Sweden’s Hopes Of Winning 4 Nations Face-Off Are Dim, But Potential Positives Still Remain

Sweden has had a disappointing 4 Nations Face-Off tournament thus far. But Adam Proteau says the Swedes can still salvage something positive in their remaining action.
Kaapo Kakko celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against Team Sweden goalie Linus Ullmark in the second period.

As the only team at the 4 Nations Face-Off without a win, Team Sweden and their fans are thoroughly disappointed at the moment.

But the Swedes have been agonizingly close to being unbeaten at the tournament. Although Sweden is currently the worst team in the 4 Nations Face-Off, they can take some solace in knowing that they aren’t that far off from being a top team at a best-on-best tourney down the line.

Saturday’s overtime loss to the Finns came after another OT loss to Canada earlier this week. But Sweden coach Sam Hallam made a bold lineup change against Finland that potentially saved their tournament.

After goalie Filip Gustavsson allowed two goals on four shots in the first period, Hallam replaced him with Linus Ullmark. It would’ve been easy for Hallam to stick with Gustavsson and hope he improved, but the stakes were too high to take that risk. You have to respect the coach for making that call, and despite the loss, Ullmark helped the squad get to overtime.

And now, they have to take on the powerhouse American team on Monday. But their fate isn’t within their control right away. Sweden needs the Finland and Canada game at 1 p.m. ET to get to overtime for their hopes of reaching the final to stay alive. And then, they need to pull out a regulation win.

Clearly, it will be a tall order for Sweden to emerge as a finalist at the 4 Nations Face-Off. But this tournament is also a precursor for the 2026 Olympic Games, and a solid showing from the Swedes will provide optimism that they can win a gold medal at the Olympics. Remember, Sweden had two Olympic golds in 1994 and 2006, so there’s a history of success on the biggest international hockey stage.