HV71 will play Leksand in a best-of-seven SHL relegation playoff starting on Wednesday in Jönköping, Sweden. The playoff determines which team avoids relegation to HockeyAllsvenskan. HV71 has home-ice advantage after ending the regular season with wins against Växjö and Brynäs.
Tickets for the first two home games sold out in five minutes, and Husqvarna Garden, with a capacity of 6,800, is expected to be full for the playoff matches. HV71 is reportedly missing several players for the playoff. Niklas Hansson, Mattias Tedenby, and Victor Laz returned to training and are expected to play on Wednesday.
the team will see how the situation develops regarding player availability
However, Aleksi Heponiemi and Frederik Dichow are out for the rest of the season, and Isac Brännström did not participate in team training and is not expected to play further this season. Additionally, Oskar Stål Lyrenäs, Linus Lindström, Lucas Lagerberg, and Karl Annborn are reportedly absent, with Lindström and Annborn having left a recent match early. According to reports, Lagerberg may miss the entire playoff due to a foot injury, though HV71 has not commented on this.
HV71 coach Anton Blomqvist stated that the team will see how the situation develops regarding player availability. This is the third consecutive year HV71 has been in a relegation playoff, having previously stayed in the SHL by winning against Modo and Oskarshamn.