On Monday, the crisis club HV71 announced that they are making changes in the coaching staff.

Head coach Tommy Samuelsson and assistant coach Fredrik Stillman are forced to leave.

- We have seen several times that teams that risk qualifying change coaches.

It has both worked and not worked.

It is natural, but it cannot be avoided that many players and signings did not deliver in HV71, says SVT Sports expert Jonas Andersson and continues:

- When you end up in this situation, it's very much mental.

They have a good squad of players.

But they have to get the boxplay and powerplay in order.

If you check the statistics, they are the worst in the entire SHL if you combine those parts.

It's about getting the squad to relax.

It's a stressful situation.

In an interview with Aftonbladet, Samuelsson believes that it was not sports manager Kent Norberg who made the decision, but the board of HV71.

- It was not surprising that Samuelsson was fired.

But as we understand it, it was the board and not the sporting director who made the decision, and it is surprising in that case.

And I don't know when it last took this long before a head coach in the SHL was fired, he says.

Think HV can handle the contract

How big of a failure has this season been?

- So far it has been a huge failure.

With the players that have come in and the budget they have, they should be higher up the table.

But the season isn't over yet.

Can they handle a new SHL contract?

- I think so.

And I think there are opportunities to avoid the anxiety-filled series of games that will be against the last team in the series.

Above all, they have a chance to go past Brynäs, who have tough matches ahead of them.

With the stubbornness of a fool, I want to believe that HV has another game in it.

CUT: Luleå won the bottom meeting against HV71

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HV71 – Luleå 28/1