Malmö’s qualifying start to the SHL was great.
And open the trap door to others.
I can already sense the initial anxiety in both Gävle and Jönköping.
The question of who will qualify this spring seems suddenly wide open.
It was another victory and an 8-4 for Thomas Kollar’s thrilling squad, which continues to impress.
In Sunday’s lone SHL game, they turned around and won against the Jumbo Brynäs, although they let successful goalkeeper Daniel Marmenlind rest and put Adam Werner in the penalty area.
Worked too.
Malmö is now just one point behind league leaders Skelleftea, despite two games at the Western Bottoms at the limp table.
They’re the SHL’s biggest surprise team so far.
Personally, I had Scania in the playoffs like many others before this season, but I actually chose the stupid cone.
For safety.
Because of the way they looked in the first five games, I can’t see them getting there at the end.
Tomas Kollar created the team machine, which has already defeated both Rögle and Skellefteå and is yet to lose.
Manner can be the first to smoke
He’s coach of the year so far, despite being the least experienced of all.
I’ve followed Kollar throughout my years as a player, and although he wasn’t talented with sticks or on skates, he was that kind and always sacrificed ruthlessly and never gave up. Looks like he got that enthusiasm in the team he’s coaching as well.
Players witness an entirely new dynamic in the group and crystal clear directions.
Everyone knows what to do out there on the ice.
He appears.
At the same time, it may be an underestimation of current zoo coach Joachim Wagerfall, who was fired when Kollar took charge last season.
But at the same time I expected Thomas Kollar to be the first coach to resign this season.
Now leaning more and more towards Finn Mikko Maner in this case.
It’s been a long time since I’ve seen the pair fall apart, when the Brenas lost 4-3 resulting in a 4-8 loss.
Brynäs who signed both top goalkeeper Anders Lindbäck, Finnish Olympic and World Cup winner and NHL player Johan Larsson.
The result yet?
Pie.
Retroactive compensation for Malmo
Like I said, it’s still early days, but the five, six, seven games played at the limp table are still ten percent of the season.
The triple indicator is still enough to climb three or four places – but a bad start affects mood and self-confidence.
The same way a good start gets off the ground.
And when I look closely at Malmö, it is perhaps not surprising that they are where they are.
Thomas Kollar’s team left the qualifying streak after a very strong final race last spring, when he ranked the team.
In the last nine games they have earned nineteen points and lost only two full-time points.
It was against champion Rögle and runner-up Luleå.
Combine that with the start of this year, and you’ll have the absolute best team.
The team that has now lost only two SHL games out of the last fourteen and has an average score of 2.21 points per game. For comparison, Rögle averaged 1.91 points/game when they won the regular season last year.
After all, Malmö is the team that had the fewest players on and off the team before this season, and none of the biggest names left.
They made a big investment before last year’s season, which was a disaster.
Now the reward seems to come retroactively.
There is talk of higher fines and suspensions for shooting and reinforcements, but I wonder if the most effective antidote is not what is happening now.
Diving has become like stimulants.
The harshest punishment is to be hanged and stand alone in a storm and flagged as a cheater.
Here, of course, there was a real change between fans, media and other audiences. It’s really stormy now after every little incident.
There is of course a huge difference in degree compared to steroids, but it is still the same sign of cheating.
I don’t think anyone would want to wear it. It deters more than a few grams.
We already have five convictions in a few games, compared to just one game last year.
And those affected this time, probably won’t do it again.
Otherwise, you can do as in the NHL and have an increased range of fines for each new offense. There, team coaches can also be fined if the team experiences more than four expulsions in a season.
It might be a thing if the misery continues.
Malmö closes on 22/2021
0-3 Lulia, b
3-2 Rugel, b
1-3 Rugel, h
3-1 Djurgarden, h
3-1 Frolunda, b
7-0 Linköping, h
5-2 Linköping, b
4-5 Orebro (penalties)
5-3 Orebro, b
Malmö start in 2022/23
1-2 Rugel, b
3-2 Frolunda, h (overtime)
3-4 HV71, h (penalties)
5-2 Skelleftea, b
8-4 Brenas, h
14 9 3 2 52-3331
Score/match: 2.21