Brynäs is largely ready for qualification.
Then Timrå offered a nice gesture right after the final whistle.
– Don’t let them suffer, says Timrå’s coach Ante Karlsson.
There were disappointed faces in Brynäs on Tuesday. Just a month or so ago, it looked quite clear that it would be HV71 who would join the Malmö Redhawks in a negative qualification to stay in the SHL, but instead it is Brynäs who now has to fight to stay in the top league.
Ready for qualifiers
The Gävle team’s form in recent times has been disastrous, while HV71 started to win the match at just the right time. Tuesday was a really fateful day for Brynäs, when they faced Timrå at Bortais, and three points were really a must, while they needed help from Skellefteå, who faced HV71.
But both results went against Brynäs. There was a 0-4 loss in Timrå, while HV71 won with a clear 3-0 on home ice against Skellefteå. This means that the distance before the very last regular season round of the SHL is three points, but also a whopping 16 in goal difference. It is therefore clear in practice that there will be a qualifier against Malmö for Brynäs, and afterwards it was quite a gloomy expression.
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Nice gesture
But at least they didn’t have to attend the usual press conference afterwards. Brynäs locked himself in the dressing room for a while after the final whistle, and then Timrå took the opportunity to spare his rival. The team’s coach, Ante Karlsson, took the initiative to cancel the press conference.
– Don’t let them stand and suffer, says Ante Karlsson, according to Aftonbladet.
As if the misery for Brynäs wasn’t enough, they also got their team captain Anton Rödin injured in the warm-up. Whether he will be there when it is decided which team will remain in the SHL until next year or not remains to be seen. Malmö Redhawks are four points behind Brynäs in the table.
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