In Sweden, the 19/20 season of the Swedish Hockey League was called off altogether. The 20/21 season was played in its entirety, but due to the pandemic, most of the teams had their players affected and it caused a lot of regular season games to be postponed multiple times. In the end, Växjö Lakers snatched the win over Rögle BK, but it was kind of a chaotic season as one could imagine. 

This upcoming season people seem to be more hopeful. The pandemic is far from over, but the society is more relaxed and there seems to be a fairly good chance to have a normal season this time. 

The upcoming season will kick off on September 11th and the regular season will run to the beginning of March. During this period, teams play against each other in a pre-defined schedule. Playoffs take place from March to April, which marks the elimination tournament. Specifically, the tournament encompasses a game between two teams, with the aim of getting advanced to the next round.

According to Tippat and other local sport betting news sites in Sweden, Färjestad are considered favorites to lift the trophy this season, although the outcome is far from certain. The reigning champions Växjö along with Rögle, the runner-up from last season, are likely to challenge for the trophy. 

This is SHL

The Swedish Hockey League (SHL) refers to a professional ice hockey league comprising 14 different teams. SHL was developed in 1975 and has evolved to be the world’s most evenly matched ice hockey league. Initially, the SHL encompassed a 10-team league, in which each played a total of 36 games. However, hockey experts agreed on expanding the game to encompass a total of 14 teams in 2014. 

In Sweden, 'Svenska Hockeyligan' is the popular name for the league. The renaming allowed an easy translation of the name to an English version and Swedish Hockey League is the direct translation. 

Game

Each game of the regular season of SHL comprises three 20-minute periods with an intermission of approximately 18 minutes between periods. A five-minute three-on-three sudden-death overtime phase is available in the occurrence of a tie after the 60-minute regulation period.

A shoot-out is an opportunity to determine the game's result in the occurrence of a tie after the overtime period. The team that scores the first three penalty-shot rounds is the winner in a shoot-out. The shoot-out continues until one team scores while the other team fails to score.

During each period, a one 70-second power break is available. During the break, commercials are available to the audience. Power breaks are unavailable directly after a goal, icing call, during the power play and after a penalty shot.

Additional 20-minute overtime periods are available following the occurrence of a tied game during play-offs. Contrary to the regular season, playoff overtime periods encompass five-on-five. 

Regular Season

The regular season involves a round-robin, in which each team plays 52 games. During this season, three points are up for grabs every game. Three points are for winning in regulation time. Two points are for winning in a shoot-out or overtime. One point is for losing in overtime. Teams that lose in regulation time get zero points.

The team that finishes with the highest points during the regular season is the league champion. The first six teams with the highest points participate in the play-offs season. The lowest-ranked teams play in the relegation and promotion series. This helps the poorly performing teams to qualify for the next season of the SHL.

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