The U.S. had won the previous two meetings, both in overtime, but this was settled in regulation 60.
The game featured two goalies making their senior debuts. Alex Lyon, undrafted but an NHLer since 2017 thanks to his perseverance, was playing his first game wearing USA colours, while at the other end Filip Gustavsson, a third goalie at the 2018 WM, was also seeing action with Tre Kronor for the first time, although he had played with the U18 and U20 teams early in his career.
The Swedes got the only goal of the opening period on a delayed penalty. They maintained control for about half a minute in the U.S. end until Joel Eriksson Ek got the puck in the slot. His wrister under the blocker of Lyon at 8:20 made it 1-0 for the Swedes.
The Americans came out a determined group and nearly tied the game in the first minute of the second, but a hard Seth Jones shot beat Gustavsson and rang hard off the post and stayed out. Sweden soon got its bearings and doubled its lead at 3:45. A puck squirted right to Lucas Raymond in the slot, and his shot beat Lyon over the blocker to make it a 2-0 game.
The Swedes dominated for the next several minutes and could have increased their lead but for some off-target shooting, but their momentum came to an end when Linus Johansson took the game’s first penalty.
The U.S. power play went to work and was sensational, but again some missed shots and nice saves from Gustavsson kept it a 2-0 game. Not so a few minutes after the penalty had expired. Jones made a nice back pass at the blue line to Zach Werenski, and his long shot beat Gustavsson cleanly at 12:32.
Soon after, the usually reliable Victor Hedman blew a tire at the U.S. blue line, giving Joel Farabee a clear chance on the break, but this time Gustavsson made a fine pad save. That was a significant moment in that the Swedes re-gained their two-goal lead later in the period.
Marcus Johansson snapped a shot under that Lyon blocker again at 16:39, taking a pass from linemate Pontus Holmberg off the rush. But no U.S. team calls “give” in the second period, and they came back early in the third to make it a one-goal game again. Johnny Gaudreau found Brock Nelson in front, and Nelson’s high shot found the back of the net at 3:43.
The Swedes defended beautifully, as they often do, but they encountered a tricky patch at the end when Eriksson Ek took a penalty…
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