2009–10 Elitserien season

The 2009–10 Elitserien season was the 35th season of Elitserien. It started on September 21, 2009 and ended on March 13, 2010. The playoffs started on March 18, 2010 and ended on April 24, 2010. HV71 won the playoffs, beating Timrå IK 4–1 in the quarter final series, Skellefteå AIK 4–1 in the semi final series, and Djurgårdens IF 4–2 in the final series. The season had a mid-season break that started on February 9 and ended on February 26 to allow participation of Elitserien players in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

In Kvalserien, Södertälje SK requalified and AIK qualified for the 2010–11 Elitserien season at the expense of Rögle BK.

Standings
x – clinched playoff spot; y – clinched regular season league title; e – eliminated from playoff contention; r – played in relegation series

Playoffs
After the regular season, the standard of 8 teams qualify for the playoffs. HV71 won the regular season title with 95 points.


 * 1) HV71 – Regular season champions, 95 points
 * 2) Djurgårdens IF – 92 points (+31 goals for)
 * 3) Linköpings HC – 92 points (+24 goals for)
 * 4) Skellefteå AIK – 88 points
 * 5) Färjestads BK – 87 points
 * 6) Brynäs IF – 84 points
 * 7) Frölunda HC – 78 points
 * 8) Timrå IK – 75 points

Playoff bracket
In the first round, the highest remaining seed chooses which of the two lowest remaining seeds to be matched against. In the second round, the highest remaining seed is matched against the lowest remaining seed. In each round the higher-seeded team is awarded home ice advantage. Each best-of-seven series follows a 1–1–1–2–1–1 format: the higher-seeded team will play at home for games 2 and 4 (plus 5 and 7 if necessary), and the lower-seeded team will be at home for game 1, 3 and 6 (if necessary).