Unable to recapture their impressive performance against Växjö on Saturday where they won 4-0, an inconsistent Skellefteå AIK slipped to defeat at the hands of Frölunda in the final round of the SHL season. This result sees them finish third in the regular season standings and sets up a quarter-final clash against Linköping.
Skellefteå AIK had a challenging start to the SHL epilogue at Scandinavium, and the visiting team committed as many icing violations, three, as shots on goal in the first period. Nevertheless, the score was tied at 1-1 after 20 minutes. They went on to lose 4-2.
Skellefteå started cautiously at Scandinavium, initially spending a significant amount of time in their own defensive zone and Noah Hasa broke the deadlock at 4:53, firing past Linus Söderström from close range.
Despite a penalty against Måns Forsfjäll offering Frölunda a powerplay opportunity, AIK’s penalty kill unit remained strong and effectively neutralized the threat. However, Forsfjäll found himself penalized again before the period ended, this time for a high stick. Once more, AIK’s penalty kill team held firm.
Filip Sandberg then restored parity for AIK with his twelfth goal of the season, lifting the puck into the net from close range thanks to assists from Oscar Lindberg and Rickard Hugg.
– We need to carry the positives from our penalty kill performance into the next game, Sandberg reflected on TV4’s broadcast.
– Overall, we gave Frölunda too much space and overcomplicated our own play. Our five-on-five play was simply not good enough.
Erik Thorell regained the lead for the home side at 6:04 of the second period, scoring from between the faceoff circles. This goal proved crucial as Frölunda carried their lead into the final period.
The third period saw Frölunda extend their advantage. Jere Innala beat Söderström with a well-placed shot to make it 3-1, followed shortly by a goal from Noah Hasa, who redirected the puck with his skate from close range after gaining position in the slot.
Rickard Hugg pulled one back for AIK with a quick shot assisted by Lindberg, but ultimately, Skellefteå were unable to find another breakthrough and fell to a 4-2 defeat.
Frölunda–Skellefteå AIK 4–2 (1–1, 1–0, 2–1)
Goals: 1–0 (04.53) Noah Hasa (Thorell), 1–1 (18.29) Filip Sandberg (Hugg, Lindberg) five playing four, 2–1 (26.04) Erik Thorell (Tömmernes, Lasu), 3–1 (45.44) Jere Innala (Nässén, Born), 4–1 (47.29) Noah Hasa (Thorell, Öberg), 4–2 (50.31) Rickard Hugg (Lindberg, Sandin Pellikka).
Shots: 23–22 (10–3, 5–8, 8–11).
Penalty minutes: 6–10 (2–4, 4–2, 0–4).
Referees: Mikael Sjöqvist, Andreas Harnebring.
Having secured third place in the SHL, Skellefteå AIK kick off their playoff campaign with a quarter-final series against Linköping. The series gets underway with a pair of home games for AIK on Friday, March 22, and Sunday, March 24, before shifting to Östergötland for the following two games.
