The unexpected hero stepped forward when Rögle leveled the final series

TV: Watch highlights from the match on TV4 Play

On Saturday afternoon, the final series began between Skellefteå AIK and Rögle BK. After a tight battle, Linus Lindström was finally able to save his Skellefteå with the only goal of the match in the final minutes.

Thus, it was a home team that set out with wind in their sails in Skellefteå Kraft Arena in match two on Monday. But despite this, it was the Scanias who had by far the best start to the match.

It took less than a minute before it rang in the goal frame behind Linus Söderström. This after Rögle star Daniel Zaar broke in from the left wing and tried a shot.

After that, the visitors continued to be the better team, but Söderström and his defense stood on the podium in a battle-filled period, where Skellefteå entered the game in the closing minutes.

Pudas stepped off – after Zaar’s tackle

In the second period it was a Skellefteå that worked its way into the match more and more, but in the middle of the period the home team went on a heavy blow.

Back gear Jonathan Pudas sent a puck up from his own zone. When the puck was gone, Pudas then went on a tough tackle from Rögle’s Daniel Zaar. Pudas was left lying down before he got off the ice and down to the locker room.

The situation aroused strong emotions in the arena, but despite Pudas being seriously blacked out, the refereeing team, after a brief deliberation, announced that Zaar’s tackle did not result in any penalty. This, at the same time that Puda’s match was over with the tackle, meant that Skellefteå lost its momentum and the second period was also goalless.

Bichsel broke the Rögle drought

In the third period, the game opened up a bit and both teams created a lot of opportunities to break the deadlock and finally the payoff would come.

After half the period, Rodrigo Abols broke the puck in the center zone. Abols then found his way to Lian Bichsel, who got a powerful shot that whizzed in behind Linus Söderström and Rögle’s first goal in five and a half periods in the final series, and Bichsel’s first in the playoffs was a fact.

After Bichsel’s accomplished everything in his power to bring about a final forcing. But the pursuit of an equalizer was fruitless for Robert Ohlsson’s team, who had to see themselves defeated with the final score 0–1.

The victory means that Rögle has now leveled the final series at 1–1 in games. Next is a much-needed rest before it’s time for match three in the Catena Arena in Ängelholm on Thursday.