When Modo landed at Arlanda on their way to northwest Skåne for the away game against a strong Rögle, there were two players who had to stay behind.
The defensive duo Mattias Norlinder and David Rundblad got food poisoning and were accommodated at an airport hotel, reports Örnsköldsviks Allehanda.
"Panic-like"
It was a bit panic-like there and then, but otherwise, there's nothing strange, said coach Mattias Karlin to TV4 Play before the drop-off in Ängelholm.
That Modo was worn out didn't show during the first period. Riley Woods scored 1–0 and Tobias Winberg extended to 2–0 shortly after.
Rögle came back in the second period. First, Rögle star Dennis Everberg reduced in numerical superiority. The goal was the 32-year-old's first for the season – the forward broke his thumb in the premiere and missed eight SHL matches.
But even though Linus Sandin equalized, David Bernhardt put the visiting team in the lead with his 3–2 goal in the late stages of the second period.
However, there was no winning goal. Bryan Ferguson equalized halfway through the third period, and in overtime, Lucas Ekeståhl-Jonsson slammed in the 4–3 puck with a powerful slapshot. Three of Rögle's goals came in numerical superiority.
For hard-fighting Rögle, it was the sixth win in seven recent matches – a form that has made the Ängelholm team start to climb from the bottom region of the SHL table.
"Stuck in the head"
SHL bottom team Modo will have to wait for their first away win – the team has taken only two points from seven away matches and only six points from the last twelve matches.
We do well during large parts of the beginning of the match, but then we fall into old bad habits. It's stuck in the head, unfortunately, says Sebastian Ohlsson, who substituted as team captain for the food-poisoned Rundblad, to TV4 Play.
Modo stays in Skåne for a match on Saturday against Malmö, which is seven points ahead, just above the relegation line. Malmö lost away to Linköping with 0–3 after the home team scored all three goals in the late stages of the match.
Near-bottom team HV71 turned a 2–4 deficit into a 5–4 win on penalties at home against Växjö.