Canada came out of the gate strong in the NHL‘s Four Nations Face-Off, scoring on their first shot and dominating Sweden throughout the opening period. However, Sweden recovered and fought back, making Canada sweat to secure two points in overtime. After the game, Adrian Kempe made a bold statement, taking a shot at Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid, and the rest of Team Canada.
Crosby and McDavid assisted on Canada’s first goal, scored by Nathan MacKinnon on the power play. The Swedes quickly learned just how dangerous a man-advantage involving Crosby, Makar, MacKinnon, McDavid, and Reinhart can be, and they’d make sure not to concede another penalty for the rest of the game.
Trailing 3-1 heading into the final period, Sweden fought back to tie the game with goals from Kempe and Joel Eriksson Ek. Though the ‘Tre Kronor’ ultimately conceded the game-winner to Mitch Marner in overtime, they salvaged a point in a true trial by fire against a Canadian side playing on home ice.
After a catastrophic start where it seemed Canada was destined to ragdoll Sweden, the Swedes fought back to rescue a point, and every player on their side was content with the outcome. However, Kempe went even further, making a bold statement and subtly taking a shot at superstars Crosby, McDavid, and Team Canada’s Avengers-like roster.
“After 10 minutes in the first period, I think honestly we felt like we were the better team the rest of the game,” Kempe said, per NHL.com. “It definitely happens but obviously you have all the [Canadian] fans at your back and everything, so they came out more excited to play than we were.
“Obviously, we were down two goals going into the third, so it was a strong comeback and we’ll take the one point. We’re happy about the comeback.”
Theodore out for the tournament
Kempe had an eventful night at Bell Centre, scoring a goal, and also being involved in an unfortunate play that injured defenseman Shea Theodore. After colliding with the Los Angeles Kings‘ player against the boards, Theodore quickly headed for the locker room and wouldn’t return to the ice all night.
As Jon Cooper would later announce, the Vegas Golden Knights‘ defender suffered a tournament-ending injury, and his NHL organization has confirmed he’ll be out in a week-to-week status.
“That’s a big blow,” Cooper said postgame, via NHL.com. “What a kid, and he only got to play six minutes. It’s heartbreaking for the kid. And he was the first one there at the door high fiving everybody when we came off. It’s a tough one to swallow because you just know how much it means. I guess in hindsight he got to touch the ice and get some time in there.“
For the throne
The ‘Tre Kronor’ hoped to steal the crown jewel and deliver a deflating blow to the home team. While they gave Canada a great run for their money, forcing them to sweat for the win, the Swedes ultimately admitted some frustration in the end.
“It’s a lot of emotions there. Everyone wants to beat Canada,” Sweden’s goaltender Filip Gustavsson stated postgame. “They’re supposed to be the best team in the world and everyone wants to go out there and beat them.”