Skellefteå beat Luleå 2–1 in the fifth semifinal game, advancing to the SM final with a 4–1 series win. Coach Thomas “Bulan” Berglund is leaving after 33 years with Luleå. The final opponent will be Rögle or Växjö.
Skellefteå secured their SM final spot by defeating rival Luleå 2–1 at home in the decisive fifth game of the semifinal series, which ended 4–1 overall. It marks the club's 11th final appearance in history.
Emil Djuse opened the scoring at 8:48 with his third playoff goal – none in the regular season – assisted by Oliver Okuljar. Just before the end of the first period, Luleå's Pontus Andreasson received a controversial penalty, leading to Okuljar's 2–0 power-play goal. Brian O’Neill pulled one back to 2–1 for Luleå in power play during the second period, but Skellefteå held firm.
"It's insane," Djuse told TV4 about his scoring form. An irritated Andreasson said of the penalty: "I'm not even close to him so I don't know where the referee finds that call. It's completely fantastic how he can see that, it's totally crazy."
Thomas Berglund, 57, ended his 33-year tenure at Luleå – including nine as head coach and over 750 games as a player. "It's been an incredible journey... We lost to a better team, there's nothing to say about that. But it's of course bitter," he told TV4. Rumors point to German Köln as his next stop. Linus Omark also played his final game for Luleå. Martin Lundberg set a new record with 175 playoff games.
