WEEKLY RECAP: BRYNÄS BUMPED - AND THRILLING QUARTERFINALS

Relegation

It's an unfortunate reality of most European sports leagues that, come the end of the regular season, there will be at least one team looking at relegation to a lower tier league. The SHL used to have the possibility of two teams being relegated, but there was also the possibility of no teams being relegated. However, since the pandemic, the format has changed and it is a guarantee that one team will be moving down to Hockey Allsvenskan for the next season.

This season saw The Malmö Redhawks and Brynäs competing in the relegation series, as they finished 14th and 13th in the regular season, respectively. This was Malmös first relegation series since their promotion in 2015 and Brynäs has played in two of the last three relegation series, beating HV71 and saving themselves in 2021.

This years relegation series started off with Malmö handing Brynäs three straight losses in the best of seven series, outscoring their opponent 14-7 in those three victories. In the history of the SHL, no team has ever overcome a three game deficit. Only four teams since 1942 in the NHL have accomplished that feat and only six teams throughout the European hockey leagues have managed to mount a successful comeback after going down three games to none. In fact, throughout all professional sports that use the seven game series model, overcoming a three game deficit is one of the rarest achievements in sports. So, coming into this week, Brynäs knew they were staring down the very real possibility of relegation. 

Brynäs

Brynäs has been the longest running and one of the most successful teams in SHL history. Dating all the way back to their inception in 1960, they have never once been bumped from Swedens top league. Over that 63 year span they have won 13 Swedish Championships, the second most of any team in the history of the league. Their most recent Championship came in 2012 and, since 1998, they have saved themselves from relegation four times. 

Some notable players throughout the teams history include Börje Salming, Brian Rafalski, Fredrik Modin, Chris Phillips and Jacob Markström, among others. 

Game 4

As previously stated, Brynäs came into this week looking at a possible sweep and their time in the SHL coming to an end. Game four took place on Tuesday evening in Malmö. Brynäs couldn't have asked for a better start as they came out firing on all cylinders and, despite giving up the first goal of the game, answered back with a trio of goals, two coming from Linus Ölund. Johan Larsson and Samuel Johanesson both had asssists on all three goals in the first frame. 

Despite their offensive dominance in the first period, the second would not go the way Brynäs had hoped. Malmö, in front of the hometown crowd, managed to battle back and pot a pair of goals in the second period, tying the game at three heading into the final frame of regulation. 

Despite six goals being scored in the first two periods, neither team was able to break the deadlock in regulation and the third period would end without a goal. 

Overtime would not last very long as Greg Scott would be the hero Brynäs needed as he rippled the mesh just over six minutes into the frame and helped stave off relegation for at least one more game, pulling Brynäs back from the brink and giving them just a glimmer of hope. 

Game 5

The series shifted back to Gävle for game five and, coming off their win, Brynäs were looking for a big performance in front of the hometown crowd. Unfortunately they would not come away with the result they were looking for. There would be just a single goal in sixty minutes of play and it came from Ponthus Westerholm in the seventh minute of play in the third period. Brynäs would not have an answer before the final horn and for the first time in the history of the team, they were relegated. 

A message posted to the social media profiles of Brynäs reads:

"The fact that Brynäs IF for the first time in 63 years has fallen out of the highest series is something the board takes very seriously. We will now in the near future carefully analyse and evaluate both this year's season, but also recent years' results. In this work, all stones must be lifted.

The aim is to create conditions in the best possible way for us to return to SHL as soon as possible - but also to analyse and progressively fix the reasons why we have not been performing at a desirable level for a long time.

Here a serious introspection is needed and now it is hard work that is required to, over time, reach where we wish and where we want.

With this, the board would like to express a big and warm thank you to club director Håkan Svedman and all the employees of the organization who together have strived to their utmost.

We also want to send a big thank you to all the partners, members, audience and supporters of the association. Thank you for the huge support you show for Brynäs IF both in success and adversity. It means everything and we hope that the association is followed with the same love in the 2023/24 season."

Playoffs

Despite Brynäs catching most of the headlines this week the regular SHL post season was, of course, continuing.

Despite putting up a commendable effort against an arguably better team, Rögle was the first to bow out of the quarterfinals this week and Skellefteå punched their ticket to the semi finals with a 3-2 overtime victory in game 6 on Sunday afternoon.

Luleå came into game 5 down 3-1 in the series against Växjö. Unlike Rögle, however, they were able to sneak out a narrow victory in game 5 in Växjö Friday night, something most teams have been unable to accomplish this season. Led by a 32 save shutout by Joel Lassinantti, his second of the series, they came away with a 1-0 victory.  After another solid effort by Joel Lassinantti and his teammates Sunday afternoon they were able to force game 7 by winning game 6 with 2-1. 

Despite starting strong with a 2-0 series lead, Örebro has allowed Timrå to bounce back. Last evenings game 6 was a nail biter with both teams scoring in all three periods. However, it was Timrås two goal third period that made the difference as they came away with a 4-3 victory to force a final and decisive game 7 on Wednesday night.

Frölunda came into game 6 last night up 3 games to 2 in the series and were looking to close it out in front of a sold out home crowd at Scandinavium. Unfortunately for them they would not get the result they wanted. Färjestad, just like Timrå, would also score a pair of goals in the third period, which proved to make the difference. They would come away with the 4-2 victory, which means we will have a pair of game 7's on Thursday evening. One in Örebro and the other in Karlstad.