Updated 07.35 | Published 06.20
NEW YORK. The Swedish team Minnesota Wild is the hottest in the entire NHL right now.
They secured the sixth victory by beating Columbus 5-2 last night – and as so often, Joel Eriksson Ek scored the decisive goal.
– It was extremely fun at the end, says the 28-year-old from Värmland to Sportbladet.
It adds up to an unusually merry Christmas for the hockey lovers in the areas around Minneapolis and St. Paul.
A week ago, Wild general manager Billy Guerin managed to sign superstar Quinn Hughes in one of the biggest deals in the NHL in several years – and even then the team was riding a wave of success that has since only grown bigger and bigger.
In Ohio last night, they beat Columbus 5-2 and thus extended what was already the league’s longest winning streak.
– Yes, things are going well now. We had a rather tough start to the season, but now at the end we had put together a really good series of matches and managed to win, despite a lot of injuries. It has been extremely fun, says Joel Eriksson Ek when we speak to him after the triumph in the Nationwide Arena.
Scored the decisive goal
– The difference from before? I think it’s about us knowing what to do, we have more confidence in every situation, we know we’re good enough to run the game and win practically every game.
Joel himself scored the match-deciding goal last night, and also answered for an assist, and it was no accident. He has been in a terrible shoal for a long time, has contributed ten points in the last six games and as recently as Monday was named one of last week’s three stars in the NHL.
– It has felt good, but it is also easy to play in a team that has strong self-confidence and wins a lot of matches. I also get to be out on the ice with players like Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy and “Mackan” Johansson. They make my job much easier. It’s also great fun, he continues.
There are now more of the combined top three who stand out individually. The goalkeeper sensation Jesper Wallstedt, for example, was responsible for another fine effort against the Blue Jackets and stopped 27 shots.
– Yes, really. But both he and Filip Gustavsson have been fantastic. They constantly provide a sense of security that spreads through the team, states “JEE”.
“Need to learn to read from him”
Quinn Hughes didn’t produce any new points in the night game, but he continues to impress his teammates.
– You immediately notice that it is a top player and one of the world’s best defenders. He constantly finds surfaces and hits passes that you don’t really expect. You need to learn to read him yourself, but it will be as much fun as anything for us to have him in the team, rejoices Joel from Karlstad.
Jonas Brodin and Marcus Johansson missed tonight’s game due to injuries, but both should be back on the ice soon.
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