4:2 win in game 3 – ZSC Lions advance again after a double blow – Sport

• The ZSC Lions win game 3 of the playoff final against Lausanne at home 4-2.
• A double strike after half the game by Yannick Weber and Denis Malgin gave the Lions a turnaround.
• The Zurich team now leads the series 2-1, game 4 takes place on Tuesday in Lausanne.

Playing in a playoff final on his 25th birthday would probably be gift enough for some ice hockey players. This was obviously not enough for Justin Sigrist. In the 56th minute, the ZSC striker was suddenly able to rush at Lausanne goalkeeper Connor Hughes all alone after a face-off in his own zone. Sigrist kept his nerve and not only rewarded himself but also his team with the goal.

The 4:2 was the final decision in another thrilling final game. Thanks to two former NHL mercenaries, the Lions turned the game around shortly after the middle of the game:

• 31st minute: The ZSC Lions are following up vehemently. The puck lands on Yannick Weber’s stick, who takes the shot and scores to make it 2-2.
• 33rd minute: At the end of a remarkable Zurich combination, Rudolfs Balcer’s strike partner Denis Malgin launched. The center makes it 3:2 from an acute angle.

Lausanne was completely lost at this point. This didn’t go unnoticed by Coach Geoff Ward, who called his timeout immediately after the third goal was conceded. The breather was enough for his team to put an end to Zurich’s storming fury. However, the guests from Vaud were unable to equalize again either in the middle period or in the third third.

Leading goal with a flaw

The ZSC Lions tried from the start to show a reaction to the first playoff defeat on Thursday. The fact that Fabian Heldner went to the penalty box after just 26 seconds obviously played into the Lions’ hands. In fact, the best power play team in the playoffs knew how to exploit the majority. After 128 seconds, Juho Lammikko finished completely unmarked from the best position and scored to make it 1-0.

However, Zurich’s opening goal had a flaw. Shortly before the goal, ZSC striker Yannick Zehnder checked Lawrence Pilut in the back at the blue line, who was then missing in defense. Despite an overlooked offense, Zurich’s lead was deserved, especially because the home team continued to power. In the 6th minute, Willy Riedi made it 2-0, but the striker was denied by Hughes in the Lausanne goal.

It took Lausanne about 10 minutes to get into the game. The improvement in performance was enough to go into the break with the score even. In the 19th minute, Dario Trutmann deflected a shot from Théo Rochette into his own goal. Things got even better for the Vaudois after the first break: At the beginning of the middle period, Pilut scored to give Lausanne the lead for the first time. However, this only lasted until shortly after the middle of the game.

This is how it goes

For once, the actors now have a two-day break before they continue on Tuesday in the Vaudoise Aréna. A first break in this final series could already be a small preliminary decision for the ZSC. In any case, only two wins separate them from the cup.