SHL Playoffs: Skelleftea a win away from sweeping champions Lulea in semi-finals

[p]Having been pushed to the limit in the SHL's longest match in the opening game, the number one seeds had a much more comfortable night in game two to ensure they travelled north with a two-game advantage.[/p][p]That looked to be in danger after just four minutes this evening, [b]as [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/lulea/0QhOwF1e/"]Lulea[/a] moved the puck well at the blue line before [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/sellgren-jesper/MVLR3dJL/"]Jesper Sellgren[/a]'s shot from distance was deflected in by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/hedqvist-isac/tjQztRYE/"]Isac Hedqvist[/a] to put the home side ahead[/b] in a match for the first time in the series.[/p][p]But their lead lasted until the final minute of the first period, [b]when [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/stjernborg-victor/IksTRyYi/"]Victor Stjernborg[/a] injected some pace into [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/skelleftea/8jdWygW7/"]Skelleftea[/a]'s game before laying the puck off to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/bryggman-lars/boWd01ar/"]Lars Bryggman[/a], who had time to pick his spot and fire in the equaliser.[/b][/p][p]That was the away side's sixth shot on goal in a period when they conceded 11, and if that goal swung the momentum of the match, it took time to materialise.[/p][p]After Lulea failed to make the most of a powerplay following holding by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/davidsson-jonathan/WGoq7bVB/"]Jonathan Davidsson[/a], Skelleftea took their chances over the next six minutes, [b]going ahead when [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/okuliar-oliver/SdnRg9M8/"]Oliver Okuliar[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/johnsson-andreas/043KOsZu/"]Andreas Johnson[/a] combined for [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/johansson-pontus/Or8s7TPe/"]Pontus Johansson[/a] to give them the lead with less than five minutes to go in the second.[/b][/p][embed guid="7485d545-23f2-4282-a827-539cc47a8b4f" url="https://x.com/SHLse/status/2042977517091352642" social-type="twitter" /][p][b]Just over two minutes later it was [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/lulea-0QhOwF1e/skelleftea-8jdWygW7/?mid=xlDY7iVb"]3-1[/a], when Bryggman latched onto a loose puck in the attacking zone before setting it back to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/djuse-emil/fqv8tCod/"]Emil Djuse[/a], who got his goal-bound shot away before the Lulea defence could close in.[/b][/p][p]The home side certainly had the chance to set up a grandstand finish in the final seven minutes after [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/lindholm-par/AJK89sPK/"]Par Lindholm[/a] was dismissed for cross-checking, but they failed to find a way through, and a disappointing evening was compounded when [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/laaksonen-oskari/EyuZPdSS/"]Oskari Laaksonen[/a] also received a game misconduct penalty in the final minute for elbowing.[/p][p]But the night belonged to Skelleftea, who can now complete a whitewash in game four on Monday 13th April. Lulea must now come from 3-0 down to win the series 4-3, something that had never been achieved before in the SHL until [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/rogle/j5ve8f1r/"]Rogle[/a] managed it in the quarter-finals earlier this month.[/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/lulea-0QhOwF1e/skelleftea-8jdWygW7/?mid=xlDY7iVb"]Follow the SHL semi-finals on Flashscore.[/a][/b][/p]