It's what every fan waits for, what every player has poured their energy towards and what results after a hard fought 52 game season. The playoffs!
With the regular season coming to a close, the first round of the playoffs is just around the corner. The SHL post season is a bit different from its North American counterpart. There is still 4 rounds, however the first round is one of the biggest differences between the Swedish and North American post seasons.
The top 6 teams in the regular season will find themselves bypassing the first round of the playoffs and will head straight to the quarterfinal round. The teams that finish 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th will find themselves in the first round of the playoffs. 7th will play 10th and 8th will play 9th in a best of 3 series with the higher ranked team receiving home ice advantage. The winners of the two series will move on to the quarterfinal round.
The quarterfinals is where the Swedish post season is very similar to the NHL. Best of 7 series with the higher ranked team receiving home ice advantage. The top ranked team will play at home in game 1 and the series will shift cities every game. The 1st and 2nd ranked team in the post season will play the winners of the first round with 1st playing the lowest ranked winner. 3rd will play 6th and 4th will play 5th. This trend will continue throughout the post season with the top ranked team playing the lowest. The top ranked team will also always have home ice advantage.
Unlike the regular season, any games that go to overtime will be continous 20 minute periods until a goal is scored.
The final two teams will compete for the Le Mat Trophy and the title of SHL Champions. The SHL final starts on April 21st. Last years final featured the Växjö Lakers and Skellefteå with the Lakers winning in 4 games.
Check out the full playoff schedule here