In an international grudge match, Sweden defeated Switzerland 4-2 for its second straight win at the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships.
Sweden's captain Joel Eriksson Ek (Minnesota Wild) scored twice, including the game winning goal with 5:18 remaining in regulation. Ek broke a 2-2 off a sweet feed by Buffalo Sabres 2016 first rounder Alex Nylander, who collected apples on both Ek goals.
Ek has 3 goals and 1 assist in 2 games played. Nylander has 2 goals and 2 assists.
Lias Andersson and Lucas Carlsson also scored for Sweden. Carl Grundstrom also chipped in two assists. Jonas Siegenthaler scored a goal and an assist for Switzerland, and Calvin Thurkauf had the Swiss other goal.
Sweden now occupies the #1 seed in Group A will face winless Finland on Thursday.
Switzerland face off against Denmark in on Friday.
It was Sweden’s eighth straight win over Switzerland at the World Juniors. Sweden spanked the Swiss 8-3 on December 26, 2015. The game was marred by an ugly incident that saw Swiss forward Chris Egli deliver a vicious blindside head shot to Swedish star Willam Nylander. Egli was booted form the game and was handed a three game suspension while Nylander suffered a concussion.
In 2010, Sweden trounced Switzerland 11-4 in the bronze medal game, the largest margin of victory ever in a World Junior medal game.
** The head coach and general manager of Team Sweden had to reach out to Buffalo Sabres GM Tim Murray to ask for his permission to loan Sabres prospect Alex Nylander to his country for another kick at the can for WJC gold supremacy.
Murray, the horse trader, gave the loan his approval, but there was a string attached.
Murray told Michael Traikos of The National Post that he had one condition for Team Sweden.
Murray wanted to be assured that Nylander was going to be a focal point and a go-to guy for Team Sweden.
“When they asked me for permission, I asked what his role would be,… Murray said. “I think I knew the answer, but you still want to hear it from their lips, obviously.…
Nylander led Sweden in scoring with nine points as a 17-year-old at last year’s IIHF World Juniors. Many observers feel that Alex is the best hockey playing Nylander. This analysis includes bro William (Toronto Maple Leafs) and pops Michael , who played 20 years in the NHL. Alex, the sniping forward was Buffalo's first round draft choice at the NHL Draft in Buffalo last June. On loan to the Rochester Amerks this season, Alex has scored 17 points in 25 games as a rookie.
Alex Nylander is one of five AHL players on loan for the WJC tourney. Sweden’s Oliver Kylington (Calgary Flames), Team USA’s Jack Roslovic (Winnipeg Jets), Russia’s Denis Guryanov (Dallas Stars), and Daniel Vladar (Boston Bruins) of the Czech Republic are the others.
Murray expects Alex Nylander to exceed the body of work that the 18 year old Swede created last season at the legendary IIHF WJC tourney.
On Monday, Alex scored twice to power the 6-1 rout of Denmark in Sweden's first preliminary round game .
“The world juniors is a short tournament and sometimes the expectations for individual performances can get high, for sure,… Murray said. “We expect a lot from (Alex Nylander), but I’ve been around long enough where we’ve lent players from the National Hockey League or the American league who have gone to play for Team Canada and had a limited role and you kind of get pissed off after. But that’s just the reality of it.…
Not to worry, Tim.
The man who has glossed himself “Snipeshow… will not have any problems living up to your high expectations for him in this tourney. I think it's pretty safe to say that Nylander will be eclipsing the nine points he scored in seven WJC tourney games last December and January.
***
Winning in Detroit on Tuesday certainly pumped air into Buffalo's tires.
The Sabres currently trail the Boston Bruins by six points in the suddenly compelling battle for third place in the tightly contested Atlantic Division.
The Sabres host the Bruins on Thursday night. The same two teams will slug it out in a Beantown matinee on New Years Eve day.
The Bruins currently have 40 points to the Sabres 34 points. Two head to head regulation wins by the Sabres would give them 38 points and would move them squarely onto the tailgate of the Bruins.
“They’re within earshot,… Bylsma said.
“You have a chance of sweeping these two games and gaining four points on them, putting yourself right near them, right next to them in the standings.…
Adding more fuel to that the Bruins have played 37 games. The Sabres have played just 34 games.
Having two games in a row against the team that leads you by six points in the standings is exciting enough. Having three games in hand on the Bruins makes Sabres fans want to stalk down the bear.
***
Forward Tyler Ennis has missed Buffalo's last 22 games following groin surgery.
Dan Bylsma said Wednesday afternoon that the former Medicine Hat Tiger star has begun skating by himself. If there are no setbacks, Ennis could join Sabres team practices in the next week or 10 days