David Tomasek, newly arrived in Sweden, played over 20 minutes in HV71's rivalry game against Frölunda despite not having played since December 14. He struggled with breathing and fatigue from jetlag but praised his team's performance. A penalty he took allowed Frölunda to extend their lead to 4-2.
David Tomasek has endured a whirlwind start to his time with HV71 in the Swedish Hockey League. Having arrived in Sweden just over two days ago, the forward last saw game action on December 14, when his former team, the Edmonton Oilers, faced the Toronto Maple Leafs. In the intense matchup against league-leading Frölunda, Tomasek logged more than 20 minutes of ice time, his highest since last season.
Tomasek brought energy and pace to the ice early on, but the lack of recent play and travel effects soon took a toll. 'I couldn't breathe as I wanted, and my legs were tired during the second half of the game,' he said. 'I shouldn't be too hard on myself, but you always want to help the team.' He added that jetlag persists, with wake-ups as early as 3 a.m. most mornings, improving only slightly to 5 a.m. that day. 'It's been tough, and I look forward to things normalizing,' Tomasek noted.
Early in the third period, with Frölunda ahead 3-2, Tomasek received a high-stick penalty. Frölunda capitalized on the power play as Linus Högberg scored to make it 4-2. Reflecting on the infraction, Tomasek expressed regret: 'It was a bad penalty; I destroyed our momentum. It wasn't my intention to injure him; I was just trying to protect myself.'
Despite the setback, Tomasek highlighted positives from HV71, who sit sixth in the standings. He assisted Oskar Steen on a goal that was later disallowed but commended the group's resilience. 'I thought we were very good. There were a couple of unlucky goals, but that's what happens when you're sixth and facing the leaders,' he said. 'We can build on this; I'm impressed by what I saw from the team.'
