Linköping opens the semi finals with an away win

28 Mar 2013 | Henrik Lundqvist

Elitserien regular season winner Skellefteå suffered the first loss of the playoffs when they lost 3-2 to Linköping in the first semi final. Erik Lindhagen scored Linköping's winning goal in overtime.

At 75:18 Rastislav Pavlikovsky got the puck after an individual mistake by Skellefteå's Tomas Skogs and passed the puck to Erik Lindhagen who was all alone with Markus Svensson and scored 3-2.

Skellefteå dominated the opening of the game and Oscar Möller opened the scoring for the home team at 03:51 following a poor play by Linköping's Lee Goren. Lee Goren served time for a quastionable holding when Skellefteå made it 2-0 at five minutes of period two. Joakim Lindström got the goal assisted by Bud Holloway and Oscar Möller.

Linköping fought until the end and managed to tie the game with two goals in the third period. Patrik Zackrisson scored the first set up by Mattias Weinhandl and Lee Goren. Sebastian Karlsson tied it at 53:52 with a short-handed goal. Robin Figren got the assist but could as well have gotten a penalty after he hit a Skellefteå defender in the head. One of many questionable calls by the referees in this game.

Oscar Möller was close to score a winner when his shot hit the crossbar just 15 seconds before the end of regulation. Linköping started the overtime period best and had several good opportunities during the first 8-9 minutes. Then followed a few minutes of Skellefteå dominance, but eventually Linköping could win round one of this best-of-7 series.

The game winner Lindhagen is one of six players on the Linköping team raised by the club. He had scored only two goals before this during the 2012/13 season.