SKELLEFTEÅ. Modou was impressed, but Oscar Lindbergh stole the show.
Here are Jonathan Knekta’s five points from the match.
1. The disrespectful newcomer
Modo finished the pre-season with two bottom matches against Bjorklofen and Timra. They tend to be beaten by almost everyone and barely managed to play their first series together as Finnish stars Mikael Ruhomaa and Sampo Ranta took turns on commentary before the seriousness began. Third intended higher forward? Not signed yet.
Expectations were rock bottom, and knives were sharpened.
But the newcomer must have used the doomsday prophecies as fuel, because it started out quite disrespectfully with a loud stab in the back.
Sam Vigneault won the Modo’s first signing in the SHL seven years ago and since that second they’ve been home players like leeches. Adam Peterson dished out one-two-three cross checks to Oscar Nelson on the corner rim. Niklas Volin sent Simon Robertson halfway into the box and Riley Woods volleyed the ball past Axel Sandin Bjelica after the whistle.
By then we had played seven minutes.
No, Modo will not apologize for being in the SHL and they have to be that way – day in and day out – if they want to stay.
2. Sharif of the future?
Christian Robbins may be driven, but you don’t drive him in the first place. Coach Matthias Karlin praised the journey of Modo, who is 195 cm tall and weighs 105 kg. The 25-year-old kept a clean sheet in front of his own goal, acted with poise all over the ice and was Modo’s best player in competition with goalkeeper Lasse Lehtinen.
In addition, he scored Modou’s only goal. When Latvia won the World Championship bronze-medal game at home in Riga last spring, it was the Robins who tied the game for the first time late in the third period, then settled it in overtime. Has Robbins, viewed as the prototypical defensive back, suddenly become an offensive weapon? The question had to be asked.
“I hope so,” Robbins smiled afterward, before quickly pointing out that defense remains his main focus. You shouldn’t go too far with a premiere, but Robbins was convinced of that.
3. The return of David Rundblad…
For David Rundblad, it was a special match. The new Modo captain was shocked as he had not done much media work for a long time when he was the first choice of almost every journalist who wanted Modorost after the final whistle.
The 32-year-old, who made his breakthrough at Skellefteå twelve years ago and still has a summer spot in the city, has been responsible for a stable comeback in the SHL without impressing.
4. …fading from the poles
On the other hand, Rundblad’s friend from his early days in Skellefteå did just that. The two stood for a long time talking to each other after they changed and there was no doubt who was the king of the evening. His name is Oscar Lindberg, and if I were to do something stupid like nominate an early candidate for MVP of the season, Lindberg would get my vote.
Save my beer, I might say Linus Omark and Henrik Tomernes, but in a Skellefteå that lost both Joakim Lindström and Oscar Möller (indefinitely), signing Lindberg was essential for Skellefteå if they wanted to reach another final.
The wise and hard-working two-way player picked up a tifo before relegation and was thanked by turning the 0-1 scoreline into a win all by himself. We’ll see the way he scored 1-1 straight in the Powerplay several times this winter and during the penalty decision he was the safety himself. He also has the ability to create an entire team with his back passes, which is great in itself.
5. Emotions
The premiere had to be something extra, and several times a real fire broke out between the players. What was even more fun to witness was when Axel Sandin Bjelica, the 18-year-old Skellefteå talent, delivered a physical Modo monster to center tank Sam Vigneault, who is ten years older and a head taller. In the overtime match, Modo’s Sebastian Olsson and Skellefteå’s Oscar Nilsson were each awarded five points for roughness.
Feel free to maintain this intensity for another 51 rounds.
thank you In advance.