A 3-2 home victory in game four saw Lulea avoid a whitewash and add some respectability as their reign as SHL champions looked to be ending.
They would need to become just the second team in league history - after Rogle 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 Skelleftea took the lead in the ninth minute.
Having survived an earlier powerplay after boarding by Frans Haara, the goal arrived when Oliver Okuliar picked out Emil Djuse with an incisive pass, and the 32-year-old needed only angle the puck into the bottom corner of the net.
Haara was in the box again for holding, either side of Lulea's Erik Gustafsson and Pontus Andreasson also conceding penalties, and it was the latter, right on the 20-minute mark, that Skelleftea took full advantage of in the second period.
Arvid Lundberg skated hard into the attacking zone before squaring to Okuliar, who took time to set himself before hammering the puck past Matteus Ward and into the top corner for 2-0.
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.
Winning the attacking face-off to begin the powerplay, Lulea put together a series of quick passes, resulting in Isac Hedqvist laying the puck back for Brian O'Neill to fire home and halve the deficit.
Roughing by Brendan Shinnimin 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 Frederic Allard was called for slashing five minutes in.
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.
That backs-to-the-wall job did just the job for the number one seeds, who justified that status by winning 2-1 and returning to the SHL finals after a one-year absence. They now await either Rogle or Vaxjo in the final series, which is set to begin on 23rd April.