Sochi 2014: Mens Results Group C 02/14

Czech Republic v Latvia 4-2 - The Czech Republic knew it needed to make something happen Friday in order to get its campaign at the 2014 Sochi Olympics back on track. Another slow start, like the one that led to a loss to Sweden in the opening game of Group C play Wednesday, could have been disastrous, especially against Latvia, a country spoiling to register its first significant Olympic victory. Fortunately the Czechs still have Jaromir Jagr on their team. Jagr set the tone for the afternoon by scoring a huge goal in the last minute of the first period to spark a 4-2 victory.
"We didn't play very well in the first half of the game against Sweden (a 4-2 loss) but we played better in the second half of this game, so we have to wait for [Saturday against Switzerland] to see what kind of team we really are," Jagr said.
If the Czechs continue to get offensive performances from Jagr like the ones they have received in the first two games of this tournament, they will be a dangerous out. Jagr turned a taut first period in favor of the Czechs with a sublime effort. The wing took a pass in the slot from defenseman Marek Zidlicky, his teammate with the New Jersey Devils, and kicked the pass from his skate to his stick. Jagr held the puck momentarily, then snapped his wrists and picked the far corner cleanly to give his team a 2-1 lead.
"That was unstoppable. The way he hits it, low-blocker … it's very hard for goalies to stop it. He knows how to score goals." said Czech forward Jakub Voracek, who scored what proved to be the game-winning goal in the second period. Jagr, who turns 42 Saturday, has a goal in each of his first two games in this tournament. His contribution Friday left Latvia coach Ted Nolan in awe.
"He's like a fine wine, he just keeps getting better with age," said Nolan, the interim coach of the Buffalo Sabres. "As I told someone before, he is almost like a ballerina on ice; he's so smooth and slick. He's a world-class player. [Friday] he proved how good he is again."

The Czechs got off on the right foot when Martin Erat scored a surprising goal from the high circles. Erat beat Latvia goalie Edgars Masalskis through the five-hole despite the lack of traffic or other mitigating circumstances. Masalskis, so dominating in a 1-0 loss to Switzerland on Wednesday, had made several five-bell saves to that point.
"We said we have to be more active and dictate the tempo of the game," Czech Republic forward Ales Hemsky said. "Like in the first game, they were dictating the tempo in the first period and we didn't have too much. That was the difference [Friday]."
But it still was interesting as the Latvians answered the Erat goal and the Jagr goal in short order. Janis Sprukts scored Latvia's first goal of the tournament with a one-timer past Ondrej Pavelec that went in and out so fast that almost no one, including the referees, realized it hit a camera inside the net. Even Spurkts thought Pavelec made the save. Play continued for almost 45 seconds before the next whistle. At that point the play was reviewed and the goal awarded. Pavelec, the Winnipeg Jets' starting goaltender, was scratched for the loss to Sweden. Jakub Kovar started Wednesday and allowed three goals on 10 shots before being lifted. Alexander Salak finished that game and backed up Pavelec on Friday. Pavelec finished with 18 saves and was tested on several occasions.
"It was a good start for me," Pavelec said. "It was a tough game. It's never an easy game against those guys. They play the way we expected and they were waiting for an opportunity to score goals. It wasn't easy but we scored the goals in the right times."
Herberts Vasiljevs tied the game early in the second period after a turnover. The deadlock lasted 4:21 thanks to a piece of brilliance by Voracek, who rose from a check in time to raise his stick, with one hand, to a position from which he was able to redirect a wrist shot from the point by Zbynek Michalek into the net for what proved to be the winning goal. Zidlicky gave the Czechs some breathing room at 17:02, storming out of the corner to deposit a loose puck into the net. Martin Hanzal was checked into the Latvian goalie and pulled Masalskis off the post to provide the opening exploited by Zidlicky. The Latvians protested, claiming goalie interference, but the play stood after a video review. Masalskis finished with 35 saves.
"Sometimes you need to get lucky," said Voracek, who plays for the Philadelphia Flyers. "I put my stick down and I was just lucky enough that it hit me. I was trying to tip that but you never know how lucky you get. I got lucky on that goal and it was a huge goal for us."
Sweden v Switzerland 1-0 - Switzerland's impenetrable wall was felled by a feather. After the Swiss went more than 112 minutes without allowing a goal in the 2014 Sochi Olympics, Sweden forward Daniel Alfredsson scored with 7:21 remaining in the third period Friday to defeat Switzerland 1-0 and clinch Group C.

"We played a team that is very feisty and very disciplined. They skate really well," Alfredsson said. "It is different from what we're used to playing. I think that kind of put us on our heels. They played really well to start the game. If not for [goalie Henrik] Lundqvist we could have been in the hole one or two. Those saves allowed us to get our feet under us, and I thought as the game went on we got smarter with the puck and didn't allow for their counterattacks to be that effective. It was a close game all the way through. We got a good bounce on my goal and that's the difference."

Sweden struggled to find a way to generate great offensive chances early in this game, but Switzerland goalie Reto Berra gifted them one late that Alfredsson converted. Berra mishandled defenseman Erik Karlsson’s soft shot from near the right wall and Alfredsson was at the edge of the crease to pounce on the rebound.

"It was a bad goal, that is for sure," Berra said. "Also a little bit my fault. I don't know, it wasn't that hard a shot. It went a little bit under my arm or something. I didn't see the rebound laying there and the Swedish guy was right there and I was late."
Lundqvist made 26 saves for the Swedes, who have clinched the top spot in Group C with victories against Switzerland and the Czech Republic. If Sweden were to lose in regulation Saturday against Latvia, a regulation winner in the Switzerland-Czech Republic game Saturday would tie the Swedes at six points, but the first tiebreaker for determining group position is head-to-head results. The tiebreakers for determining seeding beyond group play are: 1) position in the team's group 2) points 3) goal differential 4) total goals-for and 5) IIHF ranking. Sweden already was short Henrik Sedin and Johan Franzen for the tournament because of injury, but it was dealt another big blow before the game Friday. Captain Henrik Zetterberg, who holds the same position for the Detroit Red Wings, will not play for the rest of the Olympics because of a herniated disk in his back, the Swedish Hockey Federation announced. Detroit general manager Ken Holland also told the Detroit Free Press that Zetterberg is not likely to be ready when the NHL season resumes.
"Obviously he's a huge part of our team, but what hurts right now even more is to see what he's going through, the pain that he's in," said defenseman Niklas Kronwall, a Red Wings teammate who was named Swedish captain in Zetterberg's absence. "You don't want to see anybody go through what he's going through right now. We all feel for him. He's a big part of the team, a big loss. At the same time we can't feel bad for ourselves. We have other great players on this team."
Patrik Berglund of the St. Louis Blues replaced Zetterberg on a line with Colorado Avalanche forward Gabriel Landeskog and NHL teammate Alexander Steen, and forward Marcus Johansson, who mostly has played on the wing the past two seasons for the Washington Capitals, replaced Berglund in the middle on a line with Detroit's Gustav Nyquist and Alfredsson.
"We addressed it this morning," Alfredsson said. "[Friday] coming to the game, we focused on the game at hand. We know it is a tight schedule here around the Olympics. There's not much time to sit and dwell on things. We're just going to move forward."
Switzerland's defensive discipline kept Sweden from many threatening chances in the first two periods. The Swiss structure was compact and positionally sound, keeping the Swedes far from Berra, a Calgary Flames goaltender, and keeping them in position to block lots of long-range attempts. Sweden was able to control the puck for stretches of the first period, but finding a way through the Swiss defense was another matter. Switzerland ended up outshooting the Swedes 13-5 in the period despite having the puck less, using plenty of counterattacking hockey to build the advantage. Lundqvist definitely had more tough saves to make for Sweden than his counterpart Berra of the Calgary Flames in the opening 20 minutes.
"They were flying," Lundqvist said. "We talked about it though; this is a really good team the last few years and you have to respect them. They play a hard, smart game with a lot of speed. The first 10 minutes they were all over us, but we regrouped. In the last half of the game I think we played our game and they looked more tired."
The Swedes had better control in the second period, but although more shots found their way to Berra, most still were from the perimeter. Switzerland's defensive acumen in this tournament is now well-established. The Swiss shut out Latvia in their opening game, scoring a goal with 7.9 seconds left in regulation to win 1-0. Anaheim Ducks goalie Jonas Hiller made 21 saves in that game, but coach Sean Simpson opted for Berra against the favorites in the group.
"We had a tremendous first period," said Simpson, who announced Hiller will start Saturday against the Czech Republic. "We had outshot them and had our chances to score. Lundqvist held them in the game. If we score one or two there maybe it's a different game. In the second period we got three penalties, one was a little questionable, and it took us out of our rhythm. But I really liked how we reacted in the third and we held onto our chance to win the game."
The Swedes avoided an upset and will try to find more offense Saturday against Latvia. If they can prevent goals the way they did against the Swiss when they face teams with more offensive firepower, they will remain  a medal contender, even without Zetterberg.
"It is just like anything; you deal with it and move on," Alfredsson said. "We're going to be thinking about Henrik for the rest of tournament. He'll be with us. We're going to move forward. We have good depth on our team and Berglund stepping up is going to play a big role for us going forward. Nothing changes as far as our goals or what we want to accomplish as far as our goals."