Erik Karlsson’s monster success continues.
Last night he scored two goals – and that meant new history.
Now, no Swedish defender has ever scored more points in a single season.
Victor Hedman has been Sweden’s best defender in the NHL for a few years, and he has also subscribed to final places in the vote to be the world’s best defender. Last year, the Tampa Bay back scored a whopping 85 points, and that meant a new Swedish record for a back in one and the same season.
Incomparable success
However, the listing only had to stand for a good 11 months, because now a new Swede has taken over the place on the historic throne. Erik Karlsson has been the entire NHL’s biggest exclamation mark this winter after a few leaden years, filled with injuries and weak performances. But the comeback has been amazing to watch, and last night only continued the success.
In the tough away game against the Edmonton Oilers, Karlsson stepped into the proceedings when the score was 2-2. Karlsson got the puck in front of the goal, and spun the Edmonton goalkeeper as coolly as possible, before flicking the puck into the open goal. A real dream goal, and shortly after another goal followed, and his two strikes saved a point for the Sharks, as the game finished 4-4 after regular time.
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New Swedish ketta
But for Erik Karlsson, the goals also meant something on a personal level. Karlsson has now scored a whopping 87 points, which is two more than Hedman’s record last year, and Karlsson is thus the defender from Sweden who has scored the most points in one and the same season – ever. And then it’s important to remember that Karlsson has eleven(!) games left to play.
If Erik Karlsson just continues to produce like he did earlier in the season, it speaks volumes that he can become the all-time leading scorer in one season, after the completely superior Bobby Orr and Paul Coffey, who in the 70’s and 80’s which most accounted for 139 and 138 points respectively in one and the same season.
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