Skellefteå beat Luleå 4-3 in the first SHL playoff semifinal (SM semifinal), a match lasting a record 122 minutes and 18 seconds over seven periods—the longest in league playoff history. Andreas Johnson scored the winner just under three minutes into the seventh period on the 53rd shot against goaltender Matteus Ward. Captain Jonathan Pudas left early with a leg injury after 2:40.
Skellefteå claimed a dramatic 4–3 victory over Luleå in the opener of the SHL playoff semifinals after a record-breaking marathon that extended to 122 minutes and 18 seconds across seven periods. This eclipsed the previous SHL playoff record of 119 minutes and 16 seconds set by Leksand against Färjestad in 1997 and marked the first game to surpass 120 minutes of overtime with three scoreless extra periods.
Skellefteå captain Jonathan Pudas played just 2:40 before exiting with a leg injury.
The game was tied 3-3 after regulation. Skellefteå had led 3–1 early in the third period, 18 seconds in, via Oscar Lindberg's goal past Luleå goaltender Matteus Ward. Luleå fought back: Oscar Engsund deflected a shot off an opponent's skate to narrow the gap, and defenceman Frederic Allard equalized at 3–3 on a power play.
Overtime saw tentative play from both sides, with Luleå's Mathias Bromé noting teams were 'very tentative' and waiting for errors after 120 minutes. Defenders on both teams logged historic ice time.
Andreas Johnson broke the deadlock for Skellefteå in the seventh period. “Incredibly relieving. Felt like there would never be a decisive goal. Relieving. We played well,” Johnson told TV4, per Aftonbladet.
Skellefteå's Pär Lindholm on between-period refueling: “There's all sorts of things. There's pizza, but to be completely honest, you're not that hungry for it. It's more energy drinks and such,” he said to TV4 Play.
Last year's SM champions Luleå have a record of overtime thrillers, including three extra periods against Frölunda in the quarterfinals. Their prior longest match, 117:29 by Bromé, now ranks second.
