Sweden was the most disappointing team at the 4 Nations Face-Off
Europe won’t be represented in the 4 Nations Face-Off final on Thursday in Boston, with Canada and USA instead moving on to fight for gold.
For Sweden, it was a major disappointment. Many expected Finland to not advance due to injuries to three key defenders, leaving them with the worst blueline depth of any team in the tournament. But for Sweden – utilizing a dangerous blueline with some solid goaltending depth – leaving the tournament with two overtime losses and just one victory simply wasn’t good enough.
On Tuesday’s episode of Daily Faceoff Live, Frank Seravalli and Tyler Yaremchuk broke down Sweden’s tournament and what made the early exit disappointing:
Tyler Yaremchuk: “When we put a bow on Finland’s tournament the other day, we were kind of like, “Hey, they were as advertised. They came, they fought hard.’ Ultimately, that blueline just couldn’t quite hold off the offensive attacks from Canada and USA. When you look at Sweden, they come out with one win here. Was their tournament as advertised, or is it maybe a bit more disappointing?”
Frank Seravalli: “I think it’s way more disappointing given what Finland was dealing with on their backend. To lose that rivalry game is hugely disappointing for the Swedes. Yeah, they played everyone kind of pretty tight for the most part. That said, I think people expected more. In the end, the bitter taste that Sweden leaves this tournament with not getting to the championship game is one thing. But it’s another thing to also at the same time lose to your rival, and that’s what’s gonna sting.
“I gave Finland an A for their tournament. A flat-out A. Because they won the rivalry game. There were a couple games that weren’t close, but with what they were dealing with – that wasn’t a Stanley Cup playoff roster on defense, let alone best-on-best internationally. Sweden. I give a C. That’s where I think they were at for their tournament. It was not nearly good enough.”
You can watch the full episode below: