2012–13 Elitserien season

Short-term contracts and the possibility of signing players affected by the 2012–13 NHL lockout was a controversial issue for several months.

[4] On 21 September 2012, the Swedish Competition Authority (SCA) examined the matter and responded with a ruling that allowed short-term contracts.

On 18 December 2012, the Market Court ruled against the SCA and allowed Hockeyligan to forbid short-term contracts.

[6] The uncertainty and concerns of legal punishment caused a number of Elitserien clubs to refrain from signing short-term contracts and await the Market Court's decision.

The drop meant that Elitserien was fifth in average attendance among professional ice hockey leagues (fourth in Europe) – after the NHL, NLA, DEL and KHL.

[9][10] In the 2011–12 season, Elitserien had the second highest average attendance among professional hockey leagues (first in Europe).

[13] GP = Games played; TOI = Time on ice (minutes); GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; Sv% = Save percentage; GAA = Goals against average [1] In the first round, the highest remaining seed chose which of the four lowest remaining seeds to be matched against.

Skellefteå won the series 4–1 and advanced to the Finals for the third year in a row, becoming the first team to achieve this feat since HV71 between 2008–2010.

This was only the second playoff series between these two teams; in 2011, Skellefteå defeated Luleå in six games to advance to the Finals (where they eventually lost).

5:32 into the second period, Johan Forsberg netted his first goal of the playoffs to give Skellefteå a three-goal lead.

With less than four minutes to go in the third period, Erik Forssell sealed the Swedish Championship for Skellefteå with an empty netter, his second goal of the game.