DIF - Luleå HF 2-3 (1-0, 1-1, 0-2)
1st: 1-0, Joakim Musakka (Per Eklund), 3.03
2nd: 2-0, Mikael Magnusson (Jens Öhling, Eklund), 7.08
2-1, Jiri Kucera (Stefan Nilsson, Lars Hurtig), 12.30
3rd: 2-2, Mikael Lindholm (Stefan Jonsson), 7.12
2-3, Nilsson (Mattias Öhlund, Hurtig), 7.25
Shots on goal:
1st: 15- 6
2nd: 5- 7
3rd: 8-14
total: 28-27
Penalties: 9x2 - 10x2
Referee: Peter Andersson
Attendance: 7063 (at Johanneshovs Isstadion)
DIF started furiously, pushing Luleå's players back. Jarmo Myllys really showed that he is the best goalie in Elitserien. He saved a handful of certain goals, and on the one he let in he couldn't do much.
The best players in the first period were Pelle Eklund and Jens Öhling. The latter, who has played for DIF for about a century, shows no signs of getting older. These two created chance after chance, but Myllys acted hypnotically.
The second period started like the first period. DIF scored a second goal in power play by Micke Magnusson on a marvellous cross pass from Jens Öhling.
After a while Luleå came back and put some pressure on Thomas Östlund. Like Myllys, he too had a great game, and he made clear why he is the national team keeper. He had little help from the defenders, however, and Luleå scored 2-1 by Jiri Kucera.
The last period looked much like the first, with the difference that it was Luleå that dominated. Djurgården's players seemed very tired, which resulted in a lot of roughing penalties. The DIF defence, though, played a lot better in the last period than in the second, but in the seventh minute something went very wrong. It took Luleå 13 seconds to score the equalizer and the winner. The last scorer was the best player on the ice (except for the goalkeepers), Stefan Nilsson.
In the last minutes, DIF fought desperately for a goal, and Mikael Magnusson had a heavy shot. Everyone in the crowd (including me) were sure that the puck was in. In my opinion it bounced out from the lower iron bar inside the goal, and not from the post. The referee didn't think so, and that did not make him popular.
Game rating (1-5): 3
Best goalie: Jarmo Myllys, Luleå
Best defender: Mikael Magnusson, DIF
Best forward: Stefan Nilsson, Luleå