To get a diffrent perspective on what's going on with Timrå and Pääjärvi-Svensson and Lander I called in a favor from our good friend Jimmy Hamrin who runs a great blog about Timrå over at blog.st.nu/tikare. Here's what he had to say
Timrå has rebounded after a heavy slump. Versus MoDo we started out really good but fell through in the second period. The match ends 3-3 after full time but Timrå got a quick goal insudden death. The match had a playoff feel between two rival teams who both are just outside the playoffs right now. Against Skelleftea who are on steady ground in standings, Timrå had a chance to inch closer to a playoff spot. But they started the match very weak and in a disadvantageous position with 0-2. Timrå worked hard to make it 2-2 but ended up losing 2-3, very reminiscent of what Edmonton did against Dallas. As a team Timrå had a very uneven showing where one line was excellent while the others remained anonymous.
Pääjärvi-Svensson:
He has played on the teams best line which has been behind four of the team's six goals in those two games. He did a fabulous "coast-to-coast" drive on the team's first goal against MoDo, where the former Binghampton-defenseman Mattias Karlsson finished on the rebound. Since then he has been pointless, but has pushed on and created chances. On the five on three PP's, he 's been replaced because the coach wanted a righthanded shot at his position.
Statistics: 0 goals, 1 assist, 6 shots. Playing time: 15:12 (MoDo), 19:08 (Skellefteå).
Lander:
Has had two of his poorer efforts this season. He has looked tired and has made mistakes in coverage an area where he usual is very sound. What has been positive, has been his play on the PK. But offensively, he has created very little. In the match against Skellefteå he was benched for the third period. But I'm not too concerned, he has good character and will bounce back pretty quickly. He has proven that he belongs at this level throughout the season.
Statistics: 0 goals, 0 assists, 2 shots. Ice Age: 18:23 (MoDo), 08:54 (Skellefteå).
Once again thanks to Jimmy for this, it's always great to get a fresh perspective.
I can only agree, Lander has been looking rather sluggish in the last two games, but I'm sure he'll bounce back. MPS however has really thrived after being moved up to the first line, and is looking great even though it's not showing up in the box scores.
We'll be back with more reports on their progress in a couple of weeks