- Växjö outshoot Aalborg 39-24
- All four of Växjö's lines put up points on the evening
- Aalborg score two PP goals late in the third period
After two successful games on the road, reigning SHL champions the Växjö Lakers made it three-for-three at Vida Arena on Game Day 3 of the Champions Hockey League. The 5-2 win was a controlled demolition over Danish visitors the Aalborg Pirates and gives the Swedes a healthy tally of 8 points in their Regular Season standings.
Växjö's Adam Åhman brought home the win with 22 saves, but Aalborg's George Sørensen stole the show with 34 saves throughout the night.
The Lakers lit the lamp less than three minutes into the opening period after a long-range wrister sent in by blueliner Joachim Blichfeld was deflected by Elias Rosén, beating Sørensen to make it 1-0 for the hosts. Aalborg's Tommy Giroux had a superb chance for the Danish side with a close-range backhand, but that was absorbed into the orange jersey of Åhman.
At 6:56, forward Manuel Ågren made it 2:0 for the hosts, this time beating the blocker of Sørensen. Finnish forward Kalle Kossila spearheaded the play with a backhand pass to teammate Marcus Sylvegård who had the puck wired to his net-front teammate.
The Danes had their penalty kill units working at capacity after a hooking call on defenceman Jonas Brøndberg gave the Lakers their first powerplay of the night. A second penalty from Aalborg would result in a brief 5-on-3 for the hosts which the visitors were lucky to come away from unscathed.
Sørensen stole the show in the second period, performing feats of strength from every angle, and making multiple outstanding saves to keep Aalborg's hopes alive. A hooking call on Keegan Lowe gave Aalborg their first powerplay of the night, but the hosts caught several breaks, making any chances of a Danish conversion slim.
A call in favour of the Swedish side opened up the ice with a 4-on-4, and with the expiry of their penalty the Lakers would pick up point number three, and their first powerplay goal of the night. American forward Dylan McLaughlin managed to escape the eyes of Aalborg's PK unit meaning he had a half-empty net in front of him and had little work to do thanks to a beautiful lateral pass from Emil Sylvegård.
With a 3-0 buffer heading into the third period, the Swedes were in a good position, but they'd cement their top offensive ranking with two more goals in quick succession. Youngster Filip Eriksson netted goal number four, after forward Hugo Gustafsson pick-pocketed Anders Koch. Martin Lundberg would make it 5-0 thanks to Gustafsson yet again.
With less than five minutes remaining, Aalborg found their finishing touch. A powerplay sent their way was cashed in almost immediately by Pierre-Olivier Morin, and a second goal by Tobias Ladehoff would close the gap 5-2. With the clock winding down, the Danes would unfortunately run out of time with the final buzzer sounding in favour of the hosts.
The victory extends Växjö's winning streak to three games, while Aalborg will exit the game empty-handed.