Viggo Björck celebrated his 18th birthday with a goal and an assist as Djurgården defeated Frölunda 3-1 in the SHL. The win avenged earlier heavy losses to the Göteborg side and came before 11,516 fans in Scandinavium. Magnus Hellberg earned his Honken Trophy in a strong performance.
Djurgården secured a strong 3-1 victory over Frölunda in Göteborg, marking a significant turnaround after previous defeats of 11-2 and 6-1 at home, plus a 3-2 overtime loss in December. The match, played in Scandinavium with 11,516 spectators and scouts from 22 NHL clubs present, highlighted the visitors' improving form ahead of the SM-slutspelet.
Björck, the 18-year-old Stockholm native, opened the scoring at 1-0 by deflecting a Joey LaLeggia shot during a faceoff. 'Det är väl en tekning och då står jag stilla så jag rör mig lite inåt och då kommer pucken. Skönt att få hänga en,' Björck told Hockeynews. In the power play, he assisted David Blomgren for the 2-0 goal, with Blomgren firing past Tobias Normann. 'Ja, kul att också vi får göra mål i PP. Skönt,' Björck added.
Björck's day began unusually, woken at 8:15 by a TV4 crew filming on his hotel room, followed by breakfast and a mini-cake. Despite the festivities, he focused on the game, noting the win's importance for potential playoff matchups. 'Inför ett eventuellt slutspel kanske det var viktigt om vi går till kvartsfinal och möter dem och ändå ha en match mot dem så de inte kommer in med 4–0,' he said.
Anton Frondell sealed the result with an empty-net goal, his 19th of the rookie season. 'Jävla näsa för målet du… En superhärlig grabb. Vi är jä-ligt bra polare. Jag unnar honom det,' Björck praised. Hellberg, fresh off winning the Honken Trophy as SHL's top goaltender, was solid, earning a 9-star rating for his calm presence.
Player ratings from Hockeynews praised the team's discipline and execution, with Philip Holm, Colby Sissons, and Jesper Pettersson each at 8 stars for defensive solidity. Djurgården's power play, effective in recent games, continued to deliver.
