STOCKHOLM - The goal was gold.
The consolation prize, to little comfort, will have to be bronze.
Sweden finds themselves on the outside of first-place consideration after a 6-2 loss to the United States in semifinal action at the 2025 IIHF World Championship at Avicii Arena, meaning Flames friends Rasmus Andersson and Mikael Backlund will have to find a way to bounce back quick to haul in some hardware on home ice.
"We wake up tomorrow and find a way to win bronze," said Backlund, who won gold with Sweden in 2018.
"We've got to play for the front of our jerseys tomorrow and for all the fans that show up tomorrow, all the kids that'll be here. We've got to go out and play for each other."
Team USA, which outshot Sweden 13-3 in the opening stanza, took a 2-0 lead into the first period by way of goals from Brady Skjei of the Nashville Predators and Anaheim Ducks forward Cutter Gauthier.
The start, Andersson said, finished them.
He took responsibility for that.
"Bad start by us," Andersson said. "Falls on me as the captain of the team that the team wasn't ready to play. Falls on my shoulders."
The Americans forced things to a four-goal spread after 40 minutes courtesy of strikes from Conor Garland of the Vancouver Canucks and Mikey Eyssimont of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Too many after two.
"We had a slow start," Backlund said. "We didn't get our game in order until the third period and then it was too late. We pushed, but it wasn't enough."
The 4-0 hole wasn't to be dug out of.
Andersson set up Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander for the home side's first strike 6:32 into the third, and former Flame Elias Lindholm trimmed it to 4-2 less than a minute later - prompting a Team USA timeout amidst the roar of the pro-Sweden population inside the rink.
It's as close a gap as the side in yellow could muster up, however.
Ducks defenceman Jackson LaCombe sniped a shot off the rush to put the U.S. up 5-2 midway through the third frame, and Ottawa Senators centre Shane Pinto found the back of the empty net from his own end to seal a 6-2 win and a berth in Sunday's finale vs. Switzerland.
"Sad. Disappointed. Frustrated. All of the above," Andersson detailed.
"We believed all the way until the end. Unfortunately the 5-2 goal was kind of the nail in the coffin for us. The game was out of reach at that point."
The disappointment leaves little time for a rebound before a bronze medal matchup. Backlund, Andersson, and Sweden will be on the clock less than 24 hours after the Saturday setback.
Sunday comes quick - a sharp turnaround for an unhappy host side that finished third at the tournament a year ago, and has eight first-place finishes since 1987.
They'll face Denmark at 7:20 a.m. MT.
"Just got to get my equipment off first and foremost," Andersson said.
"Then I'll think about tomorrow."
