SHL Playoffs: Skelleftea see off Lulea in game five to return to the finals

[p]A 3-2 home victory in game four saw [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/lulea/0QhOwF1e/"]Lulea[/a] avoid a whitewash and add some respectability as their reign as SHL champions looked to be ending. [/p][p]They would need to become just the second team in league history - after [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/rogle/j5ve8f1r/"]Rogle[/a] just 10 days ago - to come from 3-0 down in a best-of-seven series to progress, and that looked even less likely when [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/skelleftea/8jdWygW7/"]Skelleftea[/a] took the lead in the ninth minute.[/p][p]Having survived an earlier powerplay after boarding by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/haara-frans/fZBrtX9f/"]Frans Haara[/a], [b]the goal arrived when [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/okuliar-oliver/SdnRg9M8/"]Oliver Okuliar[/a] picked out [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/djuse-emil/fqv8tCod/"]Emil Djuse[/a] with an incisive pass, and the 32-year-old needed only angle the puck into the bottom corner of the net.[/b][/p][p]Haara was in the box again for holding, either side of Lulea's [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/gustafsson-erik/dYDXE4Fc/"]Erik Gustafsson[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/andreasson-pontus/b3kuqqnB/"]Pontus Andreasson[/a] also conceding penalties, and it was the latter, right on the 20-minute mark, that Skelleftea took full advantage of in the second period.[/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/lundberg-arvid/rycFwaF6/"]Arvid Lundberg[/a] skated hard into the attacking zone before squaring to Okuliar, who took time to set himself before hammering the puck past [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/ward-matteus/nFQzIIs1/"]Matteus Ward[/a] and into the top corner for 2-0.[/b][/p][embed guid="2af834f6-748c-422e-b1ea-9f0bd05dcdee" url="https://x.com/SHLse/status/2044477037709000785" social-type="twitter" /][p]Two penalties in quick succession soon after meant the hosts briefly had a 5-on-3, but failed to extend their lead, which proved significant after the midpoint in the match, when they were guilty of having too many men on the ice.[/p][p]Winning the attacking face-off to begin the powerplay, [b]Lulea put together a series of quick passes, resulting in [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/hedqvist-isac/tjQztRYE/"]Isac Hedqvist[/a] laying the puck back for [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/o-neill-brian/ljHMjSMf/"]Brian O'Neill[/a] to fire home and halve the deficit.[/b][/p][p]Roughing by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/shinnimin-brendan/tEJOBPzP/"]Brendan Shinnimin[/a] late in the second meant the visitors would again begin a period down a man, and though they held on this time, their momentum was somewhat eroded, especially after [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/allard-frederic/UX2TiMml/"]Frederic Allard[/a] was called for slashing five minutes in.[/p][p]Skelleftea gave up a pair of penalties in quick succession, but Lulea failed to capitalise as the black & yellows put on an exhibition of defensive hockey, only having one shot on goal in the final 20 minutes, yet only conceding six to a side desperate to keep their season alive.[/p][embed guid="779a39ea-0788-4d5e-be5c-10fcf098bc87" url="https://x.com/SHLse/status/2044496100527067568" social-type="twitter" /][p]That backs-to-the-wall job did just the job for the number one seeds, who justified that status by winning [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/lulea-0QhOwF1e/skelleftea-8jdWygW7/?mid=Gp7sPSf2"]2-1[/a] and returning to the SHL finals after a one-year absence. They now await either Rogle or [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/vaxjo/hzXCSnCE/"]Vaxjo[/a] in the final series, which is set to begin on 23rd April.[/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/hockey/sweden/shl/"]Follow the remainder of the SHL playoffs on Flashscore.[/a][/b][/p]