Of course, there was a loss to the United States and the chance of winning the group is slim.
But Karl Grundstrom’s first World Cup goal saved at least one point.
It may prove to be worth its weight in gold.
Two points meant that three crowns They had everything in their hands to achieve the group victory and a relatively easy path into the quarter-finals. The three heavyweight teams escaped from Helsinki in the quarter-finals. Because in the second group, Canada, Switzerland and Germany were in a class of their own.
But the point they got after 2-3 against the United States was significant.
If Tre Kronor turns his cards against Norway and Latvia, the Swedes won’t have to go to Helsinki to meet (most likely) with Canada or Switzerland. Two candidates for gold.
Dropping 12.20 (local time) is a challenge and there was a lot to be desired from Tre Kronor’s introduction. Now they also met an American team that suddenly felt much more interested and involved than before.
Aside from a racy few minutes at the beginning and end, it was the lackluster first period of Tre Kronor.
However, there was one remarkable exception: the SHL series with Lange, Umann and Fryberg. It was amazing to see how big a difference this trio was when they were on the ice compared to the others.
The SHL series continued unchanged into the middle of the period, as it gradually attracted more and more teammates.
They were behind Rasmus Dahlen’s first goal and Freiberg was frequently involved in Trey Kronor’s mid-term goal. But who was convicted of infiltration since the US appealed the ruling.
This is how it works these days in the world of sports where millimeter justice has become a virtue.
Instead, the American leads 2-1 after a late goal in powerplay.
It would have been a nightmare in the quarter-finals
But Tre Kronor definitely had margins with them during normal time. Luke Hughes FC went straight into a play, Karl Grundstrom got a free kick and scored his first World Cup goal.
But with only seconds of overtime left, the United States was able to make the decision.
Johann Garbenlov was surprised to leave as many as eight slots vacant when the tournament began. One of the main reasons was that there wasn’t a lot of thanks from the NHL players who didn’t make it to the Stanley Cup.
Since then, Garpenlöv has scored three players on site and brought in four new players from the NHL, something he has of course and new squads in almost every game.
Something that is not optimal and undesirable, but that is the path that Garpenlöv has chosen and something that he and the players have to deal with.
Matthias Bromme, for example, has hardly ever played in five against five.
I flipped and flipped with Tre Kronor
Soon it was time for the fifth NHL player to join in since the tournament began.
Because William Nylander landed this afternoon in Finland.
After a lot of no thanks, it was of course a very nice letter to Johan Garbenloff and Swedish ice hockey. Just like dad Michael, William loves to play with the Three Crowns.
And it’s guaranteed too, as an impressive 32 points in 18 World Cup matches says it all. Nylander was involved and both flipped and flipped: gold (2017) and knocked out in the quarter-finals (2019).
In William Nylander, Tre Kronor gets a very skilled player. One of the absolute best toilets.
A player who can also play as both a center and an outside striker, giving Johann Garbenlov a variety of options. With Lucas Woolmark and Jacob Peterson back in the squad, I’d be surprised if Nylander isn’t put in as an outside striker.
To discuss whether a world player who enters automatically makes a better team, they are mined for progression.
It’s not about Nylander
If you replace a mid-level tennis player with a senior tennis player, the level increase is guaranteed. But if you put a top-tier player on a team, there are no same guarantees.
The debate about whether it is the player who enters often gets stuck, it is wrong if there is no success.
What his influence is not so much about what William Nylander does, but rather about what the team members around him do.
If they continue just like they did, Tre Kronor will be even better.
If someone or someone starts adapting a lot or goes down a little because they think with Nylander in the team we’ll be a lot better. Yes, so there’s a risk the team won’t improve much, but that’s why Nilders got it wrong.
If Tre Kronor wants to go far in this tournament, it requires, in addition to what the Swedish team has already shown in the group stage, the individual skill that Nylander possesses.
For me, this is indisputable.