The system of relegation and promotion has its share of pros and cons.  The proponents of the NHL-style franchise system can point to the Entry Draft as a logical means of equitably distributing talent across the hockey world, as well as the ability to place all the teams in the top markets in order to maximize revenues.  Critics would argue that the system rewards losing, offering the first chance at the top available young talent to the teams that lose, and that in turn inhibits the abilities of the top teams to build dynasties.  

The KHL has decided to follow the NHL model, complete with an Entry Draft system that rewards the losing teams like Metallurg Novokuznetsk.  There's a lot more disparity between the top and bottom teams in the KHL than the top and bottom teams in the NHL, and the KHL Draft isn't as effective in bridging the divide as the NHL's Draft, so it'll be interesting to see how it works out long term.  In Sweden, however, the promotion/relegation system is very much in place, and a spot in the twelve team Elitserien is available to any club team from any town if they are good enough.  Sure, it's possible that a team with a 500 seat arena could make the Elitserien, but realistically teams need to have large budgets just to reach the top 12.

Not every league is set up has an exciting means of promotion and relegation.  In Finland, the worst team in the SM-Liiga plays the top team in the Mestis in a simple best of 7 series.  The same format is done in Slovakia and the Czech Republic.  It's pretty dull, in reality, and gives playoff revenue to the worst team in the league (which rarely loses the series).  I like playoff hockey, and best of sevens, but I don't see this as the best method for deciding a winner.  In Switzerland, they do a whole playoff bracket of losers:  if you lose the series, you move on.  It's a bizarre concept and if you're bad enough (like 12th place Ambri-Piotta), you get three playoff series before your fate is ultimately decided...  and now Ambri-Piotta is up 2-0 on the NLB champion EHC Visp.  

Sweden, however, does it right.  It's a fair and exciting system, albeit one that could use a minor adjustment.  The top four teams in the Allsvenskan, Sweden's second league, join the bottom two teams from the Elitserien in a round robin, home and home series.  After ten games, the top two teams move on.  The tournament is called the Kvalserien to Elitserien, and it operates in the same manner for every level of Swedish hockey (there's a Kvalserien to Allsvenskan, Division 1, etc.).  

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vs.

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SM-Liiga (Finland)

HIFK 3, Jokerit 2 (OT):  Knowing the importance of this Game 4, HIFK came out flying in this one, scoring first and outshooting Jokerit on their home ice badly.  However, Jan Lasak kept Jokerit in it, and allowed Janne Lahti to score the go ahead goal with 4:16 to play.  With the goalie pulled, Toni Söderholm tied the game for HIFK with 28 seconds left.  Kimmo Kuhta scored on a breakaway 5:48 into extra time to even the series.  Series tied 2-2.

JYP 4, Ilves 2:  Top ranked JYP from Jyvaskyla really weren't challenged by Ilves, who finished 10th in the regular season and won the qualifying round.  Juha-Pekka Hytönen and Ossi Louhivaara had a goal and an assist each to complete the sweep.  JYP wins series 4-0. 

Lukko 5, KalPa 2:  This one was a bit strange.  After an even first period that saw the score tied at 1, KalPa completely dominated the second period, outhsooting Lukko 11-1 but not able to beat Mika Noronen to take the lead.  At 11:05 of the 3rd, Kurtis McLean gave Lukko the lead, and 3:59 later Pettru Lindgren scored shorthanded to build a two goal lead.  With 4:07 to play, KalPa pulled Ari Ahonen for the extra attacker, and it backfired as Lukko took a three goal lead.  In the end, Kurtis McLean had two goals in the 5-2 win.  Series tied 2-2.

Ässät 5, Blues 1:  Tommi Huhtala had two goals to help Pori avoid being swept.  Aki Uusikartano had three assists and Tuomas Santavuori had two helpers, while Eero Kilpeläinen made 23 saves.  And, after being benched for Game 3, potential 2011 first round draft pick scored his first goal of the series.  Blues lead series 3-1.

Thursday's Game (Liigakarstina):  Vaasan Sport @ Lahti Pelicans (5:30 PM CET/12:30 PM EST, Pelicans lead league qualification series 2-0).

Kontinental Hockey League (Russia)

Atlant Moscow Oblast 6, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 1:  Sergei Mozyakin had a goal and two assists, Ivan Nepryayev scored twice and veteran Oleg Petrov had two points as the visitors from Mytischi shocked the top seed in front of a sellout crowd of 9046 in Yaroslavl.  This game was all Atlant:  they outshot Lokomotiv 32-18, built up a three goal lead, and when Lokomotiv scored, they responded before the end of the second period to retake the three goal lead and put the game out of reach.  Atlant leads series 1-0. 

Thursday's Game:  Metallurg Magnitogorsk @ Salavat Yulaev Ufa (3:00 PM CET/10:00 PM EST, Game 1 of Eastern Conference Final).

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It was a lighter Monday schedule from what we've come to expect, with most of the action in the SM-Liiga, but one big game in the KHL. 

SM-Liiga (Finland)

HIFK 2, Jokerit 1 (Jokerit leads series 2-1):  Mikael Granlund returned from injury after missing Game 2, and while he didn't hit the scoresheet, he played 21:34 so no ill signs there.  Long time Finnish national team member Ville Peltonen scored twice as HIFK striked back in this Helsinki derby.  Juuso Riksman made 25 saves for the win.

Espoo Blues 2, Ässät (Pori) 1 (Espoo leads series 3-0):  Down 2-0, the Aces benched 17 year old winger Joel Armia and it didn't help their offensive woes.  Blueliner Oskari Korpikari continued his strong playoffs for the surprising Blues, scoring the winning goal.  The normally defensive defenseman now has five points in six playoff games.  Espoo can complete the sweep at home on Wednesday.

Lukko (Rauma) 2, KalPa (Kuopio) 1 (KalPa leads series 2-1):  Czech winger Jakub Petruzalek scored twice to help Rauma get back in this series.  Mika Noronen made 24 saves for the win.

JYP 4, Ilves 3 (Jyvaskyla leads series 3-0):  Jonne Virtanen had a goal and an assist to lead regular season leaders JYP to their third straight victory over the outmatched team from Tampere.  Pasi Määttänen scored twice in reply for Ilves.  All series resume tomorrow. 

Tuesday Liigakarsinta Game (2011-12 League Qualifier):  Lahti Pelicans @ Vaasan Sport (5:30 PM CET/12:30 PM EST).

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Today's recap will feature a lot of vowels and umlauts...  as the Kanada-malje quarterfinals kicked off throughout Finland.

SM-Liiga (Finland)

Jokerit 1, HIFK 0 (Jokerit leads series 1-0):  Nothing like the Helsinki derby to kick off the playoffs, as the historic rivals played a tight game in which HIFK pressed, but couldn't solve former Slovakian national team goaltender Jan Lasak, who made 39 saves for the shutout.  Tomi Mäki scored the game's only goal with 2:26 to play in the second period, but perhaps the most impactful moment of the game occurred before that.  HIFK's Mikael Granlund, the Minnesota Wild first rounder who missed the 2011 WJCs with a concussion, was hit hard while crossing in front of Lasak by Jokerit captain Ossi Väänänen.  Granlund was driven into Lasak, and ended up bouncing his face off the goal post.  He tried to return, and played 12:49 total for the game, but eventually left and is considered day-to-day.  Michael Russo of the Star-Tribune claimed he was cross-checked in the face, but as you can clearly see, it was a big hit into the net, and not a headshot or cross-check:

Blues (Espoo) 4, Ässät (Pori) 3 (OT) (Blues lead series 1-0):  The Blues had to make the quarterfinals via a qualifier series, and got the much sought after first road win thanks to an OT winner from veteran centre Stefan Öhman.  Petri Lammassaari had a goal and an assist for the Blues, while Ryan Caldwell led Ässät with three assists.  For the draft curious, Ässät winger Joel Armia had just stepped out of the penalty box at the time of the OT winner, and had six shots to go with his two minor penalties in 17:15 of ice time. 

JYP (Jyväskylä) 7, Ilves (Tampere) 3 (JYP leads series 1-0):  Eric Perrin had a hat trick and an assist, a trio of players had three point nights (Ossi Louhivaara, Harri Pesonen, Jani Tuppurainen), plus a goal and an assist from young star d-man Sami Vatanen propelled the regular season champs to a big win in Game 1.  Shots were 43-30 for the home side, and even though the score indicates a lopsided game, it wasn't until the third period that things really broke open. 

KalPa (Kuopio) 3, Lukko (Rauma) 2 (KalPa leads series 1-0):  Sakari Salminen had two goals for KalPa to lead the way to an early road win in this series.  These two teams finished dead even in points at 98 for the season, so this promises to be the most closely contested series of the bunch.  Ari Ahonen was sharp early for KalPa, turning aside 16 first period shots and making 34 saves total for the win.

Saturday's Games:  JYP @ Ilves; Ässät @ Blues, HIFK @ Jokerit, Lukko @ KalPa (All games at 5:30 PM CET/12:30 PM EST).

Elitserien (Sweden)

Linköping 4, Skellefteå 2 (Series tied 3-3):  Mikko Lehtonen finally scored, but Linköping's Patrick Zackrisson one upped him, and Jan Hlavac provided the winner with 5:28 to play as Linköping played a desperate game while on the ropes.  Martin Laumann Ylven was ejected from the game very early for a boarding major at 1:54, but Skellefteå only managed a single goal on the five minute powerplay and Linköping was fairly disciplined the rest of the way.  Shots were 35-23 for the home team.  The series concludes back in Skellefteå on Sunday.

Djurgården 2, Luleå 0 (Series tied 3-3):  Could we have yet ANOTHER 0-3 comeback?  We already saw one in the Slovak Extraliga this year, and we've seen them recently in the NHL and OHL as well.  Mark Owuya posted his second straight shutout, making 26 saves in front of a sold out crowd at the Globe Arena in Stockholm.  Matthias Tjärnqvist scored the opening (and winning) goal at 12:27 of the third period, and added an assist on Kristofer Ottosson's insurance goal just 1:19 later.  Djurgården will look to make history on Sunday up in Luleå.

Saturday's Kvalserien Games:  Rögle @ Södertälje; Örebrö @ Växjö; MODO @ Mora (All games at 4:00 PM CET/11:00 AM EST).

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Now that we're all caught up, every morning (in North America at least) from now on, we'll be doing a brief recap of the previous day's games and previewing the games coming up later.  I'll be putting them up at the same time every morning so hopefully you can make coming here a habit. 

Elitserien (Sweden)

AIK 4, HV71 1 (AIK wins series 4-0):  The 8th seed AIK Stockholm, who spent the previous nine seasons out of the Elitserien entirely, knocked off last year's champions and this year's regular season winners in a sweep to advance to the semifinals.  They won this game by again getting outshot badly, particularly in the third, but somehow scored three times on only four third period shots to seal the win after falling behind 1-0 in the first.  Christian Sandberg led the way with a goal and an assist. 

Risto Pakarinen did a feature on AIK goalie Viktor Fasth, the star of the series, for IIHF.com.  Here are the Game 4 hilites:

Wednesday's Games:  Brynäs @ Färjestad (Färjestad leads series 3-1); Linköping @ Skellefteå (Series tied at 2); Djurgården @ Luleå (Luleå leads series 3-1).

Both Färjestad and Luleå have a chance to wrap up the series, while Skellefteå will hope their top offensive performers will find a way to break through after being held fairly silent the past three games.  This will be Luleå's second chance to knock out the Stockholm based Djurgården.

SM-Liiga (Finland)

Espoo Blues 2, Oulu Kärpät 1 (OT) (Espoo wins play-in 2-1):  The final spot in the Kanada-malje quarterfinals is now in place, thanks to Petri Lammassaari scoring at 18:00 of overtime.  Espoo will head to Pori to take on Ässät on Friday to start their seven game series.  All four quarterfinals will start on that date, with no other games relating to the league until then.

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HV-71 has lived a charmed life in the Elitserien the past twelve months, winning the league's gold medal for winning the playoffs in 2009-10 and finishing first in the 2010-11 regular season standing.  But the fiesty AIK Stockholm team is on the verge of pulling off a massive upset in the first round of the Elitserien playoffs, having built a 3-0 series lead on the strength of strong play early in tie games to get the lead, and strong goaltending to hold it the rest of the way.  It's not the prettiest way to win games, but it's not an unheard of strategy when looking to pull off a 1 vs. 8 upset.  As Behind the Net would say, it's all about the score effects.  Have a look:

As a note, on the Elitserien game sheets, they do count "shots wide", but the numbers are so low I don't think they're accurate enough to count as a Fenwick stat (shots on goal + shots missed). 

At the start of every third period, AIK has had the lead in this series, and the third period shows AIK sitting back and relying on their goalie to win games.  Of note, Game 1 and 3 were played in Jonkoping (HV71), and Game 2 was played in Stockholm.  

AIK goes for their improbable sweep tomorrow at home.  Remember, this was the team that was in the Allsvenskan a year ago, Sweden's second league, while HV71 were the country's golden boys.

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It's been a while since I did a roundup like this, I should get in the habit of doing it again.

Nasty Nils Ekman slash from Elitserien
Former NHL player Nils Ekman of Djurgarden is facing a lengthy suspension after slashing Ottawa Senators prospect Jakob Silfverberg (currently playing for Brynas) on the wrist. While international fans might be more familiar with Ekman, Silfverberg is the better player right now of the two, with seventeen points through 22 games. Sportbladet reporter Tomas Ros thinks Ekman will get less than 8 games, though, using an Andreas Pihl slash (to the face) as a comparison. The blog linked is in Swedish.

Danes qualify for Super Final
A real barnburner occured over the weekend in Asiago, Italy, as Danish champions SønderjyskE won after nine rounds of the shootout against the hosts in Group E Continental Cup action. The final score read 4-3, with each team recording over 40 shots on goal in regulation and five minutes of five on five overtime. It's the first time a Danish team has reached the IIHF Continental Cup Super Final.  Meanwhile, in Group D action, the host Rouen Dragons (France) advanced to the Super Final, edging out Cracovia Krakow (Poland) and Coventry Blaze (UK).  This means the Super Final, held January 14-16 in Minsk, Belarus, will feature SønderjyskE (DEN), Rouen (FRA), Yunost Minsk (BLR) and defending champions Red Bull Salzburg (AUT). 

King on WJHC: Few stars & stripes for USA - sportsnet.ca
Enough about Team Canada's roster, let's look at the Americans.  Well, the Americans who might not be there.  Cam Fowler definitely won't be on the team, but several AHL players could be, much like last year's OT hero John Carlson.  Nick Leddy, Jerry D'Amigo, Jeremy Morin, and Kyle Palmieri could all help the team, but their availability rests in the hands of their NHL teams.  For reference, the Chicago Blackhawks did make Brandon Pirri available for Team Canada, so one would expect they'll do the same for Leddy.  Neate Sager has more on this at Buzzing the Net. 

Finnish SM-Liiga Goal Locations, 2009-10 - Behind The Net
Gabe sifts through the SM-Liiga's data archives to give an illustration of the obvious: goalies cover the middle and low parts of the net pretty darn well... a vast majority of goals scored are of the 'high cheese' variety. Though low glove side is a good bet, too.

KHL to Italy?
So apparently Medvedev is now looking at putting a KHL team in Italy. It's a pretty crazy idea in some ways, but actually Italy fits the bill a bit for the kind of markets the KHL can target without running into too much resistance from the national federations. Italy's world ranking puts it ahead of both Kazakhstan and Ukraine, so the non-import talent level is comparable to many second-tier KHL teams, and it has arenas large enough to fit the KHL bill. Not to mention the fact that Italy is a Euro country, and their potential to generate revenue would be way better than say, Minsk. The article is in Russian, I'm trusting the good folks at International Hockey Forums that this is legit. No specifics on a market, though.

That being said, one wonders if the KHL's infamous Playboy fan swimsuit contest is just a way for Medvedev to get Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's wheels greased.