Two New York Rangers prospects were in action in the Swedish Hockey League on Saturday
The Swedish Hockey League had a full slate of games Saturday and two New York Rangers prospects were in action. Lias Andersson’s HV71 took on Rogle and Nils Lundkvist and Lulea were on the road against Oskarshamn. Results were mixed with HV71 losing and Lulea winning, but in the loss, Lias Andersson continues to show that he has rebounded from the issues he faced last season.
HV71 dropped a 3-2 decision to Rogle when Simon Ryfors of the visiting team scored with only two minutes left in the third period. Lias Andersson assisted on HV71’s first goal by Anton Wedin, nine minutes into the second period.
Watch the goal, it’s all Andersson. He fakes a shot, dekes around the Rogle defende and then makes a nifty backhand pass to Wedin who puts it in the net.
Kvitterat! Wedin får in pucken och det står nu 1-1! @HV71 #twittpuck #shl pic.twitter.com/0IRx4oUK4d
— TV4 Hockey (@TV4_Hockey) September 26, 2020
Andersson is showing the skill that caused the Rangers to pick him seventh overall in 2017. He played 17:12 and had three shots on goal, one hit and was 50% on faceoffs. He also finished the game with a plus/minus of -1 as he was on ice for two Rogle goals.
In three games, Andersson has one goal and one assist and is averaging 16:03 TOI. He has aken ten shots on goal and is -2 on the season.
Former Ranger draft pick Adam Tambellini scored for Rogle and current prospect Adam Edstrom did not play as he sits out a suspension for an illegal hit.
The loss dropped HV71 to a record of 0-3 and they are in last place in the 14 team SHL. They are one of three teams without a win so far this season, though they have played the most games of any team in the league.
Lulea wins
The top Ranger prospect in Sweden is defenseman Nils Lundkvist and his Lulea team won easily Saturday, with a 5-2 road win over Oskarshamn. Lundkvist didn’t score, but had an active game. He played 18:29 on the second defense pairing, taking seven shots with four ending up on goal. Those four shots were the most of any skater on Lulea.
Lundkvist has one assist in his first two games and leads the team with 10 shots on goal. He is averaging 19:16 minutes of ice time. For those of you who speak Swedish, Lundkvist spoke before the match.
Nils Lundkvist inför eftermiddagens match borta mot Oskarshamn https://t.co/mW59ehiu7h pic.twitter.com/F8XhrJo12j
— Luleå Hockey (@LuleaHockey) September 26, 2020
Lulea has won both of their games this season and moved into first place in the SHL with six points. In the SHL, teams are awarded three points for a regulation win.
It’s worth noting that only 50 spectators were allowed into the arena due to COVID-19 constraints.
Games coming up
Sunday is a busy day for Rangers prospects with four games in the SHL, KHL and Czech Extraliiga. Vitali Kravtsov will be back in action for Traktor vs. Dynamo, looking to break his two game scoreless streak.