No good start to the party for the hosts

Sweden's unexperienced team with only five NHLers got a very tough start to the home tournament losing to Switzerland 2-3. The Swiss made a solid game defensively and won well deserved.

Sweden came out very hard from the beginning and immediately put pressure on the Swiss net and got a power play already after 35 seconds. Sweden had a shot in the post on the power play but didn't score. After the furious Swedish start the game lost tempo and team exchanged possession without creating many chances.

Late in the first period Switzerland got the first power play and played it very well but no goal was scored when the Swiss had one shot in the post and one puck cleared on the goal line by a Swedish defender. The score was 0-0 after the first with an advantage for Sweden but as Martin Gerber said "We knew when we survived the first period that we had a good chance".

Switzerland carried the momentum into the second period with another power play and just after Sweden got back to full strength Matthias Bieber's pass was deflected in by a Swedish defender, but the pass was good so Julian Walker would probably have scored anyway. The goal gave energy to both the Swiss teams and fans and Nino Niederreiter made an individual effort that found the way between Markström's pads for 2-0.

Niederreiter makes it 2-0, Photo: Michal Eger

"Switzerland took over the game when they had a couple of PP's", Sweden's captain Staffan Kronwall said. "I think we are a disaster in neutral zone and we also needs better power play and penalty killing". But he don't it was nerves that made Sweden bad today "We have many debutants but I didn't think it was so much nerves on the ice".

After 2-0 things looked very dark for Sweden but suddenly they got a long five on three power play and Johan Fransson could open the scoring for the hosts with hard shot from the blue line. The goal Sweden back the energy they had been out for the entire second period and they almost tied it right away. But Swiss kept a 2-1 lead going into the third period.

At the beginning of the third Sweden looked stronger and also got a chance on a power play but that almost end up as a disaster when Johan Fransson gave away the puck to Reto Suri who raced clear but missed the finish when he tried to deke Markström. A few minutes later Switzerland got a power play but Sweden played it brilliant and held the puck almost for almost the entire two minutes.

But that never gave Sweden the energy they needed and even if they got a 6 on 4 power play the failed to score and the Swiss could make it 3-1 and close the game. At least that was one everyone thought but Hjalmarsson reduced the lead only a few seconds later and in a chaotic last few seconds Sweden almost tied it.

But this was a night for the Swiss fans who will be singing and celebrating this win all night long.

Switzerland's Martin Plüss was pleased with the game "I think we make good game. Sweden was better in the first but then we took over. It's not easy for Sweden to play with this pressure"

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