SHL Play-out: HV 71 take the series opener by holding on against Leksand

[p]A win on the final day of the regular season had lifted [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/hv-71/CG08m2ie/"]HV 71[/a] above their play-out opponents, giving them home advantage in four matches should the series to go seven games.[/p][p]They set about making full use of that advantage, [b]taking the lead in the dying seconds of the opening period when [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/fransson-hugo/Q9n4xALn/"]Hugo Fransson[/a] teed up [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/kloos-justin/vwyVTIFL/"]Justin Kloos[/a] to score the series' first goal.[/b][/p][p]Having gone on a brilliant run to give themselves hope of avoiding the play-out, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/leksand/6X2ODGwL/"]Leksand[/a] then saw those hopes dashed with successive defeats to end the regular season, [b]and their recent form got worse with five minutes to play in period two, when [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/johnsen-martin/8tpGSYih/"]Martin Johnsen[/a] put HV 2-0 ahead.[/b][/p][embed guid="5a11e022-290c-4795-9bfb-d4163c9a4ed3" url="https://x.com/SHLse/status/2034343373297873048" social-type="twitter" /][p]Late in the second, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/woods-riley/td03aEeK/"]Riley Woods[/a] was called for high-sticking, and despite the break in between periods seriously testing their patience, [b]Leksand got themselves on the board through [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/lindqvist-michael/f3QpbFzd/"]Michael Lindqvist[/a] in the first minute of the third, with time winding down on the powerplay.[/b][/p][p]But even with 19 minutes to play with, Leksand were unable to force a late leveller, meaning the Jonkoping side win the first game [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/hv-71-CG08m2ie/leksand-6X2ODGwL/?mid=Q5N8zZqA"]2-1[/a] and have the chance to seriously boost their survival bid when they host [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/hv-71-CG08m2ie/leksand-6X2ODGwL/?mid=CMLGYCEM"]game two on 20th March[/a].[/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/hockey/sweden/shl/"]Follow the SHL postseason on Flashscore.[/a][/b][/p]