When the schedule showed that Sweden and Finland would face off in the final match of Group A, many believed the game would decide the group winner. However, that has not been so far as due to one underachieving squad in what has been a surprising group stage.
Finland opened the tournament with a strong 5-1 over Latvia but then lost to the Czech Republic in regulation. The Finnish had a chance to jump back into second with a win over Switzerland, but instead are giving the Swiss a prime chance to pass them if they defeat the Czech Republic on Monday. Finland got off to a dreadful start against Switzerland and let them jump out to a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes. Markus Granlund and Teuvo Teravainen continued to carry the team on their shoulders with two big goals in the second to level the score. However, the Swiss fired back with two goals in the first 11:30 of the third to seemingly put the game out of reach for Finland. The duo of Teravainen and Granlund each struck again to tie the score and a Granlund penalty goal in the shootout gave Finland its second point.
Their opponents are the defending champions Sweden, a squad that has lived up to expectations. Sweden made quick work of the Czech Republic in their opening match and then slightly edged Switzerland in the shootout. In their last match, they destroyed Latvia 5-1. Sweden got off to a 1-0 lead thanks to a goal from Emil Molin in the final moments of the first period. Latvia drew even shortly after, but Sebastian Collberg continued to look like Sweden's best player by scoring his third goal of the tournament in the final minutes of the second. Goals from Victor Arvidsson and Alexander Wennberg closed out the win for the Swedes. Top NHL Prospect Filip Forsberg has remained quiet for the team despite one assist in the win, but he was widely expected to dominate the tournament, something he has yet to do.
A Swedish win of any sort guarantees them complete control of Group A. A loss coupled with a Czech win in regulation over Switzerland pushes them into the quarter finals. A Czech win in the shootout or overtime and a Swedish loss still gives the defending champs first place in group A. The scenario is a bit more complicated for Finland. A win in regulation or overtime secures them passage into the next round regardless of any other result. However, if they lose, they need a Czech win in regulation to obtain passage. If they lose in overtime or the shootout, they need the Czechs to defeat Switzerland in any format. Most interesting of all however is that Finland can still win Group A and jump ahead to the semi-finals. If they defeat Sweden in regulation, both sides would have eight points. By virtue of defeating Sweden, Finland would win the tiebreaker. If Switzerland defeated the Czech Republic in any way, then Finland would win the group. If Sweden lost to Finland and the Czech Republic defeated Switzerland in regulation, then the Swedes would wind up in third place in Group A.
Prediction: Sweden wins this one. 3-1 Sweden.
Start Time: 7 AM EST
TV: TSN
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