Kalmar — Almtuna: 3:0, Hockey Allsvenskan

Kalmar beat Almtuna 3:0 in the Hockey Allsvenskan on Friday evening, sealing a comfortable victory at home. The result keeps both sides in the upper half of the table as the season moves into its second month.

Home side Kalmar sit third after eight games, six wins and two losses, while Almtuna are fourth with five victories and three defeats. Neither side has yet tasted a draw, so the gap between them remains narrow.

Kalmar arrived in decent form, having won five of their last seven outings including a 5:4 thriller against Vimmerby HK and a 2:0 shutout of Mora. Almtuna were also on a run, beating Vissby/Roma 3:1 and Carlskuga 2:4 before their loss to Leksand.

and here's the thing — we had called for a home win at 56 per cent confidence before kick-off. By then the result feels inevitable when a side with that kind of record hosts a team that has lost three of eight.

The clean-sheet run came to an end for Almtuna, who had kept four in a row before this one. Kalmar's defensive shape held firm, and they did not travel to make up the numbers — they played for the win and got it.