Leksand put three goals past Mora in the opening round of the Hockey Allsvenskan on Saturday evening, while a fourth goal sealed the 4-0 victory for the visitors. The result leaves both sides level on zero points after their first games of the season, though the table positions tell a different story.
And here's the thing — we had called for the away win before kick-off, and the 94 per cent confidence we placed in Leksand was well-founded. By then you can see why: the visitors had won their opening game 2-1 against Södertälje, while Mora had stumbled to a narrow defeat against Edsbyn IK.
To be fair, the visitors never looked threatened in this one. They took control early and never let the hosts back into the game, though without minute-by-minute data we cannot say precisely when the momentum shifted. What we can say is that Mora were reduced to chasing shadows from the opening period.
The standings after round one show Leksand in fifth place and Mora in ninth, though with just one game played the gap means very little. Both teams have played one match, won one, lost one, and drawn none — the points are identical, but the positions reflect the quality of opposition each side faced in their opening fixture.
Our prediction played out exactly as expected. Leksand had looked comfortable in their previous encounter with Södertälje, and they showed the same composure here. Mora, meanwhile, will need to regroup quickly if they want to avoid finding themselves at the bottom of the table by season's end.
