Converting scoring chances was a problem for HV71 Jönköping in their first Group D game against Adler Mannheim, and for over half the game that plagued them against Esbjerg Energy, too. Finally, they scored three goals - two from defenceman Alexander Ytterell - and Jonas Gunnarsson stopped all 19 shots he faced for a 3-0 win.

HV71 dominated the first period, outshooting Esbjerg 12-2, but just couldn’t beat Nicolaj Henriksen. Then at the start of the second period, Esbjerg had a glorious chance to open the scoring when they had a four-minute power play and a two-man advantage for two full minutes. They got some decent shots on Gunnarsson, but couldn’t score. Then came three straight penalties to Esbjerg. They killed off the first two, but Ytterell finally got HV71 on the board when his slapper grazed off the back of a diving Esjberg defenceman to beat Henriksen at 33:37.

That seemed to get the monkey off HV71’s back, and they played more relaxed the rest of the game. They struck twice, two minutes apart in the middle of the third period to put the game away. Ytterell got his second off on another slapper from the point after a faceoff win in the Esbjerg zone, and Erik Andersson rounded out the scoring.