Team Sweden and captain Gabriel Landeskog survived the host Italian side, beating them 5-2 on Wednesday night.
The Swedish side found itself tied at two late in the second period. But Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander broke the deadlock and sent the Swedes to their first Olympic victory.
It was Landeskog who rescued the Swedes after the Italian side opened the scoring at the four-minute mark of the first period. The Colorado Avalanche star notched a power play goal on assists by New York Rangers forward Mika Zibanejad and Pittsburgh Penguins blueliner Erik Karlsson.
Sweden later took the lead on a goal by Gustav Forsling of the Florida Panthers. Team Italy tied the game early in the second, but just could survive the onslaught by Sweden. The Swedes peppered the Italians, outshooting them 60-22. The lopsided shot count made the game that much more impressive for the home team.
Unfortunately, the Italians lost starting goaltender Damian Clara after he made a brilliant save on the Vancouver Canucks’ Elias Pettersson. Backup Davide Fadani came in and held the fort. However, Zibanejad scored to make the game 4-2. Victor Hedman of the Tampa Bay Lightning added an empty-netter to seal the victory.
Sweden will be back in action as they take on Finland on Saturday. The matchup will be a crucial one to determine the seeding for the playoff round.
Landeskog showing no signs of lingering issues
One of the biggest concerns heading into the Olympics was Landeskog’s upper-body injury. Landeskog sustained a serious rib injury after crashing into the net in a game against the Florida Panthers in early January.
Landeskog had not played until Wednesday night’s contest. And if there were any concerns about lingering issues, they were dispelled. The Swedish captain looked sharp and involved in the play.
It’s worth pointing out that Olympic games won’t feature stars getting as much ice time as they do in regular-season NHL games. So, it shouldn’t be surprising to see teams roll four lines consistently.
Nevertheless, there was no indication that Landeskog could be dealing with any injury issues at this point. It will be interesting to see if the upper-body injury does become an issue as the tournament wears on.
Colorado Avalanche fans hope that the tourney will help Landeskog get back into shape as the club looks to cement its foothold in the Western Conference playoff race.