There is a risk that Oskarshamn and Malmö will have to meet in the playoffs to stay in the SHL.
The question is whether the psychological before such an unsettling series of matches had not already begun.
– Malmö feels somewhat like meeting the goblins in The Lord of the Rings, says Oskarshamn’s frontman, Johannes Salmonsson, to Oskarshamns-Tiedingen.
SHL teams have different playing personalities and identities.
Skellefteå, on the one hand, is a measure with a fast tempo and passing skill.
Perhaps Malmö is the opposite with his physical and midfield game.
36-year-old Johannes Salmonsson commented to all 13 opposing teams about how easy and difficult Oskarshamn was for them statistically.
According to him, Lulea plays “simple hockey”, Örebro doesn’t understand why they are having a hard time because they are “not very good” and Timra says he has “a point almost unmatched by any other team in the league”.
Big Trouble Malmö
Oskarshamn and Malmö are currently 13th and 14th respectively in the table, second last and last in the two qualifying positions.
– Malmö feels like meeting goblins in The Lord of the Rings. It’s big and annoying. You know he’s going to get hurt in the altercation. I still think we dominated the games a lot of times and managed to play them with skill, says Sal.
It’s probably a description Malmö was not entirely unhappy with, considering what team they wanted to be.
On the other hand, Oskarshamn is known for its unrestrained offense with puck-wielding defenders.
“low self-esteem”
On Boxing Day, he is waiting for the bottom meeting against Brenas at his home in Småland.
Brynäs is the team Oskarshamn has the easiest time with 28 points in 14 games.
It is a team that, led by Mikko Manner, started playing a classic management game, similar to Finland’s current under Jukka Jalonen and Djurgården in the 1990s under Lasse Valcke.
– If some teams have a big offer, this may not apply to Brynäs. They don’t play too aggressively, which a lot of other teams do, and that suits us. After all, they haven’t been a great team in recent years, and they probably don’t have that much self-confidence, says Sal.
The last two teams in the SHL meet in a best-of-seven match-up to stay in the Premier League.
