PROVO ? With nothing to gain from a win, Sweden could have relaxed.
Instead, the Olympics' smoothest hockey team rolled into the quarterfinals with its stylish, cerebral game in fine form.
Markus Naslund scored two goals, and captain Mats Sundin had a goal and two assists as Sweden posted its third straight final-round victory, 7-1 over Germany, on Monday night.
Backup goalie Johan Hedberg stopped 19 shots, losing his shutout bid during a power play with 1:59 left. Sweden will face Belarus following a performance that often resembled a scrimmage for the slick team that is the only one to win all three of its final-round games.
"We didn't think we had a great second half against the Czechs (on Sunday), and we wanted to make sure we didn't lose any of the momentum we've built up," Sundin said. "It was a concern, but I think we took care of it."
Mikael Renberg, Daniel Alfredsson, Mathias Johansson and Tomas Holmstrom also scored for Sweden, which had already clinched the top quarterfinal seed in its round-robin group with surprising victories over Canada and the Czech Republic in its first two games. Marcus Ragnarsson, Niklas Lidstrom and Mattias Ohlund each had two assists.
The Swedes' superb passing and strategy has contrasted with the struggles faced by Canada and Russia, which haven't been able to integrate their rosters of NHL stars into effective teams.
All of the Swedes say they have embraced coach Hardy Nilsson's free-flowing system, and the results have shown on the ice.
"I was a little bit afraid that we couldn't keep up the concentration, but we did it well," Nilsson said. "Sweden's guys, they're very happy to get together. They've grown up (learning) to play like a team. They don't have any problem to get together in a short time."
Germany (0-3), which went undefeated in the preliminary round and winless in its last three, will meet the United States in the quarterfinals
"We had to play three really good teams, and we got a good taste of what it's like to play at this level," German forward Marco Sturm said. "We'll give it a good shot against the United States, but we've already got a lot out of this experience."
Sweden rested goalie Tommy Salo, who was outstanding in two games since returning to the state where he led the Utah Grizzlies to a minor-league championship.
Hedberg was rarely tested as he watched German goalies Christian Kunast and Robert Muller, filling in for resting starter Marc Seliger, battle wave after wave of Swedish attacks.
Naslund, the NHL's second-leading scorer, got Sweden's first goal on the power play just 4:30 in. Sundin added his fourth goal of the Olympics moments later on a nice pass from Alfredsson, and Sundin's Toronto Maple Leafs teammate Renberg made it 3-0 after 9 1/2 minutes.
"We have good personal chemistry between us," Naslund said. "We get along well, and we like to play hard for each other. I also think the coaching staff has let us play the way we like."
Sweden was up 6-0 after two periods. Dennis Seidenberg's slap-shot goal in the waning minutes denied Hedberg of a shutout in his first Olympic match.
Sweden has played smart, team-oriented hockey while winning its final-round group, and its win over Germany was no exception. Sweden's "torpedo" offensive system shot it past Canada and the Czechs, but the Swedes made yet another strategic innovation against the Germans' 1-4 defense.
While Canada and other teams have struggled against Germany's blue-line stack of defenders, Sweden simply chipped the puck into the corners in a modified dump-and-chase. The Swedes then used their speed to blow past Germany, leading to a consistent diet of scoring chances.
Sundin had another outstanding game, but he was only one of many Swedish forwards playing well. It's intruguing to imagine how well Sweden might be playing with the addition of Peter Forsberg, who's out with a foot injury.
"We're happy, but we realize this is only a start," Sundin said. "The real tournament starts with the quarterfinals, and we think we're ready."