Helsinki. Junior crowns finished with style.
The meeting with Canada was nothing – but seemed to apply to everything.
This was a perfect workout for the quarter-finals.
I usually have difficulty walking and running in games that do not apply anything but it was hard not to like about this meeting.
Crowded arena and 50/50 between the Swedish and Canadian supporters, who really completed in 2015 to shout out the last thing they had in the lungs.
The two teams gave us a worthy New Year’s fireworks display.
Junior Barley Ornamental Lightning started with two quick goals. Canada tried to tackle back in the game on the classic manner. At times it was pure wild western hockey, where it was about to pull first. Or get run over. Sweden also managed it.
Canada did what they could, but enough is simply not to.
Junior crowns needed to get up the pace and the physical game before the playoffs, this was a perfect match . Aside from Linus Söderström got off with three minutes left. We must hope that it is not anything serious. READ ALSO Hint: So stop all the quarter finals
Nothing we can live on
Once again, the Swedish team conducted a very good group stage, victory against Canada was the 36th (!) straight. This time we also received hefty advantage of winning the group. Slovakia in the quarter-finals.
But otherwise, no group stage something we can live on. Playoffs is something else, we have seen many examples of this.
Now, the Swedish team grow a level. Now there is no room for any bad match or even any really weak period.
We lost the bronze match against Slovakia just a year ago. Then it was a very disappointed and energized Swedish team that came to the game. Players had not managed to lose the semi-final defeat to Russia the day before. Slovakia was considerably easier to motivate themselves and won against a pale Swedish law.
But Slovakia has a completely new team here in Helsinki. If their 95-litter was strong this team is weaker. Just four players remain from the team in Toronto. Junior crowns eleven. Many of the players were also leading already to a year ago. As Oscar Lindblom, Axel Holmström, Linus Söderström and Gustav Forsling to name a few. Possibly we can also count William Nylander.
Not much scares forward
Defensively, Slovakia is a hard to penetrate team with a good goalie and many tall hills. Forward there is not much that scares, no Slovakian player
However, Slovakia has played evenly against the top three nations in the group, it was only against Finland as it fell away at the end of match. Which led incidentally Slovakia 2-0 before Finland started its turnaround.
Already Sweden as clear
The quarter finals will forgive. It is for them that this tournament has the potential to grow into something special. We have two scorching semi-finals on Monday that promises to be pure heavyweight meetings.
Russia and Sweden, I see already that clear. The United States should also go there. Since it is Finland or Canada feels as uncertain as it feels safe in the other three quarter-finals.
But no matter which of the two teams take the further it will go off.
I can promise you.
We look forward to the quarter-finals, but it’s the semi-finals we yearn for.
Finally: A happy new year!