According to major media reports, Södertälje defeated Mora IK in their play-in series, winning the away game in Dalarna 2-0 and then securing a 6-1 victory on Wednesday evening. This result means Södertälje advances to the quarterfinals while Mora's season is over. Oskarshamn also advanced with a 2-0 series win over Almtuna IS, taking the first game in Uppsala 4-3 after overtime and winning the second game 5-3.
Both Södertälje and Oskarshamn advance as the lowest-ranked teams among the eight quarterfinalists. The other six teams that had already qualified directly for the playoffs are IF Björklöven, Kalmar HC, BIK Karlskoga, MoDo Hockey, AIK Hockey, and Nybro Vikings. The quarterfinal matchups are now set: IF Björklöven will face IK Oskarshamn, Kalmar HC will play Södertälje SK, BIK Karlskoga meets Nybro Vikings, and MoDo Hockey takes on AIK Hockey.
The series will be decided in best-of-seven matches according to the H-H-B-B-H-B-H model, where the highest-ranked team has home advantage and starts with two consecutive home games. The quarterfinal schedule includes games from March 15 through March 22, though specific venues for each game have not been announced. Winners from the four quarterfinals will meet in the semifinals, where the highest-ranked advancing team will face the lowest-ranked team.
The exact format for the semifinals and finals beyond this pairing structure remains unspecified.