Defending champions ZSC Lions do not enter these playoffs from pole position
Image: Keystone
The qualification victory went to Lausanne HC for the first time. Coach Geoff Ward's team is well prepared for the coming weeks
Image: Keystone
In the playoff quarter-finals, Lausanne will face the SCL Tigers, who are in the playoffs for only the third time
Image: Keystone
The ZSC Lions, who finished second in the qualifiers, face off against Kloten in the Zurich derby
Image: Keystone
The Zähringen derby between Bern and Fribourg-Gottéron also offers plenty of excitement
Image: Keystone
HCD captain Andres Ambühl plays his last playoffs. A clash with EV Zug awaits in the quarter-finals
Image: Keystone
A big farewell is also imminent at EVZ: two-time champion coach Dan Tangnes will leave the Central Swiss team at the end of the season after seven years together
Image: Keystone
Defending champions ZSC Lions do not enter these playoffs from pole position
Image: Keystone
The qualification victory went to Lausanne HC for the first time. Coach Geoff Ward's team is well prepared for the coming weeks
Image: Keystone
In the playoff quarter-finals, Lausanne will face the SCL Tigers, who are in the playoffs for only the third time
Image: Keystone
The ZSC Lions, who finished second in the qualifiers, face off against Kloten in the Zurich derby
Image: Keystone
The Zähringen derby between Bern and Fribourg-Gottéron also offers plenty of excitement
Image: Keystone
HCD captain Andres Ambühl plays his last playoffs. A clash with EV Zug awaits in the quarter-finals
Image: Keystone
A big farewell is also imminent at EVZ: two-time champion coach Dan Tangnes will leave the Central Swiss team at the end of the season after seven years together
Image: Keystone
The most important time in Swiss ice hockey begins on Thursday with the play-off quarter-finals. There are still 8 teams in the race for the championship title. The 2025 Swiss champions will be decided shortly after Easter.
13.03.2025, 04:46
13.03.2025, 09:33
SDA
The playoff quarter-finals in the National League begin on Thursday evening with the games between qualification winners Lausanne against the SCL Tigers and defending champions ZSC Lions against Kloten. Bern against Fribourg-Gottéron and Zug against record champions Davos will not start until Friday.
This means that ice hockey fans will be able to enjoy two games a day in this year's playoffs, at least in the quarter-finals, after which play will continue in a two-day rhythm. All playoff series will be played in a best-of-7 format.
The most important facts about the playoff quarter-finals at a glance:
Lausanne (1st) - SCL Tigers (8th)
The SCL Tigers have reached the playoffs for only the third time since 2011 and 2019. The last time they took part, the Emmentalers faced Lausanne, who prevailed in a hard-fought series in seven games and qualified for the semi-finals for the first time. A year ago, they took part in the play-off final for the first time, with a bitter end in the finalissima (0:2 in Zurich). After winning the qualification for the first time, the Vaud team now seems ready for the title. They are clearly favored in the duel with the Tigers, having won all four head-to-head meetings this season. And: Lausanne can rely on its home strength. No other team won more points in front of their own fans in the qualifiers.
ZSC Lions (2nd) - Kloten (7th)
ZSC has celebrated seven of its ten championship titles in the playoff era (since 1986). However, only once, in 2001, have the Lions managed to become Swiss champions twice in a row. By winning the Champions Hockey League in February, the Zurich team achieved one of its two goals for the season. The Lions are still twelve wins away from successfully defending their title in the National League. The first potential stumbling block is cantonal rival Kloten, who have qualified for the playoffs for the first time in nine years. The four Zurich derbies this season offered plenty of spectacle and all ended in home victories.
Bern (3rd) - Fribourg-Gottéron (6th)
The Zähringen derby is also likely to be hotly contested. Bern versus Fribourg-Gottéron is the duel between two of the biggest rivals in this league, and one that can captivate the whole of Swiss field hockey. The clash between these two clubs is also special because Fribourg coach Lars Leuenberger led SCB to the championship title in 2016 from a similar starting position to that of Gottéron. Winning the Spengler Cup, the first ever trophy in the club's history, has given Fribourg an additional boost. Nevertheless, SCB is considered the slight favorite, even though it has lost three of four head-to-head duels this season - all of them in overtime or on penalties.
Zug (4th) - Davos (5th)
Zug only overtook Davos in the table in the final round of qualifying, thus securing home ice. The two clubs have already faced each other eight times in the playoffs. The last duel in 2022 was clearly won by Zug with a 4:0 victory in the semi-finals. HCD, the record champions, have only won a single playoff series since 2017. Naturally, the team from Graubünden want to give their captain Andres Ambühl a worthy farewell. This also applies to EVZ's two-time championship-winning coach Dan Tangnes, who will leave the team after seven years together. A quarter-final exit would be a huge disappointment for both sides.
