Facts: Sweden’s WC matches
12/5 Germany 1–0.
14/5 Austria 5–0.
15/5 Finland 2–1 after penalties.
18/5 Hungary 7–1.
20/5 France (19.20).
22/5 Denmark (15.20).
23/5 USA (15.20).
Quarter-finals will be played on 25 May, semi-finals on 27 May and medal matches on 28 May.
The victory means that Sweden is practically ready for the quarter-finals with eleven recorded points. Theoretically, it is not clear yet, but the fact that the Swedes would go clean in the remaining three group stage matches at the same time as other results go against it is hardly likely.
Union captain Sam Hallam’s team had had two rest days after the Finland match and the meeting with Hungary was the first championship match against the newcomers since the 1935 World Cup.
Sweden took control and led 3–1 after the first period. But the game was sloppy for a long time and Hungary created several sharp chances in front of Jesper Wallstedt in the Swedish goal.
— Sometimes it’s good, but in certain situations we lose a little humility and play a little too hard, says Jacob de la Rose, the defensive center in the fourth chain.
Shot in the crosshairs
He stepped forward and scored one of the goals after a neat shot on the crossbar in a free position in a numerical disadvantage.
— It was nice to score, it’s not that often these days that you get happy, says de la Rose whose goal meant 2-0.
Later he became a two-goal scorer when he also scored the 6–1 goal.
Then Oscar Lindberg had previously made it 1–0 after just 93 seconds.
Hungary reduced to 1-2 through Roland Kiss before Dennis Everberg made it 3-1 on a dream pass from newly arrived NHL signing Timothy Liljegren making his Tre Kronor debut.
Behind the back
The Toronto defender rounded the Hungarian box and played behind the back of Everberg, who got a half-open goal.
Liljegren was responsible for a total of two goal-scoring passes.
In the second period, the Swedes sharpened their game and won the shots with a crushing 18–0.
André Petersson scored only Sweden’s second power play goal in a five-on-three game.
Jonatan Berggren, the Detroit forward, was new in the first chain where he replaced Alexander Nylander next to the super talent Leo Carlsson and Lucas Raymond.
The chain spun well in the second period – and in the end there was also a goal through Berggren.
“It’s always good to get a little more goal shooting from all players,” says Tömmernes to SVT.
In the third period, the second goal came from the chain when Lucas Carlsson showed off his soft wrists as he first made a pull and then hit a flip pass to Lucas Raymond who in an open position made it 7-1.
Back Henrik Tömmernes made his fourth assist in the match in connection with the goal.