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Färjestad fixed themselves a new classic play-off against Frölunda.
I thought this would never happen.
With six players at home to rest, they went to Scandinavia, winning 2-0 and sending Gothenburg down to sixth.
Talk about a slap in the face.
Färjestad really had nothing to play for in the already safe third place, but pushed the Gothenburgers up to sixth.
And we have a new classic play-off and quarter-final match between the teams that starts at the Löfbergs Arena next Thursday.
Thank you for that.
This might be new, especially with all the discounts that have accumulated over the years.
I saw the beginning myself in 2003, when the two teams met in the SC final and Joel Lundqvist won his first gold medal with his brother Henrik.
Now it could be the last thing Joel does as a hockey player.
Just one thing.
Yes, I chose to follow the match in Gothenburg, precisely because it has this plugin.
Will Färjestad pick the opposition in the quarter?
In the event of a loss, it would have been Timra that Värmlanders won all four meetings in the regular season.
They were firm favourites.
Now they meet Frölunda and send an extra element of history and a strong, sometimes derailed, playoff series.
I still remember when Per Ledin called Tommy Salo, then in Frölunda, fat during the SM Final in 2005-06 when Färjestad regained the title after Frölunda SM’s gold in both 2003 and 2005.
Only Joel remains since then and there will be a lot of focus on the Frölunda captain.
It would be the perfect ending – how it ends.
Oscarhamn The Biggest Loser
Yes, the line drama continued until round 52.
And if places 11 and 12 were no-man’s-land, then places 7-10 became their own no-man’s-land.
So, I think we can now say goodbye to Oscarshamn, Lexand, Rugel and Lulea for now.
Three teams were involved in the battle for the first place in the playoffs in the closing round.
And when it was all over, Oskarshamn was the biggest loser.
Mostly thanks to the fact that HV71 refused to celebrate even though their SHL contract was already up for grabs after the home win against Skellefteå on Tuesday.
Now they finished 4-1 away against Martin Wilander’s side and also overtook Linköping in the table.
Yes, when it was all over, the condemned HV71 was just three points away from a play-off spot and also saved Frölunda to the quarter-finals.
Now it seems they have spoiled Oscarshamn’s chances.
Finishing in the Round of 16 proved to be the beginning of the end.
History is clear on this point.
Only one team that qualified from the round of 16 has survived the quarter-finals since its inception in 2016.
There was Malmö who shone in 2017, but was stopped in the semi-finals.
It’s not just that the Round of 16 winners go into the quarter-final game with two or three tough playoff games up their legs.
They also face top teams Växjö and Skellefteå, by far the two best teams in the regular season who have been very stable throughout the season.
Fully open between Malmö and Örebro
I hardly think the two teams that qualify this time will break that pattern, though these days it’s impossible to be sure of anything.
But this last battle was still incredibly important.
The difference between being sixth and seventh is enormous, which I have always thought unfair and my greatest objection to inventing or playing with eighths, or whatever you choose.
If you finish seventh or eighth after a long regular season, you’ve earned a direct quarterfinal spot.
Now Oscarshamn VII will play a match already on Saturday and will not have time to rest even slightly injured players.
Sixth-placed Frolanda, three points ahead, can rest and train for a week.
There is a difference.
In the second quarter-final will be Orebro Temera.
Here, the Närkings might have gained an advantage if injuries to Jonathan Dahlin and Finnish defender Axel Rendl, who had to come off in the last match against Rögle, kept them out of the match.
In the regular season, the game was tied at 2-2.
This series of matches seems quite open.
At the same time, Malmö appears to have become a favorite in the drama qualifier against Brenas.
Sixth consecutive win after 3-1 away against Luleå, at the same time the visitors displayed another collapse and 0-5 at home against Växjö.
It is the sixth time Brinas Tenga has qualified.
In the 1995-96 season they were relegated to the allsvenskan after Christmas and stayed as long as they defeated HV71 in the 2020-21 concern play-offs.
They are still the only team with Färjestad not to be out of the SHL since its inception in 1975-76.
But it seems closer than ever.