As the National League wants to finish their season by May 15, it became necessary to change the mode for the semifinals to a Best-of-5 format.
EV Zug (1), who defeated SC Bern (9) in Game 6 with 0-1, will face the SC Rapperswil-Jona Lakers (10). The ZSC Lions (5), who qualified for the semifinals with a 3-0 win over Lausanne HC (4) in Game 6, will fight it out with Genève-Servette HC (6).
According to SRF, it is only the second time since the introduction of the Best-of-7 series in the 1997-98 season that three of the four top teams in the standings after the regular season have been eliminated in the quarterfinals.
If Zug had lost as well, it would have been the first time since the introduction of the playoffs in the 1985-86 season that the four higher-placed teams would have failed to qualify for the semifinals.
