Växjö Lakers — Linköping HC, SHL

SHL: Växjö Lakers 0–3 Linköping

Linköping took all three points in Växjö on Thursday evening, closing out a 3-0 win in the SHL. The visitors had little to play for on paper — 12th place, five games, one win — but they saw the game out when most would have expected the hosts to control proceedings.

By then, Växjö sat sixth with six games under their belt and three wins already on the board. The difference between the sides was supposed to be clear enough. Instead, the away side held every card from the opening whistle, and the scoreboard never budged in favour of the home crowd.

I had backed Växjö at 51 per cent confidence. The forecast missed. And here's the thing — it wasn't a fluke. Linköping were not the team that had surrendered nine goals to Brynäs a few weeks earlier, and Växjö did not find the rhythm that came against Servette or Rögle.

The standings tell a flat story at this stage. Both clubs carry zero points, which simply means the season has only just begun and the table says nothing yet. What it does show is that the gap between sixth and twelfth is narrower than the fixture list suggested.

Växjö's recent run read four wins in five before this evening, while Linköping had lost four of their last five. The form lines do not always predict the result, and on this night they certainly did not.