To potentially earn a direct ticket to the quarterfinals, Sweden must outscore Slovakia by four goals in its final group stage game.
Team Sweden's game on Saturday against Slovakia now couldn't be more important.
After a win in their opening game against Italy, the two Toronto Maple Leafs, William Nylander and Oliver Ekman-Larsson, as well as Team Sweden, were due for a tough test on Friday against their arch nemesis, Finland.
In their first game against the hosts, Italy, Sweden's Filip Gustavsson allowed two goals on the opening four shots. A similar scenario occurred against Finland, with Gustavsson allowing two goals on the Finns' first two shots.
Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin got the Swedes on the board early in the second period. Nylander, who missed Thursday's practice with Sweden, tallied the primary assist on the goal.
"I feel good," Nylander told TSN's Mark Masters after the loss, "It's no problem."
However, less than 12 minutes later, Joel Armia of the Los Angeles Kings beat Gustavsson, giving Finland a two-goal lead once again.
As the game progressed, the rivalry between both sides heated up.
Sweden and Finland's games became chippier and chippier. And despite two power plays in the final 15 minutes of the game — plus a man advantage with an empty net towards the end — the Swedes, Nylander, and Ekman-Larsson couldn't capitalize, and eventually fell 4-1 to Finland.
Nylander, who was on the ice for most of the power plays and the empty net late, finished with an assist, two shots, and 19:11 of ice time, the fourth-most among Sweden's forwards against Finland.
He's up to a goal and an assist through two games.
After not getting one shift against Italy on Wednesday, Ekman-Larsson was more involved for Sweden against the Finns. He registered two shots in 7:36 of ice time, the lowest among Swedes who got a shift in Friday's loss.
"I'm here to support my team and do whatever they need me to do. It was nice to get in and get a few shifts," Ekman-Larsson told Masters. "It's not a big deal."
What's Next For Sweden
With a loss to Finland, Sweden is now 1-1 in the tournament. The same goes for Finland, which lost its opening game against Slovakia.
The top team in Group B will move straight to the quarterfinals, and the other two countries — among Sweden, Slovakia, or Finland — may play in the playoff qualification.
Sweden plays Slovakia on Saturday at 6:10 a.m. ET (12:10 p.m. local). If Sweden wins, they'll tie Slovakia atop the group. But they'll need to outscore the Slovaks by more than four goals to reach the quarterfinals, given Slovakia's current goal differential of plus-four.
The same goes for Finland when they face Italy later on Saturday.
However, if Slovakia picks up a single point against Sweden, they'll move to the quarterfinals, likely leaving both Finland and Sweden to battle against other countries in the playoff qualification.
If both the Swedes and Finns win those games (which'll go down on Feb. 17), they'll advance to the quarterfinals, where matchups will be based on total points from the group stage.
Slovakia had a commanding 4-1 win against Finland on the opening day of the tournament. But Sweden, which lost to the Finns similarly to how Finland fell to the Slovaks, will want to push for more against Slovakia in hopes of earning a direct ticket to the quarterfinals.