In what was essentially a win-and-in game, Sweden was able to put together a strong showing against Slovakia, defeating them by a 4-2 scoreline.
The win allowed Sweden to take the knockout round spot previously held by Slovakia in dramatic fashion; the Swedes will finish fourth in Group B as a result.
Sweden vs Slovakia recap
Even then, Sweden wasn't the first team to score. Ontario Reign winger Martin Chromiak got Slovakia on the board almost five minutes into the contest, with New York Rangers forward Adam Sykora and former Arizona Coyotes defenseman Patrik Koch recording the two assists on the icebreaker.
The Swedes would level the score shortly before the first period ended, with Chicago Blackhawks forward Anton Frondell scoring the first of four critical goals for Sweden. Former Edmonton Oilers defenseman Joel Persson added the primary assist on Frondell's game-tying goal, while current Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm recorded the secondary assist.
Almost three minutes into the second period, former Anaheim Ducks winger Jakob Silfverberg gave Sweden the 2-1 lead to continue the momentum shift that they started in the opening frame. Philadelphia Flyers winger Carl Grundstrom recorded his third assist of the World Championship on the goal, while former Ducks defenseman Jacob Larsson added the secondary helper.
At the midway point of the game, top draft prospect Ivar Stenberg gave Sweden the 3-1 lead while recording what ended up being the knockout-round-clinching goal for Sweden. Both Detroit Red Wings winger Lucas Raymond and Djurgardens IF forward Viggo Bjorck added to their already-hefty assist totals on the goal; the former recorded his sixth assist on the goal, while the latter crossed five assists via the secondary assist.
Like how Sweden pushed back at the end of the first period, Slovakia would put their own end-of-period response together to halve Sweden's lead. HC Vitkovice forward Marek Hrivik recorded Slovakia's second goal of the game, with Bili Tygri Liberec winger Martin Fasko-Rudas recording his third assist of the tournament and HC Kosice defenseman Mislav Rosandic pushing his own assist count to five.
While Slovakia would outshoot Sweden 7-6 in the third period, it would be Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson that had the most impactful shot, recording the insurance goal to allow Sweden to pull away for good.
Relevant statistics and facts
Including the 7-6 third period shots on goal count, Slovakia ended up outshooting Sweden by a 24-19 margin.
Iowa Wild netminder Samuel Hlavaj was in net for Slovakia, recording 15 saves on 18 total shots faced. That was good enough for a .833 save percentage.
Former Detroit Red Wings netminder Magnus Hellberg recorded the win for Sweden, stopping 22 of the 24 shots that he faced during the game for a .917 save percentage.
What's next?
While Slovakia previously looked poised to punch their ticket to the knockout round, a three-game losing streak to close preliminary round play would be enough for them to fall out of the medal contention picture entirely. They'll finish the tournament with a 3-1-0-3 record (wins, overtime wins, overtime losses, losses), good enough for 11 points and fifth place in the Group B standings.
Sweden will continue on to the knockout round even after losing two of their first three group games. Wins in three of their last four preliminary-round games, in which they outscored their opponents 15-5, will serve as a big confidence booster for Sweden as they look to defend their bronze medal or even go for gold. But their path to the medal rounds runs through a Swiss side that dominated group play, winning all seven of their opening-round games. A win over Switzerland will at least give Sweden a chance to defend bronze; puck drop in that quarterfinal game is set for Thursday at 2:20 P.M. Eastern Time.
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