HC Davos is back in the playoff final for the first time since its 31st and last championship title in 2015. The Grisons won Game 5 of the semi-final series against the ZSC Lions 2:1 after overtime.
12.04.2026, 22:52
13.04.2026, 06:31
SDA
The qualifying champions won by a surprisingly clear 4:1 against the champions of the last two years. However, every game was hard-fought, including the fifth on Sunday evening in Davos. After just one goal each in the middle third, Brendan Lemieux redeemed the vast majority of the 6547 fans in the sold-out arena in the Landwasser Valley after just 65 seconds of overtime. After a spectacular solo run, the Canadian put ZSC out of business with his third goal of the playoffs.
It is the first playoff series loss for the Zurich team since the semi-final against Biel three years ago. The Lions could not be accused of a lack of commitment. They tried a lot and had a slight visual advantage, but the Davos team mostly stood securely at the back. In the first period, the goalmouth prevented them from opening the scoring. Justin Sigrist hit the post as early as the 4th minute, while Tino Kessler was outnumbered and Matej Stransky in the power play.
It was the extremely active Sigrist and the omnipresent HCD captain Stransky who finally lit up the goal lamp in the middle period. Sigrist scored in the 23rd minute after a fine pass from Nicolas Baechler to make it 0:1. Four minutes later, a powerful shot from Stransky fell just short of the goal line - which the referees also confirmed after the video review.
However, the Zurich team can certainly be blamed for their weak power play. Ten minutes of powerplay produced little that was edifying, and in the 42nd minute they were a little unlucky with a shot on the crossbar from Denis Holenstein. The absence of Sven Andrighetto and again Jesper Frödén had a much greater impact here than the injury to defenseman Michael Fora for Davos. ZSC top scorer Denis Malgin was also unable to break his goal drought in a new line with Vinzenz Rohrer and Willy Riedi.
Telegram:
Davos - ZSC Lions 2:1 (0:0, 1:1, 0:0, 1:0) n.V.
6547 spectators. - SR Dipietro/Stolc (SVK), Urfer/Obwegeser. - Goals: 23 Sigrist (Baechler) 0:1. 27 Stransky (Asplund) 1:1. 62 Lemieux 2:1. - Penalties: 5 times 2 minutes against Davos, 3 times 2 minutes against ZSC Lions. - PostFinance top scorers: Stransky; Malgin.
Davos: Aeschlimann; Frick, Dahlbeck; Andersson, Jung; Gross, Barandun; Guebey, Minder; Stransky, Ryfors, Lemieux; Aebli, Asplund, Zadina; Frehner, Waidacher, Kessler; Knak, Egli, Parrée.
ZSC Lions: Hrubec; Kukan, Lehtonen; Weber, Marti; Trutmann, Geering; Schwendeler; Rohrer, Malgin, Riedi; Sigrist, Lammikko, Baechler; Balcers, Grant, Denis Hollenstein; Baltisberger, Sundström, Gruber; Schreiber.
Remarks: Davos without Corvi, Fora, Gredig, Luca Hollenstein, Nussbaumer (all injured), Claesson, Tambellini and Taponen (all overage foreigners), ZSC Lions without Andrighetto, Bader and Frödén (all injured).
