LAKE PLACID, N.Y. -- United States coach Don Lucia stressed improvement on the penalty kill with his players Monday morning, but after one period against Sweden, the USA Blue squad obviously needs more work.
Sweden got a pair of power-play goals from Sebastian Collberg to take a 2-0 lead after one period.
The United States got off to a strong start as the line of Adam Erne, Dominic Toninato and Riley Barber dominated play in the Sweden end and created some good scoring chances on the game's first shift. Any momentum was lost at 1:26 when USA Blue defenseman Connor Carrick was called for holding. Just 12 seconds later, Alexander Wennberg made a great backhand pass through the high slot to Collberg, who ripped a shot past USA Blue goalie Thatcher Demko at 1:38.
Collberg made it 2-0 from almost the same spot. With Justin Bailey in the box for elbowing, Gustav Possler drew two USA Blue penalty killers to the slot and slid the puck to the left circle to Collberg, whose one-timer beat Demko at 11:12.
Sweden will have 24 seconds on the power play to start the second after Barber was called for high-sticking at 18:23.
Back with more after the second period.
---
NHL.com is the official web site of the National Hockey League. NHL, the NHL Shield, the word mark and image of the Stanley Cup, the Stanley Cup Playoffs logo, the Stanley Cup Final logo, Center Ice name and logo, NHL Conference logos, NHL Winter Classic name, and The Biggest Assist Happens Off The Ice are registered trademarks and Vintage Hockey word mark and logo, The Game Lives Where You Do, NHL Winter Classic logo, NHL Heritage Classic name and logo, NHL Stadium Series name and logo, NHL All-Star logo, NHL Face-Off name and logo, NHL. TV, NHL Premium, NHL After Dark, NHL GameCenter, NHL GameCenter LIVE, NHL Network name and logo, NHL Tonight name and logo, On The Fly, NHL Awards name and logo, NHL Draft name and logo, Hockey Fights Cancer, Because It's The Cup, NHL Green name and logo, NHL Vault, Hockey Is For Everyone, NHL Thanksgiving Showdown name and logo, NHL Centennial Classic name and logo, NHL Centennial Season logo, NHL100 Classic name and logo, NHL Global Series name and logo, NHL China Games name and logo, and Don't Miss A Moment are trademarks of the National Hockey League. All NHL logos and marks and NHL team logos and marks depicted herein are the property of the NHL and the respective teams and may not be reproduced without the prior written consent of NHL Enterprises, L.P. © NHL 2018. All Rights Reserved. All NHL team jerseys customized with NHL players' names and numbers are officially licensed by the NHL and the NHLPA. The Zamboni word mark and configuration of the Zamboni ice resurfacing machine are registered trademarks of Frank J. Zamboni & Co., Inc. © Frank J. Zamboni & Co., Inc. 2018. All Rights Reserved. Any other third party trademarks or copyrights are property of their respective owners. All rights reserved.