ZOH 2022 hockey – Slovákov stopped by a goalkeeper who did not catch the moon Šport.sk – ŠPORT.sk

The Swedes have never lost. Despite the favorable results, the performances against the two weaker teams raise concerns about whether the team from the north will be able to torment the larger opponents. Johan Garpenlöv’s charges hesitated in the opening match with Latvia, which allowed them to fight for a settlement or a reversal in the final period. They finally maintained a one-goal lead.

Mats Wennerholm, a sports journalist, also saw the sloppy passages in the match against Slovakia. According to him, a crooked game speech cannot hide behind a win. “‘Tre Kronor’ opened the Olympics as expected and defeated the two weakest teams in Latvia and Slovakia. But the game was sometimes as miserable as when the Latvians were close to returning and settling after the Swedish 3-0 lead, which changed to 3-2.

The fact that it ended against Slovakia 4: 1 was purely thanks to goalkeeper Magnus Hellberg, who replaced Lasse Johansson. The result did not match the match. Hellberg and a few happy Swedish minutes in the second part of the first period decided on him, when everything fell for the Slovak goalkeeper Matej Tomek, ” evaluated team performance in an article for Sportbladet.

Wennerholm fears the baptism of fire that the Swedes are waiting for on Sunday against strong rivals from Finland. They do not hide their medal ambitions. “We won’t find out how strong the Swedish team is until Sunday. Against experienced and cohesive Finland, which together with Russia is the gold favorite. If it looks like the Slovaks, the Finns will eat us. “

The Swedish hero was without a start for a month

The glory of Friday’s confrontation was deservedly stolen by 30-year-old goalkeeper Magnus Hellberg. During his debut at the Olympics, he frustrated the Slovak offensive by defeating 40 shots. Only one of Juraj Slafkovsky found his way behind his back. Hellberg caught the last competition more than a month ago, and he was all the more pleased with the result of his goal in the goal area.

“Of course, there was a lot of emotion and excitement. I didn’t play for a month, I had a good time on the ice. We did very well as a team, the guys helped me, so I’m very happy, ” stated for Express.

“Great victory, we managed the match. Hellberg played really well in the goal, he helped us a lot today. We fight for each other. We have something to build on, ” praised the teammate striker Lucas Wallmark.

The goalkeeper also received compliments from the Slovak captain Marek Hrivík, who could not overcome him. “I played with him in the AHL, against him in the KHL and I know how good he is. He has been proving this for many years and today he supported his team with several interventions. He definitely didn’t surprise me. “

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