HV71 secured a convincing 6-1 win over Djurgården at Hovet, dedicating the victory to their general manager Björn Liljander, who was placed on indefinite sick leave earlier that day. The game featured strong performances from HV71 forwards and a fight in the first period. Djurgården struggled defensively, allowing the most goals in the SHL this season.
The match took place on Thursday evening at Hovet in Stockholm, hours after HV71 announced that general manager Björn Liljander would be on sick leave indefinitely. Assisterande sportchefen Fredrik Stillman stepped in to handle operations. Despite the news, HV71 rallied, winning all three periods to defeat Djurgården 6-1.
HV71 opened the scoring early when Mattias Tedenby netted the 1-0 goal, assisted by Santeri Hatakka. Before the first intermission, Aleksi Heponiemi made it 2-0 on a rebound from Hugo Fransson. In the second period, during a five-on-three power play, Hugo Pettersson scored the 3-0, again assisted by Heponiemi. Djurgården responded with Oliver Kylington's goal via Martin Johnsen to make it 3-1, but Riley Woods quickly replied for 4-1 after a collision between Kylington and Marcus Krüger. Woods added his second for 5-1 in the third, and Nikola Pasic sealed the 6-1 in shorthanded fashion.
The win moved HV71 to 13th in the SHL, one point from safety. Coach Anton Blomqvist praised the team's unity: "We are going through a tough time as a club right now... but I'm glad we stick together." Tedenby dedicated the victory: "This win was for Björn." Pasic, who scored the final goal, spoke of playing for his late childhood friend Elliott, killed in a car crash last week: "I try to find motivation in playing for him."
Djurgården, fourth in the standings, snapped a four-game win streak. Their defense faltered, having allowed 60 goals this season, the league's worst. Goalie Hugo Hävelid faced 115 shots in five starts, posting a 78.26% save percentage and 5.98 goals against average, the lowest marks in the SHL. Coach Robert Kimby noted: "Many players had a worse day than he did."
A first-period scuffle saw Djurgården's Albin Grewe fight HV71's Axel Rindell after a high stick on Santeri Hatakka. Grewe said: "I got a bit heated."
Blomqvist highlighted goalie Lassi Lehtinen's key saves and the away support: "It feels like home at times." Djurgården's Gustav Lindström criticized his team: "We think we're better than we are after a few wins."
