In February, Brynäs wrote SHL history as the newcomer who scored the most points. On Saturday, the team took a big step towards making history again.
HV71 was defeated 6–3 at home in Gävle, and Brynäs now tops the SHL table with 97 points and four matches remaining on their schedule. No newcomer has ever won the SHL, according to the website Hockeysverige.se.
Frölunda, who beat Malmö 3–0, and Färjestad, who won 4–2 against Timrå, can no longer catch up with Brynäs. Both teams are on 84 points.
Luleå, on the other hand, can still slip past – thanks to three goals in the final period away against Leksand. The 0–1 deficit was turned into a 3–1 victory. With 86 points, the gap to Brynäs is eleven points with twelve matches remaining to play.
Brynäs will definitely celebrate the series victory with a win at home against Växjö on Tuesday.
The skilled defenseman Victor Söderström, who returned from North America before the season, was involved in four of six goals forward with one goal and three assists for his Brynäs.
With the loss to Brynäs, bottom-placed HV71 is once again close to negative SHL qualifying. The gap to second-to-last Modo is currently six points, and to 12th-placed Linköping, it is seven.
Linköping failed to take important points. Skellefteå won away with 5–2 and is only one point ahead of Modo.
