Sweden 5, Canada 2
WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah ? Canada got hit by a Swedish torpedo ? and the question now is whether the Olympic hockey favorites can repair the damage in time to make a run at the gold medal.
Sweden ran its innovative "torpedo" system to perfection against the confused, out-of-sync Canadians as Mats Sundin beat Toronto teammate Curtis Joseph for two goals in a 5-2 victory over Canada on Friday.
The game turned with Sweden scoring four goals in the final 13:54 of the second period, while goalie Tommy Salo faced only one shot from the Canadians.
This was supposed to be Canada's best team ever ? big and mobile, with an All-Star lineup assembled by Wayne Gretzky and led by Mario Lemieux in his first Olympic appearance. Instead, the Canadians' debut, while not fatal to their gold medal hopes, was a startling reminder that Canada's national nightmare ? 50 years without an Olympic gold medal ? may not be over.
Canada actually could lose all three of its games in pool play and still win the gold medal. But this certainly isn't the way coach Pat Quinn's team wanted to start, unable to slow down Sweden's fast-break offense.
Sweden created plenty of offense while overcoming Rob Blake's slap-shot goal only 2:37 into the game, gradually swinging the momentum and flow its way on a surface that is 13 1/2 feet wider than the standard NHL rink.
Sundin got Sweden going with what would prove to be the signature play of the game, a long pass up ice to a forward who had streaked behind the Canada defense ? this time, on a long breakout pass by Daniel Alfredsson. Sundin had little trouble beating Joseph with a wrist shot at 5:30 of the first period.
Sundstrom started Sweden's huge second period, taking Michael Nylander's pass from the right circle to beat Joseph from the low slot at 6:06. Canada coach Pat Quinn has not yet revealed his goaltending rotation, but it is possible New Jersey's Martin Brodeur will start Sunday against Germany.
Sundin beat Joseph again, this time with a long slap shot midway through the second period, making it 3-1 and seemingly taking the heart out of Canada, which barely showed a pulse for the rest of the period.
Kim Jonsson scored just over a minute later, and Ulf Dahlen added a goal at 15:58.
Canada had a brief flurry in the third period when Eric Brewer scored and Eric Lindros followed less than a minute later by putting the puck past a sprawling Salo, who also was in net for Sweden's 1994 gold-medal victory over Canada. But the Lindros goal was waved off because Michael Peca interfered with Salo.