In Skellefteå AIK's 4-1 win over Malmö Redhawks in game one of the SHL quarterfinals, defenceman Emil Djuse scored his first goal in 58 games—a slapshot in the third period that ended a 1.5-year drought. He reflected on his nerves after nearly scoring earlier.
Djuse's goal made it 3-1 for Skellefteå, following Malmö's early lead via Lauri Pajuniemi and quick responses from the home side. An empty-netter sealed the 4-1 victory, giving Skellefteå a 1-0 series lead.
“When you haven't scored a goal for a year and a half, you're not so calm in those situations,” Djuse told TV4 after missing an early chance before finally netting.
“It's quite shocking when I score, as usual. It’s been a long time, so it felt good to see it go in,” he added.
The drought, with zero goals last season and in the regular season, had been a team talking point. Djuse called it a 'fresh start' and praised Skellefteå's discipline: “We give them momentum when sloppy in our zone, but over 60 minutes we played a good match.” This milestone caps a strong performance in the opener. Part of ongoing coverage of the Skellefteå–Malmö SHL quarterfinal series.
