Team Canada proved earlier that in the World Junior Championship, there is no easy win. But the hometown team, Sweden, avoided the same fate and narrowly beat Switzerland 3-2 in overtime to move on to the semi-finals on Jan 4. Sweden has been a top favourite for this tournament since the lineup was released in early December, and they have shown that they possess just as much skill and drive to win at their home event as everyone thought they would.
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Just over a minute into the game, Sweden claimed the lead with an amazing tip by Otto Stenberg, and despite some good pressure from Switzerland, Sweden doubled their lead on the power play to end the first. Switzerland finally broke Hugo Havelid’s shutout streak late in the second period as they went to the second intermission down by one. They found the back of the net once again to tie the game up and forced it into overtime. Sweden finally managed to find their legs with a bit of help from the officiating and collect another win.
Production From Sweden’s Entire Lineup
Usually in a short tournament like this, there are a couple of players per team that get on a hot streak and start collecting points at an unbelievable pace. That is not the case for Sweden, as almost their entire roster has been producing like a well-oiled machine. Heading into the game, there was a four-way tie for most points on the team, with Stenberg, Noah Ostlund, Felix Unger Sorum, and even defenseman Theo Lindstein all sitting at six. Three other players were at or above a point-per-game pace.
Sternberg climbed into the lead just over a minute into the game, but with Elias Petterson claiming an assist on the goal, it left just four players on the entire roster without a point. Despite all of their offense throughout the tournament, they struggled mightily in the second half of the game, and it came down to defenseman Axel Sandin Pellikka finding the back of the net for his first of the tournament to move them into the semi-finals. Jonathan Lekkerimaki and Ostlund’s assists on the goal reformed a new three-way tie for the most points on the team.
Split Game From Sweden
One of the biggest reasons that Sweden is looking so dangerous in this tournament is their entire team’s commitment to playing a complete game. Their play in their zone has been almost perfect, their offensive pressure is generated by every line, goaltending has been consistently above average, and special teams have been among the best in the tournament.
A lot can be said about the pre-existing chemistry between most of their players and its effect on their play, as a large percentage of their team has played together at some point in their careers, either international or otherwise. It has shortened the number of games required for them to become efficient significantly, and getting their lines set early in the tournament has furthered that cause.
Related: 2024 Guide to the World Junior Championship
So far in this tournament, if they fail to beat a team in one area, it is almost a non-issue because they are so strong in every other aspect they can just compensate by focusing on what is working for them that night. The result of this game felt like a foregone conclusion by the time the second period started because Sweden was able to dictate the first period in a very convincing manner. They did not drown Switzerland with an overpowering offense and rack up the score, but they did smother them in their zone to the point where it was a rare occurrence for Havelid to even have to make a save.
That completely flipped on its head once Switzerland got their first goal and brought the game within one. Sweden had a chance to regain their lead, but a disallowed goal late in the second period sent Switzerland to the intermission feeling very good about themselves. The Swiss came out and dominated the third period in a manner that was completely unlike anything Sweden had experienced outside of perhaps the first period of their game against Finland. They had no answer for the opposition’s attacks and lacked the overall confidence they exuded just 20 minutes earlier. They will have to avoid a similar occurrence moving forward as the competition is only getting tougher.
One Game at a Time
With every game being a win-or-go-home situation, it is imperative to stay as sharp as possible. That will be especially true when Sweden plays a Czechia team that is fresh off a major upset win over Canada and looking for another. Sweden avoided the same fate against Switzerland, and they now have time to re-evaluate before moving forward. But the wonderful part of this tournament is that there are no guarantees. Even a team that barely squeaks into the playoffs can go home with a medal, and the favorites can go home with nothing.
