Sweden Looks To Capture Another Gold Medal

By John Rader
Henrik Lundqvist
Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports

The Sweden men’s hockey team will try to win their second gold medal in the last three Olympics on Sunday. Henrik Lundqvist and Erik Karlsson again carried the team to victory in the semifinal matchup against Finland. They have battled through injuries, including the loss of Captain Henrik Zetterberg after their first game of the tournament, but still find themselves with a unique opportunity.

Sweden will face the winner of the USA vs. Canada game that will be played later this afternoon in the gold medal game. Their roster is composed of all 24 NHL players and one Swedish Elite League player. This is potentially the last time that NHL players will participate in the Olympics, and the Swedish team would suffer the loss of many talented players.

Since 1998, when NHL players first played in the Olympics, the Czech Republic, Canada and Sweden have won three of the four gold medals. If Sweden wins on Sunday, they would join Canada with two gold medals over that span. Sweden is 2-2 in gold medal games and returns five players from its 2006 team, including the starting goalie Lundqvist.

Sweden will rely heavily on Lundqvist in the gold medal game regardless of who they face. Both the USA and Canada possess several offensive threats and he will be tested frequently. They have enjoyed a relatively easy path the final and will face their toughest test on Sunday.

Sweden’s power play has been very good thus far, and the reason for its success is simple: superstar defenseman Karlsson has played phenomenally. He now has four goals and four assists in the Olympics, and five of his points have come on the power play. Karlsson and USA winger Phil Kessel are tied with eight points, leading all scorers in the Olympics so far.

If the Canadians win this afternoon, hopefully Lundqvist and Karlsson can carry their team to one more victory and another gold medal. Otherwise, let’s go USA!

John Rader is a contributor for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @jcrader, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.

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