They needed a win to stay alive and they got it - barely. HV71's 2-1 shootout victory over Oceláři Třinec sets up a huge game next week in Czech Silesia to see which of these two teams advance. If they'd lost the shootout, they'd have been finished.
As has been the case throughout the tournament, HV71 had lots of shots but lacked finish. Through 65 minutes of hockey, they peppered Třinec goalie Šimon Hrubec with 43 shots but scored only once. Třinec scored their lone goal early, with Jiří Polanský banging home a rebound on the power play at the 8:46 mark. That was the only one of the 24 shots to beat Jonas Gunnarsson on the night.
HV71 took control of the game in the second period and finally tied it on a power play early in the third period courtesy David Ullström, with a nice deflection. Ullström had another great chance to score in overtime but the Hrubec denied him, as both teams had chances to win. In the shootout, it was HV71 out-scoring Třinec 3-1, with who else but Ullström getting credit for the winner.
HV71 survive but they've got a test in front of them, needing a win in regulation time. Anything else will see Třinec through.
"I feel that I played a good game. I’ve played enough to know how to play games like this when I don’t get many shots against me. You have to focus and be ready when they get their chances."Jonas Gunnarsson, goaltender, HV71 Jönköping
"We got off to a good start and the first period we played really good, but in the second they outplayed us, everybody saw that. But in the end it was a game that could've gone either way."Lukáš Krajíček, defenceman, Oceláři Třinec