Färjestad-Skellefteå is Sweden’s newest hockey competition.
Hockey candy is almost guaranteed.
Think of what a playoff game can do.
Now Saturday’s match will not immediately go down in history.
It was only the new seriousness that stood out.
It was a poor story compared to the previous two goalscoring parties this season, when Skelleftea won 6-4 and 6-0.
But it was still clear how much prestige was at stake in the meeting that sparked absolutely no emotion a few years ago.
But the quarter-finals last spring changed that.
When I look back on the last qualifiers, it’s not the SC final between Färjestad and Luleå that lingers in my memory, although it did go seven games and the preparation was great.
It is the quarter-final match between Skellefteå and Värmlanders that has been stalled.
After all, I’ve watched every playoff game since 1983 and it’s definitely in the top 10 on my list of playoff fights.
There Färjestad won SM gold.
I will not object to another supplement meeting
This was the decisive start of the entire trip for the Varmlanders, who were on the verge of defeat from the start after a 6th-place finish in the regular season.
Since the eight-team playoff was introduced in the 1987/88 season, only one runner-up has gone to the finish.
It was the same Färjestad that made the rare flight in 1988.
It was 34 years before they repaired it.
But this quarter-final meeting has created a mind-sharpening rivalry every time the teams meet.
They are of course professional enough to give their all in every match.
But nobody wants to lose this particular match, which picks up some extra blood alcohol levels that make a difference.
I wouldn’t object if there was another playoff meeting between these teams, but hardly a quarter-final in this case.
Feels like an obvious Skellefteå feature
Skellefteå moved into second place, but Färjestad remained third even though the distance to Västerbottninger had increased to six points.
And that was Skellefteå’s feature this Saturday, too.
Anton Olsson started with a 1-0 shot from left midfield until the first minute.
But the equalizer came quickly, when Theodor Linström fouled a free position and Victor Eggel scored the penalty.
And then it’s almost a guaranteed goal.
The mighty Ejdsell has scored nine goals in 12 tries this season and that would put him in the top tier of penalty takers in the world.
Now the great Linus Söderström has tricked out with a quick finish between the legs.
Seems easier than it is.
But in the third, Skellefteå decides again.
Philip Sandberg scored a 2-1 numerical advantage of 9.03 in the final period, when he stood in the middle of the castle and scored straight on a perfect pass from Jonathan Johnson.
Skellefteå won a match that will be forgotten fairly quickly, but it showed Bottom West who would be in the driver’s seat this winter.
Three straight wins and nine points.
And if those teams meet again in a playoff, Robert Olsson and Skelleftea will be better prepared.
Last time they were surprised by Färjestad’s physical play, when they hit every situation and never recovered from those hits.
For now, it seems like a clear advantage for Skellefteå.
At the same time, Färjestad suffered another serious injury, when first team midfielder Remie Ellie had to leave in the second half after spraining one of his legs.
He did not return to play.
Lulea earned an almost necessary home win against Linköping.
A statement of strength when it was needed most especially as Norrbutings pinned support man Oskar Engsund after the fight the last time around.
Now it was 3-2 and up in the table from 11th to 12th, which is where Brennas rested on Saturday.
Timrå also broke their five-match losing streak, following a 4-1 home defeat against Oskarshamn.
It is worth noting that the newly signed Finnish Banu Miho settled the match with his first goal in favor of Timra.
Oskarshamn never quite recovered from going 3-1 after just 57 seconds into the final period.