It almost seems like there were two games played between the Swedes and Russians this morning, followed by a shootout. The first period was one of the most dominant performances I’ve ever seen as a hockey fan, as Sweden held Russia without a shot and peppered Andrei Vasilevski from everywhere.
Vasilevski didn’t let the game get out of hand though, as he only let in two goals, one each from Elias Lindholm and Filip Forsberg during the onslaught, and held the fort the rest of the game, stopping 38 of 40 in total.
After the first period though, the Russians woke up and the chances started coming. Nail Yakupov had his best game of the tournament, and after Andrei Mironov scored on just Russia’s second shot of the game on a fluke deflection it seemed like every shift he was creating grade A chances.
Mikhail Grigorenko also factored in on the clutch side of things for the second straight game, tying it up by knocking in a rebound in the third period.
Regulation and overtime solved nothing, so the game moved on to a shootout. The deciding goal come off of the stick of Montreal Canadiens prospect Sebastian Collberg, who went backhand shelf on Vasilevski at great speed. It was a beautiful move and a hint of how good the young Swede is.
Sweden will face Alex Galchenyuk and the Americans tomorrow for gold at 8:00AM, while Russia will draw Canada in an attempt to save face and win a medal on home ice at 4:00AM.
