This was not a final tune-up that raised the pulse for the right reasons. IK came to Kalmar with a depleted line-up and were badly outplayed in the first period. In the second, the quality dropped even further. Both teams were sloppy, and the entertainment value for anyone who actually likes hockey was close to nonexistent.
The biggest concern came in the second period when Manuel Ågren was involved in a collision in the corner, lost his helmet and had to leave the game. He was later seen with his knee wrapped. We do not yet know the extent of the injury, but from a supporter perspective IK also needed a stronger response around Manne. Nobody provided one in a way that registered.
The third period was at least a step forward. Axel Björnqvist pulled one back – good to get him going – and Joel Svensson then equalised. An Oskarshamn product stepping up when the team needed energy is exactly the kind of thing we want to see. IK played better, even if it was still fairly ragged, and suddenly brought life back into a game that had looked dead.
But IK gave the momentum away again. Two unnecessary penalties handed Kalmar a long five-on-three. The penalty kill held up for a while, but eventually the 3–2 goal came. When IK then pulled the goaltender, Kalmar made it 4–2 into the empty net. To be fair, IK should probably also thank Kalmar's own poor discipline for the fact that it became a game at all.
So what do we take from it? Two very weak periods, a considerably better third, goals from Björnqvist and Joel – and another reminder that this team needs to become sharper and more composed when things heat up. And if we want to end on something positive: a bad dress rehearsal is supposed to mean a good opening night. That is how the old saying goes.