Sweden wants to keep Slovakia away in match 2 of the 2022 Olympics
Team Sweden opened its Olympic tournament in 2022 with a 3-2 win over Latvia. They are now aiming for Slovakia, who come in after losing to Finland 6-2. Here is a preview of a must-win game if Sweden wants to secure a place in the next round.
Playing time: 11 February 2022 at 12:40 PST / 03:40 EST
3 keys to victory for Sweden
Stay out of the box
Discipline will be crucial for Sweden if they want to beat Slovakia. Sweden conceded two goals in three power play against Latvia, which almost cost them the match. Slovakia has some offensive firepower despite going 0-on-4 in the powerplay against Finland in their first match and could easily score some goals with the maneuver based on Sweden’s penalty game against Latvia. Sweden did a good job in their first match but must be more disciplined, especially in the second half.
Sweden must play better in third
Sweden did a good job throughout the match in limiting Latvia’s goal chances until the third period. Through two periods, Latvia was held to seven shots but was able to fire 10 at Lars Johansson in the last frame. Although Sweden’s goalkeeping game is strong, they can not allow direct opportunities as they did in the third period against Latvia.
Related: Olympics 2022: 3 takeaways from Team Sweden’s 3-2 win over Latvia
As I said, Slovakia has some good forwards, including Juraj Slafkovski, Thomas Jurco and Milos Roman. This is a team that consistently crashed the net against Finland and made life difficult for goalkeeper Harri Sateri. Sweden were lucky to get out of the Latvia game with a win but may not be as lucky if they play as loosely as they did in the third period.
Offense must benefit from Power Play
Against Latvia, Sweden went 1-on-5 with control. They could not generate lots of shots or goal chances against a very good Latvian penalty death. Slovakia is not a good penalty team so Sweden must benefit from the power game. Against Finland, Slovakia went 1-for-3 on penalties, which was the same as Sweden went against Latvia. Special teams will most likely decide this match, where Sweden’s powerplay is an important factor in the game.
3 Slovaks to Watchrs
Juraj Slafkovski
The 17-year-old started the tournament with thunder when he scored two goals against Finland in just 12:57 ice time. 2022 NHL Draft Prospect should get some extra ice time after its strong performance and should be an important factor in this game. Sweden must make sure they know when Slafkovski is on the ice and make sure they have a special matchup to limit his opportunities.
Martin Marincin
Martin Marincin is Slovakia’s best defender and their best offensive weapon from the start. The former Toronto Maple Leaf recorded four shots on goal against Finland and was used as a defensive defender against Finland’s best players. Sweden must be aware of when he is on the ice because the 6-foot, 4,209-pound defender is not afraid to play physically. Expect him to match Anton Lander’s line throughout the match.
Tomas Jurco
Tomas Jurco had a good match against Finland and scored five shots on goal during 15:58 ice time. The former Edmonton Oiler played in line with Marek Hrivík and Peter Cehlárik for most of the night and will be expected to help drive the offensive against Sweden. The former Memorial Cup champion knows how to score goals and will try to get his second Olympic goal ever against Sweden.
The Olympics present one great opportunity for Jurco because it could be his ticket back to the NHL. In recent seasons, he bounced between the NHL and the American Hockey League before deciding to move to the Continental Hockey League this season. At 29, he is still young enough for a team to be interested in the sniper, and a good match against Sweden can help draw some NHL scouts’ attention to him.
Olympic history
Note: The results are only shown for games with Sweden against Slovakia and exclude games against Czechoslovakia.
- 1994 Slovakia 4, Sweden 4
- 2006: Slovakia 3, Sweden 0
- 2010: Slovakia 4, Sweden 3
Prediction
Based on how Sweden played against Latvia, this match should be close to the end. Sweden ranks higher in the world rankings, but that Slovakia disturbs them is a very real possibility. Regardless, Sweden should be able to pull out the win and improve to 2-0 in the Olympics.
Adam is excited to join The Hockey Writers as part of the Seattle Kraken and Vancouver Canucks team. His work is also on https://www.area51sportsnetwork.com/ where he covers the Vancouver Giants in the Western Hockey League.