Weekly Recap: Redhawks Widen the Gap

Malmö

Coming into the week, the Malmö Redhawks were not guaranteed to be free and clear of the bottom two spots come the end of the regular season. However, they did themselves a favour this week with two big wins to give themselves some much needed separation from HV71 in 13th. 

Their first game of the week on Tuesday evening was certainly their biggest test. Facing off against Frölunda in Scandinavium is no easy task, even for the best teams in the league. Coming into the game Frölunda had been on a nine game home winning streak and have boasted strong play at home all season long. However, Malmö was able to bring that streak to an end.  

Frölunda opened the scoring with their only tally of the game early in the second period. Malmö answered quickly and the game was tied at one after 40 minutes. Third period was all Malmö, however, as they rippled the mesh three times and came away with a huge 4-1 victory. More importantly they grabbed a three point victory.

Game number two on the week came against Oskarshamn, a team that knows they are going to be playing for their SHL livelihood come the end of the regular season. This game, unlike Tuesdays matchup, was a home game for Malmö and they put on a good show for their fans. The Redhawks would score three unanswered goals in the first two periods, however Oskarshamn would pot one of their own with just two seconds remaining in the second frame. Unfortunately for Oskarshamn that is all the offence they would muster and a single goal in the third period would seal the deal for Malmö as they came away with yet another 4-1 win. 

Their final game of the week also ended in a 4-1 score but unfortunately, for Malmö, they were the losing team against Leksand on Saturday.

Despite the loss, the 6 points they earned this week puts the Malmö Redhawks a comfortable nine points ahead of HV71. The team from Jönköping did not do themselves any favours as they lost all three of their games in regulation over the past seven days. With just four games remaining in the season, it's looking very much like HV71 will once again be fighting to stay in the SHL. Meanwhile, Malmö is still in the hunt for a potential playoff spot as they sit just three points outside of the top ten. They will be competing against both MoDo and Rögle for that final berth in the post season.

Should there be a tie in points in the standings after game 52, Malmö is more than likely to get the tie break when it comes to goals for and against. HV71 has no hope of beating them in that category as they currently sit with a -42 in that stat column. MoDo is at -29 and Rögle is at -22. Malmö currently sits with a -12. Malmö's schedule, however, is not a kind one as two of their last four games will be against Växjö (March 5th at home) and Färjestad (March 7th away). They also have a game against MoDo on March 9th that could prove to be a very important game for both teams. 

PETTER ARVIDSON / BILDBYRÅN

Johan Ivarsson and Malmö celebrating.

Simon Forsmark

There were a few contract extensions to report on this week. Timrå has agreed to an extension with their young defender Simon Forsmark. Forsmark has had a breakout season this year scoring 6 goals and adding 13 assists and currently sits second in defensive scoring on the team. The Carolina Hurricanes draft pick was signed with Timrå until the end of next season, but the team and him have come to an agreement that will see him remain with Timrå for one extra season. 

- With Simon, we get a player who follows Timrå IK's plans for the present and future to our back side. Simon has shown very good development and has taken a place in our top 6, I also think we will see even more development from Simon in the future as well, says Timrå's sporting director Kimmo Kapanen

The contract is valid until the end of the 2025/26 season.

Ty Rattie

A big singing this week is one Linköping fans will be rejoicing about as LHC and Ty Rattie have agreed to a new contract extension. The 31 year old Canadian is in his second season with LHC and is having a career year. He has been one of the major factors in the teams success this season scoring 20 goals and adding 23 assists so far. 

- Ty Rattie's extension with Linköping Hockey Club feels fantastic. He had an opportunity to choose to play overseas after this season, so it feels very good for us that somewhere we can close that door. Ty is one of the league's dangerous shooters and a player who fights for the absolute top scorer, says Peter Jakobsson, sports director in Linköping.

Just like his Captain, Oscar Fantenberg, who signed an extension recently as well, Rattie has decided to waive his contract clause that would allow him to leave to play in Switzerland. This new extension will see Rattie remain with the club until the end of the 2025/26 season.

FREDRIK KARLSSON / BILDBYRÅN

Ty Rattie.

Jack Connolly

As LHC fans enjoy a key extension this week, Luleå fans have been dealing with the knowledge that Jack Connolly will be retiring at the end of this season. The 34 year old American has been a staple in the Luleå lineup for the past 6 seasons and has also played with Rögle and Färjestad.

- I love everything about this club and the city. Playing here has been great, and I will really miss everyone, but I have to re-prioritize for the sake of my family. I will miss hockey, but I have had a good career and I feel finished. I want to focus on being a father. Then we'll see what I'm going to do instead of playing hockey, says Connolly.

His 541 SHL games are the most among North American born players in the SHL and fourth all time for foreign born players. With four games remaining in the season, he is likely to finish with 545 career games played. During his SHL career he has scored 85 goals and 188 assists. He also has 72 post season games under his belt, a number which will also increase before his retirement.