After the losses against Djurgården and Södertälje, Björklöven is closer to seventh place than to a secured place in the quarter-finals.
Umeå’s hockey pride is on its way to its worst final position in five years.
– We are a good team and I don’t think there are very many people who want to face Björklöven in a playoff in a quarter-final, says Löven coach Viktor Stråhle.
Just like in the series premiere in September, Björklöven had to go home empty-handed from Hovet in Stockholm after a loss against Djurgården.
The Leafs reduced to 2-1 with a little less than three minutes left in the third period through Fredric Weigel. But that was also all on 31 shots on goal.
– I think we start the match quite well and I think we play perhaps one of our better matches against Djurgården. Above all here at Hovet. We don’t allow as much two-on-one and three-on-two as we have done before against Djurgården. We are denser, we are tighter and we choose our positions when to forecheck and when to be a little more destructive in our way of playing. That balance is good, says Björklöven’s coach Viktor Stråhle.
Stråhle’s criticism at the first goal behind
He was not quite as satisfied with Djurgården’s 1-0 after 6.55 in the first period when defender Kalle Loponen was able to slot the puck in behind Niklas Svedberg fairly undisturbed.
– I think that we lose our way on the first goal somewhat duplicitously. A serious system error where we are completely wrong against what we have agreed on in the drawing. It’s too bad, says Stråhle.
Björklöven was thus beaten by both Södertälje (3–0) and Djurgården (2–1) on their 08 tour. – Against both Södertälje and Djurgården we concede two away goals, then we have to come away with points. We have too little goal shooting today. We fall for that. Back Kim Johansson broke the game after two substitutions.
Johansson out injured after two substitutions
– It’s nothing ugly, but he gets hurt, absolutely. He got hit. I think he got the visor up. I do not know exactly. It was probably more of a safety measure. I hope. I haven’t had time to talk to them yet, says Stråhle.
Any hope of getting Nick Schilkey or Myles Powell back in action before the playoffs?
– The fact is that there is no media training here, that I’m going dark, but I actually don’t know. It really is day to day. I really do not know. Björklöven is six points behind fifth-placed Djurgården, who have played one game less. Much suggests that Löven will finish sixth – the team’s worst position in the regular season since 2019 when they finished tenth.
– Now it’s not finished yet, we have to play and then we’ll see what happens. We’ll take it match by match. But regardless, if you have to go up, you have to knock everyone out, so it probably doesn’t matter where you end up. Historically, absolutely, but we are a good team and I don’t think there are very many people who want to face Björklöven in a playoff in a quarterfinal, says Viktor Stråhle.
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