NHL star would be ready, but still has to wait for the green light / Greiss “takes it day by day”
The big topic was obvious: In addition to the 3-2 victory after a penalty shootout over Slovakia on Wednesday, one question above all came to mind during training this Thursday: What about the German players from the NHL who were with us last night their clubs have withdrawn from the game? Both Leon Draisaitl (Edmonton Oilers) and Philipp Grubauer (Washington Capitals) failed with their clubs.
“I had contact with Leon in the morning. He wants to come and is ready,” said national coach Marco Sturm, but pointed out that we still have to wait and see how things develop. According to Sturm, there are, among other things, “insurance reasons,” which is why it is not yet entirely clear when we can expect the NHL star to arrive. He wanted to contact Philipp Grubauer in the afternoon.
Meanwhile, Patrick Reimer looked back at the match against Slovakia. “We found a way to win the game,” said the goalscorer happily after making it 1:2 and felt confirmed: “We shouldn’t think that it will be easier now.” Dennis Seidenberg also warned: “The important thing is in Above all, in the coming games, we will become more courageous.” With Denmark on Friday, “another chunk is ahead”.
Thomas Greiss missed training on Thursday. The keeper is suffering from an upper body injury. “You have to see him from day to day and then decide,” said Sturm about the condition of the goalkeeper, who left the ice very early and surprisingly after the Slovaks’ first goal. Danny from the Birches took over his position. “We will see how Thomas is doing tomorrow after training and then make a decision the evening before the match at the latest,” said Sturm.