A win of any kind would be enough for Skelleftea to finish top of the pile, but they were made to wait in front of their home support, but Linkoping resistance finally broke in the 18th minute when Max Krogdahl broke the deadlock.
But the yellow & blacks had all but sealed victory by the midpoint of the game - Rickard Hugg's powerplay goal briefly opened the floodgates as Valter Lindberg and then Arvid Lundberg made it 4-0, but the visitors managed to weather the storm.
In fact, Linkoping briefly threatened a remarkable comeback, as Markus Ljungh and Zion Nybeck pulled two goals back to make it 4-2 with 11 minutes to play, only for Skelleftea to wrap things up in the final three minutes, when Victor Stjernborg completed the scoring.
It's the sixth time Skelleftea have finished first in the regular season, only two of which - 2013 and 2014 - ended with them lifting the Le Mat Trophy.
It was a second successive loss for 14th-placed Linkoping, but they can breathe a little easier after Leksand's attempted great escape is all but over after their run of seven wins in eight came to a crushing end with a 7-2 loss at Malmo.
The Redhawks, chasing a top-six finish, were relentless in a first period which saw them 3-0 ahead. Leksand saved face by bringing the score back to 5-2, but with goal difference so pivotal, they pulled the goaltender late on, only for Malmo to score two more, as Eemil Viro netted twice.
There remains three points between Linkoping and Leksand, but with the former having a superior goal difference, Leksand need a three-point win, a Linkoping loss in regulation and a 15-goal swing on the final day to avoid the relegation play-out.
Following back-to-back victories, eighth-placed Malmo are one of four teams locked on 77 points as the race for the final two places in the top six will go down to the wire.
The big losers on the night in that race were Lulea, who dropped to seventh after throwing away a 2-1 lead at home to Rogle to lose 5-2. It's now four SHL losses in five for the reigning champions, while the Angelholm side have the chance to climb to third in the final round.
Farjestad threw away a 2-0 lead at home to Timra, but they ended the night overtaking Lulea to move into sixth place thanks to Jack Berglund's late winner that secured a 3-2 victory and a third win in a row.
Clinging onto fifth place despite a third loss in a row are Brynas, who were beaten 3-1 on the road at Orebro. That result and the final score in Farjestad had huge implications on the fight for the 10th and final playoff place, as a sixth defeat in a row saw Timra finally slip down and replaced by Orebro.
Five wins in their last six has given Orebro a two-point cushion over faltering Timra ahead of meeting Linkoping on the final day.
Vaxjo missed the chance to seal third place as they were on the upset of a surprise 3-0 win by HV 71, who ended a three-match losing streak that gives them hope of avoiding the wooden spoon. Lassi Lehtinen made 23 saves to complete his shutout and inflict back-to-back losses on the Lakers.
Frolunda are certain to finish second in the standings and again failed to reach the 100-point mark, going down 3-1 at home to Djurgarden, as the Iron Stoves began preparations for the eighth finals, and they are a guaranteed ninth-placed finish on their return to the SHL.
The final round of matches in the regular season will be played at 15:15 CET on Saturday 14th March.
Follow the final day of the SHL regular season on Flashscore.