It was close. Belarus rang one off the pipe with a few minutes to go, and Jonas Gustavsson held on, but looked more than a little nervous as the ghost of Tommy Salo danced in his head, and yet in the end it was a Sweden 4-2 victory.
Peter Forsberg and Freddy Modin were happy with the result, but both admitted the level of play is not quite to the playoff fevered pitch as of yet. But it is getting there.
The one common denominator among Olympic players is this may be the best atmosphere they have ever played in an international tournament. These players are loving every minute of these games.
Talking to Modin I almost got the impression he is now just waiting for the next level to hit.
We are taping an episode of Hockeybuzz Live at 6:30 ET.
Actual Questions with Rumored Answers
@Jake_Titleman39 asks: Do the habs have a legit shot at Frolov or Horton?
Yes on Horton, absolutely yes. And they really want Horton in Montreal. Frolov is not moving I was told. Things do change, but as of this writing they haven't.
elvisknapman: Would you agree that this is a fair comparison to how Gustavsson may react to #NHL playoff pressure?? He doesn't look sharp at all.
I agree he looked shakey, true...but it is also unfair. This in some ways was bigger than the Cup playoffs to a young Swede. Plus there was all that history with Belarus and Salo. I thought it was a bad idea to play him today.
@jefflowe11 asks: Who are the Blues likely to be trading away, where, and for whom?
Have honestly not heard much yet from their crew. I am expecting Tkachuk to go. Likely to Boston. They will likely get a #1 back, and maybe more. Colaiacovo is a good bet as well and could also go to Boston..however Ottawa and Buffalo are in there too.