Sweden fell to Nordic rivals Finland 4-3 in overtime on Saturday.
Through four games at the 4 Nations Face-Off, USA is the only nation to secure their spot in the tournament final after a 3-1 victory against the Canadians on Saturday night. But earlier in the day, Toronto Maple Leafs star William Nylander and his Swedish squad fell to Finland 4-3 in overtime in somewhat of a stunning upset.
Nylander picked up the primary assist on Erik Karlsson's goal in the second period. But it wasn't enough to get the points needed for a better place in the standings. Sweden, Canada and Finland are all tied at two points, with Canada holding the tiebreaker. What's worse, is Sweden would lose any head-to-head tiebreaker having lost to the other two nations.
After the game, Nylander spoke about the hole his team is currently in, what went wrong and what needs to change going into their final group-stage game against the United States.
Q: What do you want to see about the result? Not what you want tonight? Just your thoughts on the game?
"I don't know. I think we were just a little bit up and down throughout the game. But feel we did a good job battling back and (them) winning in overtime. It's a tough one for us."
Q: What's the mood of the team right now? You still have a chance.
"I mean, it's not great. We have two OT losses in two games. So, I mean, we just gotta regroup here and play the game against USA to go winning. And hopefully the scores go our way."
Q: What's the biggest thing that needs to change for you guys?
"We are playing too much on the outside. I think we have to get inside in the middle and attack more. I mean, USA was attacking and playing good at the other games. So, I mean, we have to get to the inside too if we want to compete with them."
Q: How are you feeling about your game here?
"I mean, I felt okay today. I think there were a couple (of chances) when I came inside. It was just, I mean, off there, puck went off the stick, whatever. But yeah, just got to get the shot-attack mindset, I think is the most important thing."
Q: Tough losing to your biggest rival?
"I mean, you guys build up the rivalry as if it's something crazy. But I mean, it's just, we just hate losing. Like, if you want to win this tournament, that's not going to help you when you lose two losses deep in a three-game tournament."
