Heavy snowfall at Skelleftea's home arena has forced it to be closed, but the team were hit by a blizzard of goals in Gavle, where Brynas ended a five-match losing run in the most unexpected fashion, winning 10-4 against a side who had won their previous four SHL matches.
The home side were 2-0 up inside five minutes through Linus Olund and Kieffer Bellows. Skelleftea looked to have hit their stride when Oskar Vuollet and Zeb Forsfjall scored within 10 seconds of each other to make it 2-2, only for Jakob Silfverberg to restore the lead almost as quickly, and Axel Rindell added a fourth for Brynas before the first period was over.
It was even quicker start to period two for the hosts, as Mattias Norlinder and Johan Larsson added another two goals within 90 seconds. Bellows then scored his second on his side's first powerplay of the match, and after Bellows himself was sent to the box soon after, Brynas only continued to dominate, scoring shorthanded through Bobby Trivigno.
Hudson Fasching cut the deficit to 8-3 with just under eight minutes left but was denied a second in the final moments of the period following a review. Then, another period, another fast start for Brynas, as Bellows completed his hattrick and Calle Jarnkrok took them to double figures with less than two minutes played. Vuollet grabbed the final goal of the game to take himself level on three points with Silfverberg, but Bellows led the game with four, as Brynas moved into the 10th and final playoff place.
Remarkably, there was just one fewer goal in Linkoping, where the home side beat Rogle 9-4 to end a three-game losing run and inflict the same run of defeats on the visitors. Lubos Horky struck for Rogle in the first period but only to interrupt the procession of Linkoping goals, four of which came in the first 20 minutes through Jakub Vrana, Adam Hofbauer, Loke Krantz and Remi Elie.
Elie then scored another two in the first eight minutes of the second period to complete his hattrick and make it 6-1, before Tinus Koblar and Joel Kellman stopped the rot to make it 6-3 with one period to go.
Arvid Degerstedt's strike quickly snuffed out comeback hopes despite Mark Friedman adding a fourth for Rogle, then Adam Hofbauer and Zion Nybeck completed the rout on a memorable evening for Linkoping, who stay in the bottom two but are now two points from safety. Rogle drop two places to seventh.
Skelleftea stay third but are now 11 points behind leaders Farjestad, who extended their winning run to 13 matches with a 3-1 victory over Djurgarden, who sit eighth following a first loss in four. Lucas Carlsson levelled for the visitors in period three after Per Aslund's first-period opener, but Farjestad got the job done late on with strikes from Viktor Lodin and Joakim Nygard.
Frolunda put three points between themselves and Skelleftea with a 4-1 win at home, but it wasn't all bad for the champions, as the result keeps six points between themselves and fourth-placed Malmo. The Redhawks went ahead midway through the match courtesy of Carl Persson, but the hosts came roaring back through Max Lindholm, Graeme Clarke and Bosse Meijer before the second period was out, then Jacob Peterson found the empty net late in the third.
IF Bjorkloven are the side Linkoping have in their sites, as the promoted side were beaten for the seventh time in a row - all inside 60 minutes - going down 3-1 at home to an Orebro side who scored all three in the final 13 minutes to come from behind.
Also on a seven-match losing streak are HV 71, who remain bottom of the standings after falling to a 4-2 defeat at home to Lulea. The visitors threw away a two-goal lead but restored it in the final period thanks to a goal and assist from Benjamin Tardif, and they climb to sixth after three wins in a row.
Sebastian Strandberg grabbed a goal and assist as Vaxjo moved up to 11th with a first win in four, but the hero was Ludvig Persson, who made 29 saves in the 5-0 victory over a Timra side who hold onto ninth place despite back-to-back defeats.
Find all the team and player stats from every SHL match on Flashscore.