Persson ups average in loss

On Saturday, Dennis Persson (-1) skated on Timra's third pair, seeing 16:34 of action in their 5-1 loss to Lulea. Fellow rearguards Kimmo Lotvonen and Par Styf remained out of the lineup due to injury, causing Persson to see a bump in time. Even if Persson, 20, is being relegated to bottom pair minutes, it's still much better than the limited SEL time he saw last season with Djurgardens before being loaned to tier II Nykoping. In 18 games, he's scored two points while averaging 15:26 worth of shifts after a 2007-08 season that saw him average of just 7:22 a night in 21 games. The Swede will next take the ice on Monday when the Eagles skate against Linkopings.