Daniel Alfredsson has been Sweden's top scoring weapon thus far, with four goals and four assists in six games.

Swedes-Czechs too close to call
By Phil Coffey | NHL.com
Feb. 23, 2006

TURIN, Italy - "Evenly Matched" would appear to be the perfect descriptor for the Olympic semifinal game between Sweden and the Czech Republic.

Both clubs are coming off so-so preliminary rounds. The Swedes went 3-2, scoring 15 goals and allowing 12. The Czechs were 2-3, scoring 14 goals and allowing 12. The single-elimination quarterfinal showed both teams pick up their games, as Sweden ousted the Swiss, 6-2, and the Czechs eliminated Slovakia, 3-1.

The vast majority of players from both teams are NHL stars, so the comments heading into the game closely mirrored what one might hear prior to an NHL match, with Philadelphia's Peter Forsberg noting that Sweden "will have to keep our eye on (Jaromir) Jagr all the time."

Presumably, the Czechs have received the same message about Forsberg.

"He gives us another weapon," Ottawa Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson said of Forsberg. "He can make things happen from nothing and nowhere. He takes pressure off guys."

Forsberg has four assists in four games in this tournament as he recovers from a groin strain. Alfredsson has been Sweden's top scoring weapon thus far with four goals and four assists in six games. Toronto's Mats Sundin also has had a strong tournament with three goals and three assists.

For the Swedes, advancing to the semifinals erases some of the stigma from 2002 when underdog Belarus pulled off a shocking quarterfinal upset when a long shot beat goalie Tommy Salo. The stigma of losing that game followed Sweden to Torino.

"I thought that probably helped," Forsberg said of the 2002 loss that was a debacle in Sweden. "I knew we had to be ready. You can't take any team in this tournament for granted. I knew it would be a battle. That game helped us."

"We had some pressure on us from previous tournaments where we've lost in the quarterfinals," Detroit Red Wings defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom said.

But leave it to the kids to dismiss the failures of the past.

"I forgot about it a while ago," Vancouver's Henrik Sedin said. "I think it's mostly the media that kept it going, especially in Sweden."

But to avoid another roasting in the Swedish media, Sedin knows his team cannot overlook any aspect of the Czech Republic's play.

"They are a great team," Sedin said. "They seem to be playing better when they play together for their country. They have great defense. It's going to be a tough game."

The Czechs have received balanced scoring in the tournament. New York Rangers center Martin Straka leads the Czechs with a goal and five assists, while Rangers teammate Jagr has two goals and three assists. Tampa Bay's Vinny Prospal has scored three goals and an assist, Colorado's Milan Hejduk has two goals and an assist, while New York's Martin Rucinsky has a goal and three assists.

Jaromir Jagr has two goals and three assists for the Czech Republic in the Olympic tournament.

The Czech defense also has chipped in offensively. Nashville's Marek Zidlicky has scored three goals in five games and Toronto's Tomas Kaberle has two goals and two assists.

A key decision for the Czechs will be the starting goalie. After injury forced Dominik Hasek from the Games, the Czechs turned to Nashville's Tomas Vokoun and then Milan Hnilicka, who earned the start -- and win -- against Slovakia, earning praise from coach Alois Hadamczik.

"I would like to thank all the team for being very concentrated and playing a great game, but especially one player; our goalkeeper Milan Hnilicka, who started playing only yesterday (Feb. 21) and today gave a great performance," Hadamczik said of Hnilicka.

"It's going to be tough," defenseman Tomas Kaberle said. "They have a good goalie and play good defensive hockey. It's going to be a hard battle. Any goal is going to make the difference.

"We have to play good defense," Kaberle said. "That's often the key to win a game. Then you take it over to the offensive zone, but you have to keep the puck first."

Kaberle, who plays for the Carolina Hurricanes, said the single-elimination format of the tournament may have sharpen his teammates' focus.

"If you lose, you don't go to the finals," he said. "There's a big difference. You have to play hard from the first minute to the last. It doesn't mean you don't do it in the other games, but here, every shift means a lot. There is a lot of pressure, but at the same time, it's a lot of fun."