Young players continue to make their mark in the SHL. Both draft-eligible Ivar Stenberg and Chicago Blackhawks prospect Anton Frondell scored their first goals of the season on Saturday afternoon. Stenberg’s tally dealt another blow to HV71, who dropped their sixth straight game.

In Linköping, LHC continue to struggle after a loss to Malmö. Meanwhile, things look brighter in Gothenburg and Växjö, where their teams sit near the top of the standings. Read about that and more in today’s SHL roundup.

HV71 1 – Frölunda 2

The pressure on HV71 grew after today’s game. Despite the difficult situation, HV71 stood up well against top side Frölunda.

An individual mistake by HV midway through the first period gave Frölunda the lead. Detroit Red Wings prospect Noah Dower-Nilsson pounced on a misplaced pass behind the goal line and set up Jacob Petersson for the 1–0 goal. It was Dower-Nilsson’s third point in his first four SHL games this season.

In the second period, HV71 finally got their long-awaited equalizer. Aleksi Heponiemi struck on the power play, a much-needed relief for the home side. But it didn’t take long before Frölunda regained their lead. Top prospect Ivar Stenberg poked home the 2–1 goal from close range, which stood as the game-winner. The draft-eligible forward was pleased to notch his first goal of the season.

“I’ve had quite a few chances, so it was nice to see that one go in.” Stenberg continues: “I had the blade ready in case the puck came out in front of the net,” says Ivar Stenberg to TV4 after his goal.

After the game, HV71’s coach Anton Blomqvist was frustrated. When asked what he was most frustrated about, Blomqvist answered concisely to TV4: “That we’re not getting results with us.”

Blomqvist still chose to highlight the positives from today’s game.

“I think we play a pretty good game overall. What’s frustrating once again is obviously that the points are missing. Over the last six periods, we’ve had just one goal scorer among all our forwards at five-on-five. We got one on the power play today, but at five-on-five it’s only Justin Kloos who has scored in the recent games. We put together some good hockey today, and we need to be rewarded for that,” says HV’s coach Blomqvist to TV4 after the game.

Färjestad BK 2 – Växjö Lakers 4

Växjö are right on Frölunda’s heels at the top of the standings, sitting on 15 points from six games after Saturday’s action. Beating Färjestad on their home ice on a Saturday is no easy task, but Dennis Rasmussen gave Växjö a 3–2 lead midway through the game. In the third period, they held firm and sealed it with an empty-netter to make it 4–2.

Leksands IF 1 – Luleå HF 4

Leksand came off an entertaining game last time out, beating Skellefteå 8–5 at home. On Saturday they faced another tough challenge with Luleå coming to town. Last year’s championship hero Pontus Andreasson scored his first of the season to make it 2–1 for Luleå midway through the second period. It stood as the game-winner, with Luleå adding two empty-netters late to seal the win.

Örebro HK 0 – Skellefteå 3

Skellefteå continue to be a conundrum in this year’s SHL. On Thursday they allowed eight goals against Leksand, but today was a completely different story. They shut out Örebro and won 3–0 with a defensive clinic. Defenseman Pontus Johansson scored the game-winner midway through the second for Skellefteå.

Djurgårdens IF 4 – Timrå IK 2

Djurgården opened the week with a heavy loss to Frölunda but have bounced back since. After beating Luleå on Thursday, they added another win today. In the 4–2 victory over Timrå, Chicago Blackhawks prospect Anton Frondell made it 4–1 midway through the third period to put the game out of reach. The goal was Frondell’s first in the SHL.

Linköping HC 2 – Malmö Redhawks 5

Linköping picked up their first win of the season on Thursday and were looking to build on that momentum today. But Malmö proved too strong on Saturday night. Eskild Bakke Olsen tied the game in the second period for Linköping, but Malmö pulled away with three more goals to finish with a 5–2 win. San Jose Sharks 2020 draft pick Linus Öberg was the star of the game, scoring a hat trick and adding an assist.

Rögle BK 4 – Brynäs IF 3

Many pundits had Brynäs picked as favorites heading into the season, but they still haven’t found their game. Against Rögle, the home side struck first, opening the scoring with a well-worked power-play goal. Nashville Predators prospect Felix Nilsson picked up an assist on the play.

 Rögle stayed a step ahead throughout the game. With two minutes left, they made it 4–2 and effectively sealed the win. Brynäs’ Jakob Silfverberg pulled one back with 18 seconds remaining, but the visitors couldn’t get any closer.

“It’s a step forward compared to the last game, but I still think we’re having trouble getting the offensive zone time we want. There’s a bit too much back and forth, and that makes it tough to play. We have to find a way to break out of our own zone. Today there was a lot of play along the boards, and it’s hard to get enough passes that way, so we don’t really generate the speed we need,” says Jakob Silfverberg to TV4 after the game.

SHL: Carolina Hurricanes Prospect Shows Promise In today’s SHL action, Carolina Hurricanes prospect Noel Fransén showed his skill with a slick move at the offensive blue line. His goal helped Färjestad to a 4–3 win over Frölunda.