Final, Canada 3-0 : Canada wins the gold medal with an absolutely dominant effort in the gold medal game.
They just cruised to the easy 3-0 win, and the celebration has begun in Sochi and across the entire country of Canada.
Third period, 18:00, Canada 3-0: Just two minutes to play in the gold medal game and the tournament.
Third period, 16:00, Canada 3-0: Canada is just four minutes away from gold. They’ve been relentless here in the third period. Sweden has just one shot in the third period.
Third period, 13:00, Canada 3-0: The Swedish power play is over with nothing to show for, and so is this game at this point.
In 420 ticks of the clock, it will be official.
Third period, 10:12, Canada 3-0: If Sweden wants even a sliver of a chance of winning this game, they’ll need to do something on this power play.
Corey Perry is in the penalty box, and the Swedes have to get something going on the power play here to have any chance.
Third period, 9:04, Canada 3-0: That should do it.
Chris Kunitz just ripped a shot over the shoulder of Henrik Lundqvist, and he gives the Canadians a 3-0 lead. It looked like Lundqvist may have been screened in front by one of his own players.
Third period, 6:03, Canada 2-0: The Canadians are on another level right now.
Canada just had a dominant shift that probably milked about an entire minute off of the clock. The cycle game was strong for Canada as they kept the puck deep in the Swedish zone.
Third period, 4:00, Canada 2-0: We have an Oliver Ekman-Larsson sighting.
The Swedish defenseman didn’t play for much of the Sweden-Finland game, and he’s been stapled to the bench for two periods of this game. He’s finally getting some playing time here in the third period. Makes sense, too, as he’s one of the better offensive defensemen in the NHL.
Third period, 0:01, Canada 2-0: The third period is underway.
End second period, Canada 2-0: Sweden was able to kill off the penalty late in the period, and they’ll head to the second intermission trailing by a pair of goals.
They certainly have a lot of work to do if they’re going to get back into this game. A two-goal lead against this Canadian team will feel like at least a three- or four-goal lead against pretty much any other team.
Second period, 17:22, Canada 2-0: Making matters worse for the Swedes is that they’re going to have to kill a penalty now.
Patrik Berglund just hit Chris Kunitz from behind, and Berglund will have to sit for two minutes.
Second period, 15:43, Canada 2-0 : Sidney Crosby is quiet no more.
Crosby just scored his first goal of the tournament, and it obviously couldn’t have come at a better time. Crosby got a breakaway, and he buried the chance with a backhand to give Canada a 2-0 lead.
A two-goal lead might just about wrap this game up.
Second period, 15:13, Canada 1-0: It’s not easy to get to the net against Canada, but Sweden just did it somehow.
Sweden just threw a puck at the net in transition that looked to be just tipped in front by Alexander Steen. Unfortunately for the Swedes, the puck went up into the air instead of toward the net. That allowed Carey Price to easily glove the puck and stop play.
Second period, 10:30, Canada 1-0: Hernik Lundqvist has been really good so far, and he just made another big save.
Lundqvist made the stop on a charging Corey Perry. The Anaheim Ducks forward tried to go five-hole on Lundqvist, but he was able to get his pads on the shot.
Second period, 8:00, Canada 1-0: Sweden killed the penalty, and the game is back to even strength.
Second period, 5:46, Canada 1-0: Sweden is going to have to kill another penalty.
The Canadians quickly generated an offensive chance with Jeff Carter getting a shot off from the left wing. Shortly after Henrik Lundqvist made the save, Jakob Silfverberg cleared the puck over the glass and was called for delay of game.
Second period, 1:50, Canada 1-0: The first round of the battle between the tournament’s top power play and the top penalty kill goes to the PK. Canada was able to kill off the penalty, and that’s a big one. A goal to open the period would have been huge for Sweden.
Second period, 0:01, Canada 1-0: The second period is underway with Sweden on the power play for 1:48.
End first period, Canada 1-0: The first period has come to an end, and the Canadians hold the 1-0 lead.
The Swedes will have 1:48 of power-play time to begin the second period. It probably should go without saying, but that’s going to be an important minute and 48 seconds.
First period, 19:48, Canada 1-0: Chris Kunitz is going to the penalty box for a high sticking penalty, and Sweden will have its first power play of the game.
First period, 16:58, Canada 1-0: The Canadian power play is over. Canada kept the puck in the offensive zone for just about the entire two minutes, but the Swedes did a good job of making sure Canada wasn’t able to get any real good scoring chances.
First period, 14:55, Canada 1-0: The Canadians are now going to get the game’s first power play.
Jonathan Ericsson was just called for holding, and he’ll go to the box for two minutes.
First period, 12:55, Canada 1-0: Jonathan Toews has given Canada the first lead of the game.
Toews’ line was at the end of a shift, but he was still able to break through. Jeff Carter hit Toews with a gorgeous pass from the right wing, and Toews deflected it by Henrik Lundqvist for the first goal of the gold medal game.
First period, 11:00, 0-0: Patrice Bergeron has been fantastic in the first period, and he almost gave Canada the lead.
Bergeron carried the puck into the zone and put it at the net. Henrik Lundqvist got a blocker on it, but the puck still got by him and hit the post before deflecting out of harm’s way for Sweden.
Bergeron has been arguably Canada’s best player so far today.
First period, 9:00,: The Swedes are getting shots on goal, but they haven’t had any real solid scoring chances other than the Gustav Nyquist hit post.
The reason for that? The Canadians are once again playing an effective defensive game. They’re keeping the Swedes on the outside, which doesn’t make for very good scoring chances.
First period, 4:10, 0-0: The Swedes came this close to taking the early lead.
Gustav Nyquist had the puck on the Canadian goal line to Carey Price’s left. Nyquist walked it along the goal line and then put the shot at net from in close. He hit the far post, and the puck bounced back at Price. He was able to cover the puck before the puck could trickle over the line.
First period, 0:57, 0-0: Patrice Bergeron just had a golden opportunity on a pass from Sidney Crosby. However, Sweden goalie Henrik Lundqvist made the big save.
First period, 0:01, 0-0: The gold medal game is underway.
7 a.m.: It appears as if Nicklas Backstrom is indeed out. Jimmy Ericsson, the only Swedish player who doesn’t play in the NHL, will bump up to that top line for the Swedes.
This is a huge loss, obviously, for Sweden. They’ve been hit hard by injuries leading up to and during the tournament. Backstrom joins Henrik Zetterberg, Henrik Sedin and Johan Franzen on the list of injured players Sweden would certainly love to have for this game.
6:55 a.m.: Still not sure what Nicklas Backstrom’s official status is, but he is listed on the lineup sheet distributed by the IIHF. So I guess that means he hasn’t been technically been ruled out just yet, but the fact that he didn’t take the warmups likely means that he won’t go.
6:44 a.m.: As was just reported on NBC, Team Sweden forward Nicklas Backstrom is not on the ice for pregame warmups. Backstrom has skated with Loui Eriksson and Daniel Sedin on what’s been the Swedes’ best line all tournament. If he can’t go, that would be a huge blow to Sweden.
6:30 a.m.: Canada and Sweden have been the two best teams in the men’s hockey tournament at the 2014 Winter Olympics, so it’s only fitting that they’re the two teams left standing. They’ll now play for gold on Sunday in Sochi.
The Canadians and the Swedes will wrap up the men’s hockey tournament at Bolshoy Ice Dome in the gold medal game, which pits two of the best hockey countries in the world against each other. Canada and Sweden have combined to win four of the last five gold medals in Olympic hockey and will obviously take a fifth out of six in this one. Both teams are unbeaten so far in the tournament.
Team Canada is coming in riding its most impressive win of the tournament. Mike Babcock’s team was an absolute machine on Friday against the United States. The Canadians won the semifinal game 1-0 in a matchup that was a lot more lopsided than the final score indicated. Canada used a relentless defensive style of play to slow down what had been the most efficient offense in the tournament up to that point. That was in large part to Carey Price, who will start the gold medal game for a Canadian team that’s allowed just three goals in the entire tournament.
Sweden, meanwhile, has been consistent throughout the entire tourney. The Swedes were the top seed heading into the medal round after rolling through preliminary round play. Ottawa Senators defenseman Erik Karlsson has been one of the best players in the entire tournament, and he leads the Swedes with four goals and four assists. Sweden will lean on New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist once again. He’s played every minute of every game for the Swedes and has allowed just six goals in five games.
Puck drop from Sochi is slated for 7 a.m. ET.
