a success rate of 14.74 percent, FTC’s power play is the third worst in the league. The Caps power play, however, is the second best in the win2day ICE Hockey League with a success rate of 24.14 percent. The Hungarians’ outnumbered game is only marginally better with a success rate of 78.89 percent and tenth place in the league comparison. FTC talisman Brady Shaw, however, is part of the league’s top team. The MVP of the 2022/23 season leads his team in all three categories with 39 points, 16 goals and 23 assists. Shaw’s share of the 80 FTC goals is almost 50 percent. The 33-year-old Canadian is the third-best scorer in the league.
Statement Kevin Constantine, head coach of the Vienna Capitals
“Brady Shaw is holding Budapest together offensively, he is having a very good season. When I reached the final with Fehérvár a few years ago, Brady was in top form, especially in the second part of the season. We got ourselves into trouble again in the last duel against FTC with a few penalties at the end. We still won, but Brady scored three points. We have to make sure that he doesn’t come into his own, even if it won’t be so easy away from home. We have in the last few weeks “We can make good progress in many areas, but we can’t be satisfied with that, because we are currently still fighting for pre-playoff participation. We have to take what we do well, build on it and improve other elements of our game.”
vienna-capitals.at , Image: Manfred Szieber
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