Björklöven will be a tough nut to crack for SSK, who will try to become the fourth team this season to succeed in defeating the league leaders.
But now Södertälje has finally started to find more continuity in the formations.
SSK used its 40th and 41st unique chain combination of the season on Friday against Troy.
Arvid Costmar rejoined the team on Friday, which led to SSK once again throwing around a lot in the formations – two new chain combinations were set up.
By then, SSK had stuck to the top three formations for four straight games – a greater continuity than ever in the previous season.
And when SSK now meets Björklöven, all four formations from Friday’s match are kept, as it is clear that Arvid Costmar will continue on loan from Djurgården.
The fourth line changed before the match against Nybro when Henrik Eriksson and Hampus Harlestam came back from injuries, but before that also had to stick together for several matches. Against Troja, Wiå was back with Eriksson and Harlestam, a trio that formed the team’s best chain at the beginning of the season when too many of the new acquisitions were failing.
Hockeynews’ compilation thus shows that SSK has used a total of more than 40 different chains in 22 matches so far. Over 20 of the chains have been used in just one match for various reasons.
Andreas Johansson has previously admitted that there have been too many changes in the lineups, sometimes of course due to injuries and absences, but not always.
– Yes, you don’t want that. Then there is another aspect to it, that you have to change every single time it doesn’t work? No, but of course you shouldn’t, because it can also cause insecurity. These are the kinds of dialogues we have every morning we meet. Okay, now it doesn’t work, but the two lines do. If you make a change there, then you might remove it, he told Hockeynews this week.
The chain that has been used the most – and won the most
When Hockeynews examines the lineups of the last two months, it also appears that SSK tried to stick to different units. For example, after the victory away to Östersund on October 8, SSK fielded the exact same team away to Modo afterwards, when they fell 1–3.
Already there, Lindbäck, Engarås and Liljegren were paired together. But a few rounds later, Engarås was suddenly a wing forward in the fourth chain, and a few games later he was trusted as the first center – in a single game.
Now Engarås is once again the center with Lindbäck and Liljegren, they form a third chain that has accounted for several goals, perhaps thanks to the fact that they have been combined. The match against Troja was their ninth together, and they are thus the chain in SSK that played the most matches together. Five of the matches they have played have been won by SSK (see statistics at the bottom of the article).
– Yes, but of course, it makes things easier, says Måns Lindbäck, who, however, understands that the team changed much earlier.
– Sometimes it has to be like that with illnesses, injuries and everything possible. So just stick to it. But sometimes you have chemistry from the start and sometimes it’s something you have to work on over time to find. I think we in our chain have worked consistently together to find something. I think we play better and better together, he says.
It must still be hard to get a chain to sit on just one match?
– No, but exactly. I have my style of play, they have theirs. After all, they need to know where I am going and which areas are my strengths, and I have to get to know them as well.
Something that showed in the matches, for example, they opened the scoring against Nybro where Lindbäck and Liljegren won the puck behind the offensive goal cage, got the puck up to the defenders and Engarås directed a shot from Felix Öhrqvist.
– We must get the puck there, be strong on it and thus be offensive. We want to go for the goal, that’s where the pucks are going. It’s probably a little bit so we’re going to play, says Lindbäck.
Sebastian Dyk has been one of the team’s most productive players but not at a level that he was in previous seasons. Now he has played several games with new center Teemu Väyrynen, and Dyk also believes in keeping the formations together over time.
– It is clear that, if you play in the same chain, you build a chemistry with those you play with and you learn to read each other in a different way. At the same time, we have had injuries, it is very possible that there will be more injuries. It could be illness and anything. So it’s clear it’s important to be able to play with more than the two you’re with. But at the same time, now it feels like we’ve started to set the chains as we want and started to find something, so it’s definitely positive, said Dyk earlier this week.
Among the chains that have been used the most during the season in SSK is the one mentioned above with Wiå, Harlestam and Eriksson – it has been used in seven matches in total, of which SSK has won four.
Third most used is the chain with Sebastian Dyk, Patrik Zackrisson and Carter Ashton. It has been used in six games – but only two of those games have the team won.
Footnote: Information about Arvid Costmar has been changed since it is clear that he is in the team against Björklöven on Sunday.
Nine SSK victories so far – here are the chains used then
Dec. 5, Troy at home, 5–2: Dyk–Väyrynen–W Eriksson, Costmar–Zackrisson–Ashton, Lindbäck–Engarås–Liljegren, H Eriksson–Harlestam–Wiå.
3 Dec, Nybro away, 4–3: Wiå–Väyrynen–Dyk, Ashton–Zackrisson–W Eriksson, Liljegren–Engarås–Lindbäck, H Eriksson–Harlestam–Hasselvall.
26 Nov, Vimmerby at home, 6–3: Wiå–Väyrynen–Dyk, Ashton–Zackrisson–W Eriksson, Liljegren–Engarås–Lindbäck, Holst–Sterner–Hasselvall.
21 Nov, Almtuna at home, 2–1: Wiå–Costmar–Dyk, Ashton–Zackrisson–W Eriksson, Liljegren–Engarås–Lindbäck, Holst–Sterner–Hasselvall.
Nov 8, Modo at home, 3–1: Lindbäck–Zackrisson–Ashton, Dyk–Engarås–Liljegren, W Eriksson–Harlestam–Wiå, Hasselvall–H Eriksson–Holst.
24 Oct, AIK at home, 3–1: Dyk–Stapley–Ashton, Lindbäck–Harlestam–Liljegren, H Eriksson–Zackrisson–Wiå, Engarås–Sterner–Holst.
8 Oct, Östersund away, 4–0: Ashton–Zackrisson–Dyk, Lewandowski–Stapley–Sterner, Liljegren–Engarås–Lindbäck, Wiå–Harlestam–H Eriksson.
Sep 29, Kalmar at home, 4–2: Dyk–Stapley–Ashton, Fonstad–Zackrisson–Lewandowski, Lindbäck–Engarås–Sterner, H Eriksson–Harlestam–Wiå.
Sep 24, Troy at home, 5-4: Dyk–Zackrisson–Ashton, Lindbäck–Stapley–Lewandowski, Fonstad–Engarås–Sterner, H Eriksson–Harlestam–Wiå.
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