Nitra forced a seventh final game, Slovan failed to convert…

Nitra forced a seventh final game, Slovan failed to convert second match point

29.04.2026 07:00 HotInfo 16

HC Slovan Bratislava forced a decision in a shootout in the fifth final game of the 2025/2026 Tipsport Liga, beating HK Nitra 4:3. The Bratislava team thus built up a decisive advantage in the series played to four wins and holds a championship match point. STVR (Spravy) ↗

The dramatic game was decided in the shootout, where a twenty-year-old Slovan defenseman proved decisive. The home hockey players maintained their series lead in front of their own audience in Slovakia in the fourth final confrontation. Nitra, which exerted enormous pressure in the closing stages of the game, failed to succeed at the most critical moment. ta3.com ↗

However, a turnaround came in the fifth meeting. HK Nitra fended off the first championship match point and defeated HC Slovan Bratislava 5:3 on home ice. According to reports, the Bratislava team did not let up even once and erased a three-goal deficit, but paid the price for disciplinary infractions and penalties. The sequence of goals in the game remained tense right until the end, with Nitra forcing a sixth duel in Bratislava, and the series — with Slovan leading 3:2 — moving back to Bratislava's home turf. SITA ↗

In the sixth meeting, however, Slovan was unable to celebrate the championship title. HK Nitra's hockey players kept alive their hopes of defending their ambitions in the duel on Slovan Bratislava's home ice and fended off a second championship match point as well. Nitra won 5:2 and forced a seventh game of the play-off final. This decisive seventh game will take place on Thursday, April 30, on HK Nitra's home ice under Zobor. The Bratislava club, which had led 3:2 in games, thus lost the chance to close out the series at home and will have to travel to Nitra. teraz.sk ↗

Slovan's hockey players achieved their success in the fifth meeting after a thrilling duel that brought tension and drama right until the very end. Through its individual performances, the Bratislava club gradually built up a psychological edge over its opponent from Nitra. For Nitra, however, the situation represents a superhuman task. The Nitra team gained hope after the dramatic finish, but a complicated situation lies ahead of it. Nitra's key forward Samuel Buček received a one-game disciplinary suspension for a trip in Friday's fourth duel and missed the sixth game. Despite this handicap, Nitra managed to win the sixth meeting and force the decisive seventh game. Slovan will have to focus all its will and experience on the final game in Nitra. STVR (Spravy) ↗

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