The SHL is the top tier of hockey in Sweden, and it's an action-packed, competitive division full of fast-paced, hard-hitting excitement. As the teams battle it out across the season for the Le Mat trophy, follow all the latest insights, tips, and SHL betting odds from Sweden's top hockey league at NordicBet.
About the SHL
Hockey in Sweden received a big shake-up in 1975 as the inaugural season of the Elitserien arrived. That followed the previous Sweden Hockey Championship, which had begun in 1922—only a couple of years after the sport was introduced to the country.
American film director Raoul Le Mat is credited with introducing hockey to Sweden, and it is his name that's linked to the championship trophy that teams play for. The Elitserien was renamed the Svenska Hockeyligan in 2013 and shortened to the SHL.
Latest SHL Betting Play-Offs Scene
The reigning champions, the Vaxjo Lakers, remain well on course for another potential SHL title in 2024. Two-thirds of the way into the regular season, they held a comfortable gap at the top of the regular season standings and stood firm as outright favourites in SHL winner odds.
Färjestad BK, Leksands IF, and Skelleftea AIK are among the leading contenders to lock down automatic qualification to the quarter-finals. The newly promoted IK Oskarshamn were cut well adrift of everyone else at that same stage of the campaign, with HV71 and the Malmö Redhawks back in trouble as well.
All the season's action can be followed with both pre-match hockey bet options and live hockey markets at NordicBet. Some of the most popular markets for betting on SHL fixtures are 'Match Outright,' 'Handicap,' and 'Over/Under.'
2022/23 SHL Season Recap
It was a success all the way for the Vaxjo Lakers in the 2022/23 SHL. Having entered the season as one of the front-runners in SHL betting, they pulled away to win their fourth Le Mat Trophy.
Vaxjo Lakers won the league by a three-point margin over Skelleftea AIK, finishing the season with a 102-point tally. It was the second time in three seasons that the Vaxjo Lakers would complete the regular-season championship and play-off championship double.
The top two seeds in the play-offs would eventually meet up in the finals, with the Lakers pulling out a comfortable 4-1 series victory.
Malmö Redhawks and Brynas IF met in the relegation play-offs. Only one point separated them in the final league standings, with the Redhawks finishing bottom. But they were the ones that just pulled through to retain their top-flight status.
SHL Regular Season Betting
The regular season for SHL betting odds covers all the championship, play-off, and relegation fixtures. Fourteen teams compete in the SHL, and each team plays a total of 52 fixtures during the regular season.
Popular SHL betting outright markets for the season include 'To Reach Play-Offs,' 'Top Scorer,' 'Top Six Finish,' 'Outright Winner,' and 'To Be Relegated'. But there is also extensive match betting for the SHL season, including full live in-play odds.
Betting on the SHL Play-Offs
The SHL play-offs are the business end of the season. At the conclusion of the regular season, things shift to the elimination point of the season in the play-off bracket. Much like the set-up that is seen in NHL betting, ties are played over a 'Best of 7' series.
For betting on the SHL, naturally, the top team from the regular season standings heads into play-offs as the favourite in pur SHL winner odds. While the focus in the 'Outright Winner' market gets extra attention, the winners of each of the play-off ties become active too.
Teams can be backed 'To Win Series' in the SHL play-offs, and alongside that outright market for SHL betting, other options can be found.
The 'Series Correct Score' and a 'Handicap' on the final result of the series are other popular options, as is an 'Over/Under' on how many matches will be played.
The format of the SHL play-offs is as follows:
Eighth Finals
Teams that finish 7th through 10th go into the Eighth Finals, which are played in a 'Best of 3' format. The winner of the two ties moves forward to join up with the six already-qualified teams in the quarter-finals.
SHL Quarter-Finals
From the quarter-finals to the SHL finals, all ties are played as a 'Best of 7' series. The higher-ranked of the two teams in a tie receives home-ice advantage. That means the stronger team plays the first match of the series on home ice and also gets the same benefit if the series needs a deciding game 7.
SHL Final Series
The Final Series is the big, high-profile series of SHL betting as the last two teams standing duel for the championship title. From 2010 through 2023, there were seven SHL titles won by the team that had finished as the regular season champions.
The winning team in the SHL Finals is guaranteed a place in the Champions Hockey League the following season. The champions are joined there by the regular season runners-up and third-placed team.
SHL Relegation Betting
A 'Best of 7' relegation series is played between the two teams that finish at the bottom of the table at the end of the regular season. They square off in a series, and the losing team drops to the HockeyAllsvenskan.
Why Bet on the SHL at NordicBet?
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