Liiga week tops and flops: are Jokerit and HIFK in danger of relegation?

In the second week of the season, only one round of matches was played in the Liiga, but the power dynamics have already started to take shape. In this article, we highlight the week’s top performers and disappointments.

Tops

1. The Pelicans have started the season in a historically strong form, winning their first three matches. There are many successful players in the team, but special mention goes to the fourth line, which could very well be the best in the league. Christoffer Forsberg, Anton Kettunen, and Eelis Teutari fight until the end in every defensive situation, as if they were playing for the championship. They are fearless in taking hits and handle game situations with intelligence. The trio has also managed to create a commendable number of scoring chances. How long can this momentum last, and how long can their bodies hold up?

2. Lukas Svejkovsky’s last season was difficult. The soft-handed forward showed that he has the skill, but in the defense-oriented Liiga, he lacked the ability to find his way to scoring opportunities. This season, there has been no such problem. The highly skilled Svejkovsky has already racked up 4+2 points for Kiekko-Espoo in the first three matches. I judged his acquisition poorly last season. That judgment went in the book.

3. In the early rounds, JYP’s play has shown that I severely underestimated the team’s championship chances. Especially the team’s goaltending has been impressive. Oskari Setänen has played two matches and stopped pucks with a 93.8 percent save rate. In a media event, head coach Petri Matikainen kindly reprimanded me when I referred to goaltending as JYP’s biggest weakness. The veteran coach clearly knew what he was talking about. If Oskari Salminen has also improved his game over the summer, JYP is alongside Tappara as the biggest championship favorite.

Oskari Setänen has opened the season with two wins. Photo: All Over Press

Flops

1. Last spring’s finalist KooKoo has significantly weakened over the summer. Against Kiekko-Espoo and TPS, the Kouvola team performed so poorly that I suspected Jouko Myrrä was still conducting tough pre-season training and the players’ legs were in knots. CHL and the sparsely scheduled Liiga games would at least theoretically allow for that. Whatever the reason, KooKoo’s game is completely disorganized, and the Kouvola team has been clearly the weakest in the early season.

2. Jokerit’s goaltending and weak defense have been criticized a thousand times during the first weeks. The attack of the clown shirts also deserves criticism. Despite a tremendous amount of skill, the team has enormous difficulties even creating scoring chances five-on-five. Crossing the neutral zone is slow, and there is no sign of creativity in the offensive zone. The forwards have not helped in defensive work either. After three played matches, Antti Kalaputaan’s plus-minus is six in the negative, Alexander Forslund’s is five, and Teemu Turunen’s is also five.

3. Only Jokerit’s poor performances have spared HIFK from greater public backlash, as the media cannot accommodate two underperforming Helsinki teams at once. This season, HIFK was supposed to have a team resembling Olli Jokinen. They have undeniably added speed and grit to the offense, but overall, the roster has not impressed me at any point. There is nothing to praise in their five-on-five play either. In the early season, HIFK has created the fourth least expected goals in the league. Conversely, they have given their opponents the fourth most scoring chances. The harsh truth is that if this trend continues, both Jokerit and HIFK may seriously fight for survival in the A-series come spring. The comforting truth is that the regular season is just beginning, and there is plenty of time to turn things around.