Who will take the lead in the DEL Final?
Coach Dallas Eakins’ home team is back in a DEL Final for the first time since winning the title in 2019 and is relying primarily on its strong defense in the final series. With Nicolas Mattinen, they have this season’s “Defenseman of the Year” in their ranks, and with Maximilian Franzreb—who transferred from the Fischtown Pinguins to Mannheim for the 2025–26 season—they also have the DEB national team goalie at their disposal.
The solid defense secured the Eagles second place after the regular season, and with an average of 2.34 goals against, they boasted the best defensive record. Given this, for Game 1 between the Adler Mannheim and Eisbären Berlin, we predict a maximum of two goals for the team from the capital.
Furthermore, we expect a home win. The visitors will take the ice against Mannheim somewhat more fatigued by comparison. While Mannheim secured their spot in the final last week, the Eisbären had to battle through a particularly grueling series in the semifinals against the Kölner Haie.
The hockey players from the Rhine were the best team after the regular season, and it took the Berliners six games to finally defeat their opponents. As a result, the Berliners have had significantly less recovery time. However, we also believe Jonas Müller is capable of scoring a goal for the visitors.
Adler Mannheim – Eisbären Berlin Head-to-Head Record
The teams have already faced each other once this year in March, with the Eisbären securing a 4-2 victory on home ice. In Mannheim, however, the team led by Canadian coach Serge Aubin suffered defeats in each of their last two away games, and the hosts’ offense in particular really turned it on, scoring seven and eight goals in those matches.
Adler Mannheim – Eisbären Berlin Prediction
The Eisbären are in a DEL final for the fifth time since 2021! They were actually the slight underdogs in the last semifinal against the Haie, but their extensive playoff experience helped the visitors reach the final once again.
In this final, however, the champions of the last two seasons will take the ice more rested than their opponents from the Kurpfalz region. Thanks to their commanding 4-1 victories over the Fischtown Pinguins and EHC Red Bull Munich, the Adler have played two fewer playoff games than their opponent, who was also still battling in their semifinal against the Kölner Haie as recently as last Monday night.
Furthermore, the home team will take the ice highly motivated in front of their own fans. After the eight-time German champions were eliminated in the playoff semifinals four times in the last five years, the euphoria over the long-awaited trip to the finals is immense within the club and among the fan base.
Moreover, it is clear that the roster is ideally suited for a championship run, and the defense has been the best in the DEL this season. Given this situation, for Game 1 at the SAP Arena between the Adler Mannheim and the Berliner Eisbären, we are betting on the visitors scoring no more than two goals.
This prediction is supported by the capital city team’s strained roster situation: the list of injured players—including goalie Jake Hildebrand, forward Lean Bergmann, and defenseman Korbinian Geibel—is far from short and spans all parts of the team.
