Skellefteå AIK – Leksands IF

We are going to Skellefteå AIK vs Leksands IF in Skellefteå Kraft Arena. The SHL has reached round 44 of 52, and things are starting to get going. It's about the right position before the playoffs. The home team shares the top spot with Frølunda, and probably wants to win this one to keep their position. They are also the form team ahead of some.

Leksand IF, on the other hand, is in really bad shape. The team seems completely lost at the bottom of the table, and will probably have a tough time against a good home team.

Skellefteå AIK – Smells like gold

Skellefteå are in really good form these days. They have now won 12 of the last 13 games. They were a bit behind Frølunda in the table for a while. But now, because of this form, they have climbed up to be exactly the same in the table. We believe this form will continue.

The home form is also fantastic. They have won 7 games in a row now, and seem very strong in their own arena. 5 of the last 7 games have been won by two goals or more. So they like to attack. That's what we have to try to exploit. Overall, they are by far the best home team in the league, and have 49 points in 22 games.

85-47 goal difference on home ice also means that the team has scored the most of all teams on their own ice surface. We like that when we play odds. There are more opportunities here. They are still quite close behind in scoring that much. Which should mean that the away team will have a tough time here.

The team has 3 of the 4 players who top the points league in the SHL. Still, there was no room for any of the Swedes who play in a league in this year's Olympics. But perhaps Lindberg, Hugg and Pudas could add something to the team in the Olympics. In the SHL they have been very productive so far, and not least Lindberg who leads the points league clearly. 61 points in 43 games is a very high level.

We think Leksand will have a tough time against the breadth of Skellefteå's team

Leksands IF – A disaster season

Leksand certainly had higher expectations before the season. But it has been a hopeless season, and the team seems resigned. Now it looks like only a qualifying game can save their place in the SHL this season.

The team is in terrible form these days, and now has four straight losses behind them before they face this strong home team. In fact, they have only two wins in the last ten games. The team is conceding a lot of goals. In all four of their last games, they have conceded four goals. This team does not produce enough going forward to win games when they are conceding so many.

Only 84 goals scored is clearly the weakest of all teams. And 135 conceded is the third worst. Simply weak numbers.

Chhlarik is the team's points king. But he is all the way down in the points league at 56th place. He is also very much alone in producing, because the next on the list is Vejdemo who is at 90th place.

We can't see anything Leksand can do here, even if they try to keep a close eye on the back, it will be difficult against the team that scores the most of all. Only an underestimation from the home team can get Leksand a result here.

Conclusion – class difference

There should simply be a difference in class between these two teams. The difference in form and quality should be decisive. We are early on the ball here, and the odds may probably drop somewhat later in the week.

The last time the teams met in this arena, the result was a whopping 5-0 to the home team. We believe something similar could be in store here.

We play the following games:

Hockey at 19:00: Skellefteå AIK – Leksands IF: Skellefteå AIK wins -1.5 goals (1.83)