Sweden's hockey team said goodbye to the 4 Nations Face-Off with a win, beating the previously unbeaten USA 2-1 at the end of the group stage. The already certain finalist lost for the first time at the tournament, plus Brady Tkachuk was injured.
They were the only team to score in all games, as they lost to Canada and Finland by the same score of 3:4 after overtime. However, the defeat to the Canadians, with the same points, put them in third place.
After Canada's 5:3 win over the Finns in Monday's opening game, the Swedes knew they would be playing for glory at TD Garden. But they weren't about to let the game slip away. And just like they said, they did.
The goals were scored by Gustav Nyquist and Jesper Bratt. Goaltender Samuel Ersson, who was given the opportunity after being a healthy scratch in Tre kronor's opening two appearances, recorded 32 saves.
Chris Kreider was the only scorer on the losing side, opening the scoring after just 35 seconds. Goalie Jake Oettinger caught 21 accurate shot attempts from the opponent.
Kreider wasted no time in his tournament debut. After a shot from the right wing by Zach Werenski, he converted the rebound and sent the Americans into the lead. Werenski notched his fifth assist of the tournament.
Two big chances to raise had then Dylan Larkin. In the first he rang the post, in the second he crashed on Ersson. The Swedes equalized in the 14th minute, when Oettinger finally got behind Nyquist, who redirected a cross from the air. Erik Karlsson.
Shortly before the first break, he made a turnaround and closed the scoring at the same time. Jasper Brattwhen he perfectly took advantage of the obstructed view of the American goalkeeper. Jake Sanderson and Jack Eichel hit the post, but the Americans never trailed in the final period without a goalie.
"It's not easy to prepare for a game when you know there's not much at stake," Karlsson admitted. "But everyone appreciates being here. Everybody did a damn good job today and did everything they could to help us win."
"It's an honor to be able to play here," Bratt said. "We knew that this game didn't mean much for the tournament, but this win means a lot to the guys in the locker room and our country."
There were only 17 outfielders in the American lineup. They were missing defenseman Charlie McAvoy (unknown injury) and forwards Matthew Tkachuk (lower body) and Auston Matthews (upper body). In addition, Brady Tkachuk (lower body) was pulled early in the second period. He was apparently injured in the sixth minute of the game when he collided with Ersson and the crossbar.
"Brady had a lower-body injury and we left him out as a precaution," said the coach Mike Sullivan. "I don't know his current condition yet, we'll see how he is, but I don't expect there to be any major problems."
The final will feature a battle of overseas rivals USA and Canada. It will take place Thursday night (2:00 a.m. CET) and will be hosted again at the TD Garden. The Canadians will be looking to avenge a 1-3 defeat to the Americans in the group stage.
"We wanted to perform better tonight and give our fans a little more reason to be happy," said American forward Larkin. "We had to do without some very good players, but we pulled together and fought. I hope we can give the fans a little bit more on Thursday."
The list of reasons to look forward to Thursday's final is as long as the list of stars on both rosters. So the 2024-25 season will see one of its highlights in February.
"Boston can look forward to something quite special," smiled the Canadian coach Jon Cooper.
So, US or Canada? There is only one certainty - both rivals will give it their all.
"It's going to be like the seventh final, you're going to see even more than last time," promised the American forward Jack Eichel. "And we know that we have to get the absolute best out of ourselves because they will be better this time."
Thursday, 13 February: Sweden - Canada 3:4 AET
Friday, 14 February: Finland - USA 1:6
Saturday, February 15: Sweden - Finland 3:4 AET
Sunday, February 16: Canada - USA 1:3
Monday, 17 February: Canada - Finland 5:3
Tuesday, February 18: Sweden - USA 2:1
Final Friday, February 21 2:00 AM: USA - Canada, NOVA, VOYO
Final table:
| 1. | USA | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10:4 | 6 |
| 2. | Canada | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 10:9 | 5 |
| 3. | Sweden | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 8:9 | 5 |
| 4. | Finland | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 8:14 | 2 |
nhl.com/ gnews.cz - RoZ
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