Sweden looked to return to the gold medal game for the second year in a row at the 2025 World Junior Championship when they took on Finland in the semifinals. In a game that saw plenty of ups and downs for each team, Sweden ultimately dropped the game in overtime, 4-3. A few things stood out for the bronze medal game-bound Sweden team.
Penalties Come Back to Haunt the Swedes
Sweden had the tournament’s best power play, but on the flip side, their penalty kill sat towards the bottom. In the loss to Finland, penalties were a big reason why they lost. They gave up two power play goals in their five disadvantages, but another came immediately following a Finland power play. That goal opened the scoring for Finland, followed by the first of two power play goals, giving Finland a 2-1 lead in the second period, and ultimately, the second goal came in overtime to propel Finland to their win. The untimely penalties the Swedes took can be tied directly to the result of the semifinal game loss.
Up & Down Game For Melker Thelin
Coming into the game, Sweden netminder Melker Thelin had been a driving force to the team’s undefeated record, headlined by his 28-save performance against Czechia to help claim the top spot in Group B on Dec. 31. In the loss to Finland, though, it was a bit of an up and down game for the Utah Hockey Club prospect. There were times when he made big saves when challenged, but there were also times when he looked shaky. Numerous times, Thelin’s rebound control was subpar and led to second chances for Finland.
A couple of the goals that Thelin allowed in the loss were also uncharacteristic of him. This included Finland’s game-tying goal in the third period. He had a clear look on a shot from Wilhelm Hallquisth from the point, but the puck somehow found its way past him for a goal he certainly would like to have back. The same can be said for the game-winner that came off the stick of Benjamin Rautiainen, who scored from a bad angle at almost the goal line. Thelin did not hug the post tight enough on the shot, leading to it bouncing off him and into the net. After looking strong for most of the tournament, how things went for Thelin in the net against Finland is surprising and disappointing for Swedish fans.
Third Period Play Up to Par
In the first two periods, even with scoring twice (in the second period), Sweden’s offense did not look like it had to this point of the tournament. The power play…
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