Farjestad had the benefit of five days' rest, while Skelleftea had travelled to Czech Republic and back as they lost to Plzen in the Champions Hockey League, and those factors appeared to play their part as FBK cruised to a 5-1 victory on the road - their fifth win in a row and sixth in seven this season.
Per Aslund and Viktor Lodin had the visitors 2-0 up inside four minutes, and though Victor Stjernborg responded soon after with a shorthanded strike, that was as good as it got for SAIK as Jack Berglund and Lodin again put Farjestad 4-1 up in the second period, before Albert Wikman completed the scoring in the third. It's a first SHL loss in four for Skelleftea, who stay in fourth place.
Farjestad are the new leaders after bottom beat top in Timra, where the home side won 4-1 against Frolunda to pick up their first win in regulation time and end the visitors' six-match winning start in the SHL. Frolunda drop to second, while Timra stay 14th on goal difference.
Frolunda were also beaten in the Czech Republic earlier in the week, but few would have expected Timra to take advantage quite so fully, especially after Filip Hasa's goal had the Gothenburg side ahead after the opening period. But the rest of the match was one-way traffic, as Marcus Hardegard and Anton Heikkinen turned things around with a pair of quickfire powerplay goals, before Eddie Genborg and Dylan McLaughlin pulled Timra clear late on.
IF Bjorkloven were unable to go level with Frolunda as they were beaten 4-1 at Brynas, who sit fifth after ending their two-game losing streak and the new boys' three-game winning run. Rogle were in European action in midweek but had no such trouble by beating HV 71 4-3 to round out the top six, though fatigue seemed to be setting in late on as Jan Mysak scored a hat-trick for HV in the final 12 minutes, but it wasn't enough to stop his side slipping into the bottom two.
Vaxjo slipped to eighth and ensured it was three losses for the four Champions League sides by going down 3-0 to Linkoping, who ended a four-game losing run with Marcus Hogberg's 25-save shutout. Malmo climbed to seventh, above Vaxjo and opponents Lulea with two goals in the final period to seal a 3-2 win, their second in a row. Djurgarden have clambered out of the relegation zone with a first win in four, beating Orebro 2-1 and inflicting a third defeat in a row on their opponents.