While Team USA has already secured their spot in the championship game against Canada, this match against Sweden carries significant implications. For Team USA, it’s an opportunity to fine-tune their strategies and maintain momentum heading into the final. On the other hand, Sweden, despite not advancing to the championship, aims to play the role of spoiler against a top-tier opponent. Will Team USA continue their dominance, or will Sweden once again prove to be a formidable adversary?
Here is Inside the Rink’s Game Preview of this Matchup:
Tournament Standings
- United States: 6 points (2 Regulation wins)
- Canada: 5 points (1 Regulation win, 1 OT win, 1 loss)
- Finland: 2 points (0 Regulation wins, 1 OT win, 2 losses)
- Sweden: 2 points (0 Regulation wins, 2 OT losses)
Team Lineups
Team Sweden
Line 1: Jonas Brodin (Minnesota Wild, Sweden), Victor Hedman (Tampa Bay Lightning, Sweden) (C), William Nylander (Toronto Maple Leafs, Sweden) (A), Leo Carlsson (Anaheim Ducks, Sweden), Jesper Bratt (New Jersey Devils, Sweden)
Line 2: Erik Karlsson (Pittsburgh Penguins, Sweden) (A), Gustav Forsling (Florida Panthers, Sweden), Lucas Raymond (Detroit Red Wings, Sweden), Joel Eriksson Ek (Minnesota Wild, Sweden), Adrian Kempe (Los Angeles Kings, Sweden)
Line 3: Rasmus Andersson (Calgary Flames, Sweden), Rasmus Dahlin (Buffalo Sabres, Sweden), Elias Pettersson (Vancouver Canucks, Sweden), Hampus Lindholm (Boston Bruins, Sweden), Filip Forsberg (Nashville Predators, Sweden)
Line 4: Mattias Ekholm (Edmonton Oilers, Sweden), Viktor Arvidsson (Edmonton Oilers, Sweden), Gustav Nyquist (Nashville Predators, Sweden)
Starting Goaltender: Samuel Ersson (Philadelphia Flyers, Sweden)
Team USA
Line 1: Jake Sanderson (Ottawa Senators, USA), Zach Werenski (Columbus Blue Jackets, USA), Chris Kreider (New York Rangers, USA), Jack Eichel (Vegas Golden Knights, USA) (A), Brady Tkachuk (Ottawa Senators, USA) (A).
Line 2: Adam Fox (New York Rangers, USA), Noah Hanifin (Vegas Golden Knights, USA), Jack Hughes (New Jersey Devils, USA), J.T. Miller (New York Rangers, USA), Jake Guentzel (Tampa Bay Lightning, USA).
Line 3: Brock Faber (Minnesota Wild, USA), Jaccob Slavin (Carolina Hurricanes, USA), Matt Boldy (Minnesota Wild, USA), Dylan Larkin (Detroit Red Wings, USA), Brock Nelson (New York Islanders, USA) (A).
Line 4: Kyle Connor (Winnipeg Jets, USA), Vincent Trocheck (New York Rangers, USA)
Starting Goaltender: Jake Oettinger (Dallas Stars, USA).
Period 1
The game started with a bang as Chris Kreider (USA) of the New York Rangers put Team USA on the board just 35 seconds into the first period, with assists from Zach Werenski (USA) and Jack Eichel (USA).
The intensity continued with penalties to Elias Lindholm (SWE) for delay of game at 7:57 and Matt Boldy (USA) for interference at 10:03.
Sweden responded with a goal from Gustav Nyquist (SWE) at 13:39, assisted by Erik Karlsson (SWE) and Viktor Arvidsson (SWE), tying the game at 1-1.
As the period was winding down, Jesper Bratt (SWE) gave Sweden the lead with a goal at 19:04, assisted by William Nylander (SWE), ending the first period at 2-1 in favor of Sweden.
Statistics
Shots on Goal: USA 13 – 8 SWE
Shots off Goal: USA 3 – 9 SWE
Shooting PCT: USA 7.69% (1/13) – 25% (2/8) SWE
Blocked Shots: USA 3 – 2 SWE
Goalkeeper Saves: USA 6 – 12 SWE
Saves PCT: USA 75% (6/8) – 92.31% (12/13) SWE
Penalties: USA 1 – 1 SWE
PIM: USA 2 – 2 SWE
Powerplay PCT: USA 0% (0/1) – 0% (0/1) SWE
Pen. Killing PCT: USA 100% (1/1) – 100% (1/1) SWE
Hits: USA 10 – 3 SWE
Faceoffs Won: USA 13 – 6 SWE
Faceoffs %: USA 68.42 – 31.58 SWE
Giveaways: USA 7 – 5 SWE
Period 2
The second period was a defensive battle, with neither team able to find the back of the net. Penalties to Noah Hanifin (USA) for hooking at 4:00 and Filip Forsberg (SWE) for slashing at 10:42 added to the tension, but both teams’ penalty kills stood strong, keeping the score unchanged.
Shots on Goal: USA 8 – 9 SWE
Shots off Goal: USA 5 – 5 SWE
Shooting PCT: USA 0% (0/8) – 0% (0/9) SWE
Blocked Shots: USA 4 – 6 SWE
Goalkeeper Saves: USA 9 – 8 SWE
Saves PCT: USA 100% (9/9) – 100% (8/8) SWE
Penalties: USA 1 – 1 SWE
PIM: USA 2 – 2 SWE
Powerplay Goals: USA 0 – 0 SWE
Shorthanded Goals: USA 0 – 0 SWE
Powerplay PCT: USA 0% (0/1) – 0% (0/1) SWE
Pen. Killing PCT: USA 100% (1/1) – 100% (1/1) SWE
Hits: USA 4 – 9 SWE
Faceoffs Won: USA 5 – 5 SWE
Faceoffs %: USA 50 – 50 SWE
Giveaways: USA 9 – 2 SWE
Period 3
The third period saw continued defensive prowess from both sides. An early penalty to Adam Fox (USA) for cross-checking at 1:11 gave Sweden a power play opportunity
The U.S. gained a power play opportunity when Erik Karlsson was penalized for high-sticking Jake Guentzel. Sweden came close to scoring a short-handed goal, but Jack Eichel made an excellent defensive play to prevent it.
Jack Eichel landed a massive hit on Leo Carlsson, sending his helmet flying. The crowd erupted with “USA, USA” chants, adding to the electric atmosphere. Despite the excitement, the score stayed at 2-1 in favor of Sweden with 12:54 remaining.
Despite several close calls and intense moments, neither team managed to score, and the game ended with Sweden maintaining their 2-1 lead from the first period.
Shots on Goal: USA 2 – 6 SWE
Shots off Goal: USA 10 – 5 SWE
Shooting PCT: USA 0% (0/12) – 0% (0/6) SWE
Blocked Shots: USA 9 – 3 SWE
Goalkeeper Saves: USA 6 – 12 SWE
Saves PCT: USA 100% (6/6) – 100% (12/12) SWE
Penalties: USA 1 – 1 SWE
PIM: USA 2 – 2 SWE
Powerplay Goals: USA 0 – 0 SWE
Shorthanded Goals: USA 0 – 0 SWE
Powerplay PCT: USA 0% (0/1) – 0% (0/1) SWE
Pen. Killing PCT: USA 100% (1/1) – 100% (1/1) SWE
Hits: USA 6 – 4 SWE
Faceoffs Won: USA 7 – 8 SWE
Faceoffs %: USA 46.67 – 53.33 SWE
Giveaways: USA 9 – 5 SWE
Takeaways: USA 1 – 0 SWE
Empty Net Goals: USA 0 – 0 SWE
Injury Report
During the game, Team USA faced a significant setback when Brady Tkachuk (USA) had to leave the ice in the first period after crashing into the net. Although he initially returned to the bench and took a few short shifts, he soon headed back to the locker room and did not return for the remainder of the game. This injury was particularly impactful for Team USA, especially with his brother, Matthew Tkachuk (USA), already sidelined due to a lower-body injury.
Auston Matthews is sidelined as a precaution due to upper-body soreness. Charlie McAvoy has been hospitalized with an upper-body injury, and Vincent Trocheck left the game after taking a puck to the hand. Trocheck took a puck to the hand and left the game but returned to finish with 16 shifts and 10:48 TOI.
Game Summary
Shots on Goal: USA 33 – 23 SWE
Shots off Goal: USA 18 – 19 SWE
Shooting PCT: USA 3.03% (1/33) – 8.7% (2/23) SWE
Blocked Shots: USA 16 – 11 SWE
Goalkeeper Saves: USA 21 – 32 SWE
Saves PCT: USA 91.3% (21/23) – 96.97% (32/33) SWE
Penalties: USA 3 – 3 SWE
PIM: USA 6 – 6 SWE
Powerplay Goals: USA 0 – 0 SWE
Shorthanded Goals: USA 0 – 0 SWE
Powerplay PCT: USA 0% (0/3) – 0% (0/3) SWE
Pen. Killing PCT: USA 100% (3/3) – 100% (3/3) SWE
Hits: USA 20 – 16 SWE
Faceoffs Won: USA 25 – 19 SWE
Faceoffs %: USA 56.82 – 43.18 SWE
Giveaways: USA 25 – 12 SWE
Takeaways: USA 1 – 0 SWE
Empty Net Goals: USA 0 – 0 SWE
Goaltender Stats:
Samuel Ersson (SWE): 60:00, 32 saves on 33 shots, 97.00% save percentage
Jake Oettinger (USA): 58:15, 21 saves on 23 shots, 91.30% save percentage
Stars of the Game
First Star/Player of the Game: Jesper Bratt (SWE): 1 goal, 1 assist, 2 points
Second Star: Chris Kreider (USA): 1 goal, 1 assist, 2 points
Third Star: Gustav Nyquist (SWE): 1 goal, 1 assist, 2 points
Top Five Players Based on Time On Ice (TOI)
Jack Eichel (USA): 22:11
Zach Werenski (USA): 24:08
Victor Hedman (Sweden): 23:49
Jake Guentzel (USA): 23:36
Joel Eriksson Ek (Sweden): 22:40
Don’t forget to catch the exciting championship game this Thursday night! The United States will face off against Canada in the 4 Nations Face-Off final at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. The game starts at 8 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on ESPN and ESPN+. This is a highly anticipated rematch from their earlier game, where the United States secured a 3-1 victory over Canada. It’s sure to be an intense and thrilling match, so make sure to tune in!
Full List of Injuries for Team USA:
Discover more from Inside The Rink
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
