Frölunda is at home in match 7, but Leksand is not completely gone…

► Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. on Tuesday. Learn to sell out fast.
► But – is home advantage in a match 7?

My feeling is that home/away plays very little role in a directly decisive game 7. Like when Frölunda knocked out Färjestad last year.
The statistics don’t really tell me right. Although … maybe a little anyway? The trend?
Uh, do what you will with the numbers. Soon it’s hockey party again.

TONIGHT, TUESDAY the second of April, it’s a cheeky game 7 in Finnish League, Pelicans against HIFK, Lahti against Helsinki. Ryan Lasch and Patrik Carlsson’s Pelicans were 3–0, lost Game 4 in the sixth (!) overtime period, now it’s 3–3.

Vem som avgørd ebjerde matchen? Kristian Vesalainen, assisted by Petteri Lindbohm.

Who will win tonight? We shall see.

Lash: 1+4. Carlsson: 2+1. Max Lindroth? His TPS made a good effort but went against the superb Tappara, Max was 0+5 (nine games). Sport with Johan Sundström, Sebastian Stålberg, Simon Hjalmarsson & Co, here it was a trip to the round of 16, just like for the twins Westerholms Lock.

Well, back to Sweden, here Hockeysverige’s eyes are turned towards Gothenburg on Wednesday for an exciting game 7, a semi-final meeting with Skellefteå is in the pot. Not a single person can argue in advance that Frölunda or Leksand should go on, two perfectly even teams, little things will decide.

Home plane? I doubt that. If I feel like it, I let my stomach rule. Home can mean support, security – but also a hell of a lot of pressure. I remember a few such “sevens” by Frölunda, I also remember the team’s strong performance last season when they silenced Färjestad’s supporters in Karlstad. But – the statistics don’t really tell me right. Out of 31 Match 7s since the 2000/2001 season, 21 have been won by the home team. So damn it seems to be some advantage anyway. If it has the slightest impact on Wednesday’s clash between Frölunda and Leksand, you can think about that.

By the way, in order to give me and my gut feeling a little justice, you can possibly mention that of the last four “sevens”, the away team has won two, of the last seven three.

Well, at the risk that I missed a game in the speed, this is how it has looked in the SHL playoffs. Away wins in italics, Frölunda in bold.

MATCH 7, 21st CENTURY

2001
Quarter final, Modo–Luleå 2–4

2002
Quarter-final, Djurgården–HV71 3–0

2004
Final, HV71–Färjestad 5–0

2005
Quarter-final, Timrå–Djurgården 2–3

2006
Semi-final, HV71–Färjestad 3–4
Semi-final, Frölunda–Linköping 2–0

2007
Quarter-final, HV71–Brynäs 4–3
Quarter-final, Modo–Timrå 2–1
Semi-final, HV71–Modo 2–5

2008
Quarter-final, Färjestad–Frölunda 3–1

2009
Quarter-final, Linköping–Skellefteå 2–3
Quarter-final, HV71–Timrå 4–2

2010
Quarter-final, Linköping–Frölunda 4–2
Quarter-final, Skellefteå–Färjestad 2–1

––––––––––