Full speed ahead seemed to be Timrå's strategy when they received Luleå in the SHL ice hockey on Saturday. The home team stepped onto the ice with a heavy loss streak on their back – five straight losses, including one after overtime. With that, Timrå was the league's weakest team in terms of form.
It didn't get better after the meeting with Luleå – and the gas at the bottom might be a tactic Timrå needs to review.
Despite many chances forward for the home team, not least in power play, there was too much sloppiness in the back, and when Luleå made it 4–2 in the end of the second period, Jacob Johansson had to leave the Timrå goal for Tim Juel.
"It's sloppy"
We let in cheap goals and don't take advantage of our chances in power play. I think it's sloppy, like it's been in the last matches. Then we have good chances, but some hit the crossbar and some go just outside, we're there but it doesn't matter when they don't go in, said Timrå's Filip Hållander in TV4 Play after two played periods.
It continued on the tough road also in the third period, when Timrå seemed to have reduced to 3–4. The home crowd's cheers were silenced after a video review where the referees made the assessment that a Timrå player had been in the goal area and disturbed Joel Lassinantti – and the goal was disqualified.
"Damn good with a break"
Instead, Luleå could set 5–2 in an empty goal, which also became the final result. Now a national team break awaits in the SHL – something that comes conveniently, according to Timrå's captain Anton Lander.
Damn good that there's a break. We're in an incredibly bad trend, we're playing bad hockey. We can leave our brains here and not think about hockey, get back the energy and the glow. Right now, it's heavy heads, he says.
