In their second game of the 2014 Sochi Olympics, an already shorthanded Sweden faced Switzerland without Henrik Zetterberg and Johan Franzen. That meant Alexander Steen and Patrik Berglund would have to play larger roles role if Sweden was to prevail. Thanks to a veteran sniper, Sweden squeaked out a 1-0 victory with a late goal in a highly entertaining game.
Sweden began play with an early first period assault on the Swiss net firing 13 shots on Henrik Lundqvist who was stellar in keeping the scoresheet clean. At the other end, Reto Berra had to be sharp with less work than Lundqvist by stopping all 5 shots which came his way. Despite facing intense attack, the Swedes survived and seemed a little shocked the Swiss established they could skate with them early.
In the second period, Sweden began to gain momentum turning the tables on Switzerland by firing 17 shots at Berra while Lundqvist faced 7. Both goaltenders matched each other save-for-save keeping play tight.
The balance changed when just less than 8 minutes left in the game, Sweden solved Berra.
In a rare misplay, Berra stopped Erik Karlsson’s shot from the right point, but could not control the drive. Loose in the crease, the puck bounced to Daniel Alfredsson who slid the puck into the net for the 1-0 lead. It was the only mistake Berra made the entire game.
Sweden bested Switzerland in third period shots 9-6 in the final period and 31-26 for the game.
As for contributions from the two St. Louis Blues against Switzerland, Alexander Steen finished the game with 0 points, a team high 6 shots and a +1 rating. He won just 1 of 4 face-offs and played 20:11 of the game on 26 shifts at an average of 0:46 seconds per shift. Patrik Berglund assisted on the game’s only goal, had 3 shots and a +1 rating. He won just 4 of 11 face-offs and played 20:37 of game time on 26 shifts for an average of 0:47 seconds per shift.
With a 2-0-0 record, Sweden now plays Latvia to close out the preliminary round on Saturday, February 15th at 12:00 PM ET on USA Network. With three victories, Sweden will win their group and advance to the elimination round.
As for the rest of the Blues, I will be providing previews and updates throughout the tournament. The United States will be represented by center David Backes, right wing T.J. Oshie and defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk. Canada will be represented by defensemen Alex Pietrangelo and Jay Bouwmeester. Russia will be represented by right wing Vladimir Tarasenko. Slovakia will be represented by goaltender Jaroslav Halak.
FRIDAY’S RESULTS
Czech Republic 4, Latvia 2
Sweden 1, Switzerland 0
Canada 6, Austria 0
Finland 6, Norway 1
CZECH REPUBLIC RALLIES TO BEAT LATVIA
Jakub Voracek (Philadelphia Flyers) and Marek Zidlicky (New Jersey Devils) each scored in the second period to break a 2-2 tie and power the Czech Republic to its first victory of the 2014 Olympic Winter Games.
LUNDQVIST, ALFREDSSON PUSH SWEDEN PAST SWITZERLAND
Henrik Lundqvist (New York Rangers) made 26 saves for his third career Olympic shutout and Daniel Alfredsson (Detroit Red Wings) scored the lone goal with 7:21 in remaining in regulation to lift Sweden to the top of Group C.
LUONGO, CANADA SHUT THE DOOR ON AUSTRIA
Roberto Luongo (Vancouver Canucks) made 23 saves for his second career Olympic shutout and Jeff Carter (Los Angeles Kings) recorded a natural hat trick to lead Canada over Austria. Patrick Marleau (San Jose Sharks) earned the primary assist on all three of Carter’s goals.
MAATTA, KORPIKOSKI LIFT FINLAND OVER NORWAY
Olli Maatta (Pittsburgh Penguins) posted 1-2—3 and Lauri Korpikoski (Phoenix Coyotes) scored twice to power Finland past Norway. With the win, Finland maintained the top spot in Group B (via goal differential).
WHERE THEY STAND
Preliminary Round Standings
Individual Leaders
PLAYER TRACKER
A daily look at the performances of NHL players in Sochi:
Anaheim Ducks
* Ryan Getzlaf posted 1-1—2 and a +2 rating for Canada. He now has 4-6—10 in nine career Olympic appearances.
* Jonas Hiller served as the backup goaltender for Switzerland.
* Corey Perry recorded an assist, two shots on goal and a +1 rating for Canada. He now has 4-2—6 in nine career Olympic appearances.
* Teemu Selanne scored a goal, posted four shots and logged a +1 rating for Finland. He now has 21-18—39 in 33 career Olympic appearances.
* Jakob Silfverberg played 4:23 for Sweden.
* Sami Vatanen collected an assist and posted a +1 rating for Finland. He is tied for the tournament lead with four assists in two games.
Boston Bruins
* Patrice Bergeron won 5-of-7 face-offs (71.4%) and picked up two penalty minutes for Canada.
* Loui Eriksson recorded one shot on goal in 21:10 of playing time for Sweden.
* David Krejci collected an assist and won 5-of-7 draws (71.4%) for the Czech Republic. He now has 2-2—4 in seven career Olympic appearances.
* Tuukka Rask did not dress for Finland.
Buffalo Sabres
* Jhonas Enroth did not dress for Sweden.
* Zemgus Girgensons won 6-of-12 face-offs (50.0%) and recorded three shots on goal for Latvia.
* Henrik Tallinder posted one shot on goal in 6:36 of playing time for Sweden.
Calgary Flames
* Reto Berra stopped 30-of-31 shots for Switzerland in his first Olympic appearance.
* Ladislav Smid posted three shots on goal in 19:31 of playing time for the Czech Republic in his first Olympic action.
Carolina Hurricanes
* Tuomo Ruutu collected two assists, recorded two shots on goal and logged a +3 rating for Finland. He now has 1-3—4 in eight career Olympic appearances.
Chicago Blackhawks
* Niklas Hjalmarsson recorded two shots on goal in 17:40 of playing time for Sweden.
* Duncan Keith posted three shots on goal and a +3 rating while playing a game-high 23:52 for Canada.
* Marcus Kruger logged 9:55 of ice-time for Sweden.
* Johnny Oduya played 14:47 for Sweden.
* Michal Rozsival logged 19:34 of playing time for the Czech Republic.
* Patrick Sharp did not dress for Canada.
* Jonathan Toews collected an assist, won 10-of-18 face-offs (55.6%) and logged a +3 rating for Canada. He now has 1-8—9 in nine career Olympic appearances.
Colorado Avalanche
* Matt Duchene posted four shots on goal and a +1 rating for Canada in his Olympic debut.
* Gabriel Landeskog recorded two shots on goal in 19:07 of playing time for Sweden.
Columbus Blue Jackets
* No Blue Jackets were in action on Friday.
Dallas Stars
* Jamie Benn recorded four shots on goal and four penalty minutes for Canada.
* Kari Lehtonen made 20 saves to backstop Finland to a victory in his first Olympic appearance.
Detroit Red Wings
* Daniel Alfredsson scored the game-winning goal, recorded three shots and logged a +1 rating for Sweden. He now has 12-12—24 in 22 career Olympic appearances.
* Jonathan Ericsson posted one shot on goal and two penalty minutes for Sweden.
* Jonas Gustavsson served as the backup goaltender for Sweden.
* Niklas Kronwall logged 19:06 of playing time for Sweden, second among team defensemen.
* Gustav Nyquist saw 6:52 of ice-time for Sweden.
* Henrik Zetterberg did not dress for Sweden.
Edmonton Oilers
* Ales Hemsky posted an assist, one shot on goal and a +1 rating for the Czech Republic. He now has 1-3—4 in 10 career Olympic appearances.
Florida Panthers
* Aleksander Barkov won 9-of-11 draws (81.8%), recorded three shots on goal and logged a +1 rating for Finland.
Los Angeles Kings
* Jeff Carter recorded a natural hat trick, +5 rating and team-high five shots on goal for Canada.
* Drew Doughty scored his second goal in as many games, the game-winner, and logged a +1 rating for Canada. He now has 2-3—5 in nine career Olympic appearances.
Minnesota Wild
* Mikael Granlund posted four shots on goal and led all Finnish forwards with 17:50 of ice-time.
* Nino Niederreiter recorded two shots on goal and led all Swiss forwards with 18:33 of playing time.
Montreal Canadiens
* Tomas Plekanec collected an assist, fired three shots on goal and led all Czech forwards with 20:11 of ice-time. He now has 2-3—5 in seven career Olympic appearances.
* Carey Price did not dress for Canada.
* P.K. Subban played 11:41 for Canada in his Olympic debut.
Nashville Predators
* Roman Josi played a team-high 21:00 and recorded one shot on goal for Switzerland.
* Shea Weber posted 1-1—2, three shots on goal and a +2 rating for Canada. He now has 2-1—3 in the 2014 Olympic Winter Games and 4-5—9 in nine career Olympic appearances.
New Jersey Devils
* Damien Brunner posted one shot on goal in 16:19 of playing time for Switzerland.
* Patrik Elias won 8-of-11 face-offs (72.7%), recorded two shots on goal and logged a +1 rating for the Czech Republic.
* Jaromir Jagr scored his second goal in as many games for the Czech Republic. He now has 9-13—22 in 25 career Olympic appearances.
* Marek Zidlicky recorded 1-1—2 as well as a game-high five shots on goal and 25:09 of playing time for the Czech Republic. He now has 2-1—3 in the 2014 Olympic Winter Games and 6-7—13 in 14 career Olympic appearances.
New York Islanders
* Michael Grabner recorded two shots on goal in 18:14 of action for Austria.
* John Tavares won 4-of-5 draws (80.0%) and posted three shots on goal for Canada.
* Thomas Vanek fired three shots on goal in a team-high 18:58 of ice-time for Austria.
New York Rangers
* Carl Hagelin posted four shots on goal in 9:40 of playing time for Sweden.
* Henrik Lundqvist made 26 saves to record his third Olympic shutout for Sweden. He improved to 9-2-0 in 11 career Olympic appearances.
* Rick Nash recorded three shots on goal and a +1 rating for Canada.
* Mats Zuccarello fired a team-high four shots on goal and led all Norwegian forwards with 20:51 of playing time.
Ottawa Senators
* Erik Karlsson posted an assist, three shots on goal and a +1 rating in a game-high 21:54 of playing time for Sweden. He now has 2-1—3 and a +3 rating in the 2014 Olympic Winter Games.
* Milan Michalek fired four shots on goal in 15:50 of ice-time for the Czech Republic.
Philadelphia Flyers
* Michael Raffl posted one shot on goal in 15:32 of action for Austria.
* Mark Streit recorded one shot on goal in 19:24 of playing time for Switzerland.
* Kimmo Timonen fired one shot on goal and ranked second among Finnish skaters with 17:52 of ice-time.
* Jakub Voracek scored the game-winning goal (the first goal of his Olympic career) and recorded four shots for the Czech Republic.
Phoenix Coyotes
* Oliver Ekman-Larsson logged a +1 rating in 16:32 of ice-time for Sweden.
* Martin Hanzal posted an assist, three shots on goal and a +1 rating for the Czech Republic in his Olympic debut.
* Lauri Korpikoski recorded two goals, three shots and a +3 rating for Finland.
* Zbynek Michalek collected an assist and logged a +2 rating for the Czech Republic. He now has 0-1—1 in seven career Olympic appearances.
* Mike Smith served as the backup goaltender for Canada.
Pittsburgh Penguins
* Sidney Crosby collected an assist, won 7-of-12 draws (58.3%) and logged a +1 rating for Canada. He now has 4-4—8 in nine career Olympic appearances.
* Jussi Jokinen posted three shots on goal and a +1 rating for Finland.
* Chris Kunitz fired one shot on goal in 14:15 of playing time for Canada.
* Olli Maatta posted 1-2—3 and a +4 rating for Finland. He now has 2-2—4 in the 2014 Olympic Winter Games, tied for the most points in the tournament.
San Jose Sharks
* Patrick Marleau collected three assists and logged a +3 rating for Canada. He now has 2-7—9 in nine career Olympic appearances.
* Antti Niemi served as the backup goaltender for Finland.
* Marc-Edouard Vlasic recorded two shots on goal and a +2 rating for Canada.
St. Louis Blues
* Patrik Berglund posted an assist, three shots on goal and a +1 rating for Sweden. He now has 1-1—2 in the 2014 Olympic Winter Games.
* Jay Bouwmeester recorded one shot on goal and a +2 rating for Canada.
* Alex Pietrangelo collected an assist and posted a +2 rating for Canada.
* Alexander Steen fired a game-high six shots on goal and logged a +1 rating for Sweden.
Tampa Bay Lightning
* Radko Gudas did not dress for the Czech Republic.
* Ondrej Palat dressed, but did not see the ice for the Czech Republic.
* Sami Salo collected an assist and a logged a +4 rating for Finland. He now has 2-5—7 in 18 career Olympic appearances.
* Martin St. Louis recorded four shots on goal in 12:58 of playing time for Canada.
Toronto Maple Leafs
* No Maple Leafs were in action on Friday.
Vancouver Canucks
* Raphael Diaz logged 20:00 of playing time for Switzerland.
* Alexander Edler did not dress for Sweden.
* Dan Hamhuis did not dress for Canada.
* Roberto Luongo made 23 saves to record his second Olympic shutout for Canada. He improved to 7-1-0 in eight career Olympic appearances.
* Daniel Sedin recorded two shots on goal and led all Swedish forwards with 21:36 of playing time.
* Yannick Weber posted a team-high four shots on goal and two penalty minutes for Switzerland.
Washington Capitals
* Nicklas Backstrom won 13-of-19 face-offs (68.4%) and fired two shots on goal for Sweden.
* Martin Erat scored a goal, recorded four shots and logged a +1 rating for the Czech Republic. He now has 2-2—4 in 15 career Olympic appearances.
* Marcus Johansson posted one shot on goal in 7:36 of playing time for Sweden in his Olympic debut.
Winnipeg Jets
* Michael Frolik recorded one shot on goal and a +1 rating for the Czech Republic.
* Olli Jokinen posted 1-1—2, four shots on goal and a +3 rating for Finland. He now has 12-6—18 in 20 career Olympic appearances.
* Ondrej Pavelec made 18 saves to backstop the Czech Republic to a victory in his first Olympic appearance.
“NHL LIFE: AN AGENT’S LIFE”
The latest episode of “NHL Life,” featuring CAA agent Pat Brisson, is now online. Brisson represents some of the League’s biggest names, including Sidney Crosby, Jonathan Toews and John Tavares. His impressive résumé also includes six No. 1 NHL Draft picks and 19 NHL clients who are currently in Sochi. Click here to take a look at the life of one of the biggest agents in the industry.
LOOSE PUCKS
NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly will discuss the 2014 Olympic Winter Games on Friday’s edition of “CBS Evening News” . . . Russia forward Alex Ovechkin (Washington Capitals) will be featured on Saturday’s edition of the “TODAY” show at approximately 7:35 a.m. ET . . . Sweden announced that captain Henrik Zetterberg (Detroit Red Wings) will miss the rest of the 2014 Olympic Winter Games due to injury. NHL and Olympic teammate Niklas Kronwall will take over the Swedish captaincy . . . ICYMI: Team USA players Zach Parise (Minnesota Wild) and Ryan Suter (Minnesota Wild) discussed Saturday’s matchup with Russia on “Good Morning America.”
SNEAK PEEK AT SATURDAY’S ACTION
All Times Eastern
Slovakia vs. Slovenia, 3:00 a.m., NBCSN, Sportsnet
USA vs. Russia, 7:30 a.m., NBCSN, CBC
Switzerland vs. Czech Republic, 12:00 p.m., NBCSN, TSN
Sweden vs. Latvia, 12:00 p.m. USA Network, Sportsnet 1
NBC channel finder
Sportsnet 1 channel finder
SLOVAKIA vs. SLOVENIA
* A combined 13 NHLers make up the Slovakian and Slovenian rosters:
Slovakia (12)
G Peter Budaj (Montreal Canadiens), D Zdeno Chara (Boston Bruins), G Jaroslav Halak (St. Louis Blues), F Michal Handzus (Chicago Blackhawks), F Marian Hossa (Chicago Blackhawks), F Tomas Jurco (Detroit Red Wings), F Tomas Kopecky (Florida Panthers), D Martin Marincin (Edmonton Oilers), D Andrej Meszaros (Philadelphia Flyers), F Richard Panik (Tampa Bay Lightning), D Andrej Sekera (Carolina Hurricanes), F Tomas Tatar (Detroit Red Wings)
Slovenia (1)
F Anze Kopitar (Los Angeles Kings)
NHL Teammates Who Will Be Opponents
* None
USA vs. RUSSIA
* A combined 41 NHLers make up the U.S. and Russian rosters:
USA (25)
F David Backes (St. Louis Blues), F Dustin Brown (Los Angeles Kings), F Ryan Callahan (New York Rangers), D John Carlson (Washington Capitals), D Justin Faulk (Carolina Hurricanes), D Cam Fowler (Anaheim Ducks), G Jimmy Howard (Detroit Red Wings), F Patrick Kane (Chicago Blackhawks), F Ryan Kesler (Vancouver Canucks), F Phil Kessel (Toronto Maple Leafs), D Paul Martin (Pittsburgh Penguins), D Ryan McDonagh (New York Rangers), G Ryan Miller (Buffalo Sabres), D Brooks Orpik (Pittsburgh Penguins), F T.J. Oshie (St. Louis Blues), F Max Pacioretty (Montreal Canadiens), F Zach Parise (Minnesota Wild), F Joe Pavelski (San Jose Sharks), G Jonathan Quick (Los Angeles Kings), D Kevin Shattenkirk (St. Louis Blues), F Paul Stastny (Colorado Avalanche), F Derek Stepan (New York Rangers), D Ryan Suter (Minnesota Wild), F James van Riemsdyk (Toronto Maple Leafs), F Blake Wheeler (Winnipeg Jets)
Russia (16)
F Artem Anisimov (Columbus Blue Jackets), D Anton Belov (Edmonton Oilers), G Sergei Bobrovsky (Columbus Blue Jackets), F Pavel Datsyuk (Detroit Red Wings), D Alexei Emelin (Montreal Canadiens), F Nikolai Kulemin (Toronto Maple Leafs), F Evgeni Malkin (Pittsburgh Penguins), D Andrei Markov (Montreal Canadiens), F Valeri Nichushkin (Dallas Stars), D Nikita Nikitin (Columbus Blue Jackets), F Alex Ovechkin (Washington Capitals), F Alexander Semin (Carolina Hurricanes), F Vladimir Tarasenko (St. Louis Blues), D Fedor Tyutin (Columbus Blue Jackets), G Semyon Varlamov (Colorado Avalanche), D Slava Voynov (Los Angeles Kings)
NHL Teammates Who Will Be Opponents
* Carolina Hurricanes teammates Justin Faulk (USA) and Alexander Semin (Russia)
* Colorado Avalanche teammates Paul Stastny (USA) and Semyon Varlamov (Russia)
* Detroit Red Wings teammates Jimmy Howard (USA) and Pavel Datsyuk (Russia)
* Los Angeles Kings teammates Dustin Brown and Jonathan Quick (USA) and Slava Voynov (Russia)
* Montreal Canadiens teammates Max Pacioretty (USA) and Alexei Emelin and Andrei Markov (Russia)
* Pittsburgh Penguins teammates Paul Martin and Brooks Orpik (USA) and Evgeni Malkin (Russia)
* St. Louis Blues teammates David Backes, T.J. Oshie and Kevin Shattenkirk (USA) and Vladimir Tarasenko (Russia)
* Toronto Maple Leafs teammates Phil Kessel and James van Riemsdyk (USA) and Nikolai Kulemin (Russia)
* Washington Capitals teammates John Carlson (USA) and Alex Ovechkin (Russia)
SWITZERLAND vs. CZECH REPUBLIC
* A combined 25 NHLers make up the Swiss and Czech rosters:
Switzerland (8)
G Reto Berra (Calgary Flames), F Damien Brunner (New Jersey Devils), D Raphael Diaz (Vancouver Canucks), G Jonas Hiller (Anaheim Ducks), D Roman Josi (Nashville Predators), F Nino Niederreiter (Minnesota Wild), D Mark Streit (Philadelphia Flyers), D Yannick Weber (Vancouver Canucks)
Czech Republic (17)
F Patrik Elias (New Jersey Devils), F Martin Erat (Washington Capitals), F Michael Frolik (Winnipeg Jets), D Radko Gudas (Tampa Bay Lightning), F Martin Hanzal (Phoenix Coyotes), F Ales Hemsky (Edmonton Oilers), F Jaromir Jagr (New Jersey Devils), F David Krejci (Boston Bruins), F Milan Michalek (Ottawa Senators), D Zbynek Michalek (Phoenix Coyotes), F Ondrej Palat (Tampa Bay Lightning), G Ondrej Pavelec (Winnipeg Jets), F Tomas Plekanec (Montreal Canadiens), D Michal Rozsival (Chicago Blackhawks), D Ladislav Smid (Calgary Flames), F Jakub Voracek (Philadelphia Flyers), D Marek Zidlicky (New Jersey Devils)
NHL Teammates Who Will Be Opponents
* Calgary Flames teammates Reto Berra (Switzerland) and Ladislav Smid (Czech Republic)
* New Jersey Devils teammates Damien Brunner (Switzerland) and Patrik Elias, Jaromir Jagr and Marek Zidlicky (Czech Republic)
* Philadelphia Flyers teammates Mark Streit (Switzerland) and Jakub Voracek (Czech Republic)
SWEDEN vs. LATVIA
* A combined 25 NHLers make up the Swedish and Latvian rosters:
Sweden (24)
F Daniel Alfredsson (Detroit Red Wings), F Nicklas Backstrom (Washington Capitals), F Patrik Berglund (St. Louis Blues), D Alexander Edler (Vancouver Canucks), D Oliver Ekman-Larsson (Phoenix Coyotes), G Jhonas Enroth (Buffalo Sabres), D Jonathan Ericsson (Detroit Red Wings), F Loui Eriksson (Boston Bruins), G Jonas Gustavsson (Detroit Red Wings), F Carl Hagelin (New York Rangers), F Niklas Hjalmarsson (Chicago Blackhawks), F Marcus Johansson (Washington Capitals), D Erik Karlsson (Ottawa Senators), D Niklas Kronwall (Detroit Red Wings), F Marcus Kruger (Chicago Blackhawks), F Gabriel Landeskog (Colorado Avalanche), G Henrik Lundqvist (New York Rangers), F Gustav Nyquist (Detroit Red Wings), D Johnny Oduya (Chicago Blackhawks), F Daniel Sedin (Vancouver Canucks), F Jakob Silfverberg (Anaheim Ducks), F Alexander Steen (St. Louis Blues), D Henrik Tallinder (Buffalo Sabres), F Henrik Zetterberg (Detroit Red Wings)
Latvia (1)
F Zemgus Girgensons (Buffalo Sabres)
NHL Teammates Who Will Be Opponents
* Buffalo Sabres teammates Jhonas Enroth and Henrik Tallinder (Sweden) and Zemgus Girgensons (Latvia)
Follow me on Twitter at @DMMORRELL