Can you say "Sweden is great"? I knew that you could. Team Sweden, LCS Hockey's personal favorite to win the Gold, stunned the United States Thursday night, 4-2, in the opening game of the second round of the Olympic tournament. Daniel Alfredsson and Peter Forsberg were the story for the Swedes. Whenever these two guys get together they always put on a ghetto clinic. Alfredsson scored a pair of goals, including the eventual game-winner in the second period, with Forsberg setting up both of 'em. Patric Kjellberg and Mats Sundin also scored for Sweden, while Chris Chelios and Mike Modano had the USA goals.

The game opened up in style, with both clubs going at it something fierce. The Americans came out playing extremely aggressive and eventually started to wear down the smaller Swedes. The line of Modano, Keith Tkachuk, and Billy Guerin set the tone early with their speed and tenacity along the boards. It was hard work from this trio that led to the game's first goal. Guerin won the puck behind the Swedish net and worked the biscuit to Tkachuk in the right wing corner. The Phoenix captain spotted Chelios open at the right point and hooked him up. With Guerin now battling Ulf Samuelsson in front, Chelios took a compact windup and blasted a point shot past a screened Tommy Salo to give the United States a 1-0 lead at 11:10.

Adam Deadmarsh opened the door to the Swedes just 25 seconds later, taking a rather silly roughing penalty against Calle Johansson after a whistle. It wasn't much of a rough, either. But referee Bill McCreary apparently wanted to set a tone and put Deadmarsh in the box.

The duo of Forsberg and Alfredsson would make the power play count. In a beautiful display of teamwork, Alfredsson worked the puck from the left wing boards down to Forsberg in the corner. Good ol' Petey then bolted behind the net, making it seem like he was going for the wraparound. At least that's what Mike Richter thought. As the US netminder looked over his shoulder and glided across to cover the right wing post, Forsberg improvised and made an unbelievable pass back out front to Alfredsson sneaking in at the left post. Alf dropped down on one knee and rifled the puck behind the bewildered Richter to tie the game at 12:26.

It didn't take the US long to reclaim the lead. Following the faceoff at center ice, the Modano line once again barged its way to the net with Guerin swatting a bouncing puck in tight on Salo. Unfortunately for the Swedes, Salo grossly overplayed the shot and ended up sliding completely out of the crease. The rebound got pushed back out to the top of the right wing circle where Modano just happened to be cruising. With Salo still out for a swim, Modano one-timed a snap shot into the open cage to put the Americans back in front, 2-1. The goal came just 24 seconds after the Swedes had tied it. Yeah, that'll suck...

The first period was pretty much controlled by Team USA. Aside from the Modano line, John LeClair was also an immense presence. The massive Flyer winger buzzed the Swedish cage with a number of bullets. He was just too strong for the Swedes to contain. This physical dominance went a long way to helping the Americans to a 14-6 edge in first-period shots.

Swedish coach Kent Forsberg knew something had to be done to try and neutralize the Modano unit. So when the clubs came out for the second period, coach Forsberg started to match up his best defensive pair of Nicklas Lidstrom and Mattias Norstrom against Team USA's big line. The ploy worked. Lidstrom proved why he's ticketed for the Norris Trophy by using his reach and mobility to bottle up the talented US trio.

In fact, the entire Swedish team played much better defensively in the second period. They started to settle into their left wing lock and limited the skating room at center ice. They also started getting the puck deep on offense and established an aggressive two-man forecheck that gave Team USA all sorts of headaches.

Overall, the Swedes just seemed much more composed in the second frame. It certainly didn't hurt matters that they were able to draw even on the scoreboard just 1:50 into the period when Kjellberg converted a two-on-one with Mikael Renberg.

The goal came just seconds after the Americans missed connecting on a two-on-one of their own. Brian Leetch had rushed up the right side and attempted to feather a pass across to LeClair, but he led the left-handed shooting sniper a bit too much. By the time LeClair collected the puck he was in too tight at the left post and hit the side of the net with his shot. The Swedes gained control and headed the other way. With Leetch still trapped deep, Derian Hatcher was left alone to contend with Renberg and Kjellberg. It was a very similar situation to the American two-on-one, just flip-flopped. Renberg was carrying the puck on the left wing side with the right-handed Kjellberg on the right side. The main difference in the two breaks was that Renberg's pass was real wizard and allowed Kjellberg to step into it and one-time a snap shot under the bar. It was a gun. This Kjellberg character leads the Swedish Elite League in goal- scoring. And with a shot like that, it's easy to see why.

The Swedes went ahead 3-2 at 11:33 of the second. Once again it was Forsberg and Alfredsson weaving their magic. Forsberg created the play by working hard down low in the right wing corner. He outmuscled Mathieu Schneider and drove behind the cage, forcing his way past Modano and drawing the attention of Kevin Hatcher before attempting to slide a pass in front for Alfredsson. The puck hit Hatcher in the skate and died at the feet of Richter near the left wing post. The man with Aunt Jemima on his helmet was indecisive in playing the puck and it cost him. Alfredsson used the opportunity to dive at the loose pill and sweep it between Richter's pads on his backhand. It was something special.

The third period opened with the Swedes still holding the 3-2 advantage. The Americans were searching for the equalizer, but Sweden had most of the quality scoring chances early in the period. Richter had to make a number of big saves, including stopping Sundin on a two-on-one with Matthias Ohlund just seconds after the defenseman stepped out of the box. Sundin kept the puck the whole way down right wing and tried to go high short side but Richter stayed square and blocked it with his left shoulder.

Oddly enough, Sundin was also involved in Team USA's first major scoring threat of the period. Sundin was having trouble in his own zone and tried to force a bouncing puck through the slot. Brett Hull intercepted the pass, circled, and found LeClair in the high slot. The only problem was that LeClair was off balance as he fired and the puck sailed wide of the left post.

That was really Sweden's only mistake. They didn't give the Americans much room at all. The only other real moment of danger came when Deadmarsh nearly hammered a slap shot past Salo's glove from just inside the blue line. But that's hardly a lapse in coverage. On his next shift, Deadmarsh tried to dart wide on left wing and was masterfully ridden off the play by Calle Johansson. It was either from long range or nothing for the US.

The Stars and Stripes were running out of time. So no sense holding back. With just over three minutes remaining in regulation, Leetch decided to gamble. He pinched down the slot and his mates got him the puck. But just when it seemed Leetch would have Salo at his mercy, Niklas Sundstrom got a stick on his shot, sending the puck wide of the right pipe. And just as they had done earlier in the game, the Swedes made Leetch pay for his mistake.

The boys in blue immediately rolled the other way. Mikael Andersson carried the puck in on right wing against Derian Hatcher, with Tony Amonte in the middle covering for Leetch. Knowing that he only had one true defenseman back, Andersson pulled up along the boards and drew Hatcher to him while he waited for a trailer in Sundin. As the Maple Leaf captain busted to the net, Amonte showed his inexperience as a defenseman by watching Andersson the whole time in an effort to play the puck and completely forgetting about Sundin. That's trouble. Andersson floated a gorgeous lead pass behind Amonte to Sundin and he was in home free against Richter. From there it was a one-way ticket to Freaksville. Sundin used Richter with a sweet backhand move to make the score 4-2 at 17:56. Game over.

The Swedes just got better as the game went along. Their top line of Forsberg, Alfredsson, and Renberg was sensational. Salo looked plenty shaky in net at times, but he made the saves when he had to... he didn't look real good doing it, but he did make the saves. His best probably came near the end of the first period when Tkachuk cut out from behind the net and was left all alone in front. He pulled the puck to his forehand, but Salo read the play nicely and came up with the clutch save.

Team USA came out hard early, but couldn't solve the Swede's system in the second and third periods. They ended up outshooting Sweden 31-20, but the majority of those came in the opening frame. They needed to be more physical. They repeatedly failed to get the puck deep. Of course, it's a lot harder to play a North American game on the large international rinks. The Swedes didn't play soft, but they took full advantage of the extra space. It's tough to hit what you can't catch.

Impressive Performances

SWEDEN

Daniel Alfredsson (2-0-2): Alfredsson was a force all night long. Even when he wasn't scoring, he was still dictating the tempo with his tireless work. He was the best player on the ice.

Peter Forsberg (0-2-2): Forsberg was excellent in the trenches. He's one of the few Swedish players who can match the Americans with his power game. He was unstoppable once he got near the puck.

Nicklas Lidstrom: Lidstrom showed why he's going to be this year's Norris winner. He just disrupted the Americans whenever he was on the ice.

UNITED STATES

John LeClair: He was a moose. LeClair did whatever he wanted down low. The Americans just didn't get him the puck enough.

Mike Modano (1-0-1): Modano showed plenty of speed. He could be USA's game-breaker as the tournament progresses.

Jeremy Roenick: Roenick didn't do a whole lot in the way of scoring, so what else is new? But he did deliver the check of the game. It happened in the second period. Michael Nylander was dealing with the rock in the USA zone for what seemed like an eternity. He was making his way up the right wing boards out towards the stripe when he tried to circle back down the wall. Bad decision. Just as he turned, Roenick belted him head-on with a clean check. Nylander never saw him coming. And Roenick was flying. Aw, it was great, it was fun...

Lines

Sweden: The Swedes lost winger Andreas Johansson early in the third period after he took a nasty slash on the left wrist. Kjellberg took his spot on the fourth line when needed the rest of the way.

OFFENSE (lw-c-rw)

Alfredsson - Forsberg - Renberg
Sundstrom - Sundin - Andersson
Kjellberg - Nylander - Dahlen
A. Johansson - Lindgren - Sandstrom

DEFENSE

Norstrom - Lidstrom
Albelin - C. Johansson
Ohlund - Samuelsson

POWER PLAY

Alfredsson - Forsberg - Sundstrom - Sundin - Lidstrom
Dahlen - Nylander - Renberg - Ohlund - C. Johansson
note: Sundin played the left point on the first unit.

SHORT-HANDED

Alfredsson - Forsberg - Norstrom - Lidstrom
Sundin - Andersson - C. Johansson - Samuelsson
Sundstrom - Renberg

United States: The US was forced to replace Shawn McEachern on the roster after the Senator winger suffered a strained back. Jamie Langenbrunner was selected as his replacement, but wasn't in Japan yet and likely won't play until the club's third game. That meant that Bryan Berard skated the left wing on the fourth line, but that unit didn't get a whole lot of time.

Coach Ron Wilson also juggled his lines a bit late in the third, switching Deadmarsh and LeClair. Pat LaFontaine also saw a shift with Roenick and Amonte. But these are the lines that played the majority of the time.

OFFENSE (lw-c-rw)

Tkachuk - Modano - Guerin
LeClair - Roenick - Amonte
Deadmarsh - Weight - Hull
Berard - Otto - LaFontaine

DEFENSE

Suter - Chelios
Leetch - D. Hatcher
Schneider - K. Hatcher
Carney

POWER PLAY

Tkachuk - Weight - Hull - Leetch - Berard
LeClair - Modano - LaFontaine - Chelios - Suter

SHORT-HANDED

Roenick - Amonte - Leetch - D. Hatcher
Deadmarsh - Modano - Suter - Chelios
Weight - Hull
Otto - LaFontaine

Other Thursday Night Results

Czech Republic beat Finland, 3-0: Dominik Hasek only needed 17 saves to blank the Finns. Pavel Patera, Robert Reichel, and Vladimir "Rosie" Ruzicka scored for the Czechs.

Olympic News

In case you haven't heard, Paul Kariya will be unable to participate in the Olympics because of the concussion he suffered at the hands of Gary Suter on February 1. Kariya will be replaced on the Canadian roster by Montreal's Mark Recchi.

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