Canada defeated Sweden in overtime 4-3 to open the 4 Nations Face-off on Wednesday, while Calgary Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson was a healthy scratch for Sweden.
The 4 Nations Face-off is underway in Montreal. Canada and Sweden played the inaugural game on Wednesday night. The "home" team won 4-3 in overtime on a Mitch Marner goal.
Yesterday, during Sweden's second practice before the tournament's opening game, Calgary Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson skated as the team's seventh defenseman.
Andersson and Anaheim Ducks forward Leo Carlsson was a healthy scratch on Wednesday.
As mentioned, Canada and Sweden opened the 4 Nations Face-off with a barnburner of a contest.
Canada jumped out to a 2-0 first-period lead thanks to Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado) and Brad Marchand (Boston) goals. Eventually, Sweden cut into the deficit, with Jonas Brodin (Minnesota) scoring midway through the second period to get the game to 2-1.
However, Vegas Golden Knights captain Mark Stone restored Canada's two-goal lead (3-1) before the end of the middle frame.
In the third, Sweden made things interesting when Adrian Kempe (Los Angeles) scored just under two minutes into the final period. Then, at 8:59, Joel Eriksson Ek rallied Sweden back from a two-goal deficit to tie things at 3-3.
Overtime had some entertaining moments, including a sequence that led to the eventual game-winner. Sweden crashed the Canadian crease, leading to an odd man the other way, giving Marner plenty of time and space to work his magic.
As expected, Canada's scoresheet reads like a who's who in hockey, with Sidney Crosby leading all skaters with three points. Surprisingly, no defenseman scored for Canada, but eight forwards had a point.
Meanwhile, Sweden's attack was more balanced, with five forwards and four defensemen scoring points, while Lucas Raymond led the team with two helpers.
On special teams, Canada went 1-for-1 on the power play, and Sweden failed to convert on its one opportunity. St. Louis Blues netminder Jordan Binnington made 23 saves to secure the win, while Filip Gustavsson (Minnesota) made 24 stops.
Canada's next game is Saturday night against the United States, while Sweden will play Finland on Saturday morning.
