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Elias Pettersson scored twice as Sweden held off Slovakia 5-3 while Latvia fought back to beat Germany 4-3 in the fourth day of the men’s Olympic ice hockey tournament on Saturday.
The forwards Joel Eriksson Ek, Adrian Kempe and Lucas Raymond each added goals for Sweden, as both Sweden and Slovakia finished the preliminary stage with two wins and a loss in a competitive Group B.
Group B will wrap up later on Saturday with Finland hoping to pick up a second win when they face the hosts Italy, who are winless.
The winners of each of the three preliminary groups and the next best overall team automatically advance to the quarter-finals in Milan while the remaining teams compete in a single-elimination qualification playoff.
Sweden pulls away
Eriksson Ek nudged the puck over the line for a short-handed goal in the eighth minute at Santagiulia arena but Slovakian forward Juraj Slafkovsky leveled it less than two minutes later with a slapshot from the right wing.
Kempe scored four seconds into a power play midway through the second, putting the puck under the Slovakian goalie’s glove, but defenceman Martin Gernat answered less than three minutes later, sending the puck zipping by the Swedish goalie’s right skate for the equalizer.
Pettersson made it 3-2 for Sweden with a five-hole shot late in the second and Raymond found Pettersson on the back post eight minutes into the third before burying one in the net himself. Dalibor Dvorsky scored for Slovakia in the final minute of competition, improving the goal differential as fans eagerly await the final Group B standings.
Latvia rallies
Latvia twice fell behind to goals from Lukas Reichel and Lukas Kalble, with Dans Locmelis leveling both times. Final period goals by Eduards Tralmaks and Renars Krastenbergs had the Latvians cruising until Tim Stutzle scored late for Germany. Down 0-1, Latvia leveled with a power play goal four minutes from the end of the opening period, Locmelis hovering near the post and slamming home Zemgus Girgensons’ pass but Germany took just over a minute to retake the lead through Kalble.
Playing with a 5-on-3 advantage, Locmelis equalized again, slamming the puck into the roof of the net and Latvia went in front through Tralmaks just after killing a penalty.
Krastenbergs gave Latvia a two-goal cushion with less than nine minutes remaining but had to hang on in the closing stages when the Germans pulled their goalie and Stutzle netted with over two minutes left.
Latvia wrap up the first round of their Milan campaign on Sunday with a Group C game against Denmark.
Dans Locmelis scored twice as Latvia upset Germany 4-3 in Olympic men’s hockey preliminary play.
Kevin Fiala has surgery
Switzerland forward Kevin Fiala has undergone surgery after suffering an Olympic tournament-ending leg injury during Friday’s game against Canada, his country’s ice hockey federation said. The Los Angeles Kings winger left the game with less than three minutes on the clock after Canadian forward Tom Wilson collided with him near the boards in the Swiss team’s second group game of the men’s ice hockey tournament which they lost 5-1.
The National Hockey League allowed its players to compete in the Games this year after a 12-year absence, but Fiala’s injury could be a major issue for the Kings, for whom he was second in goals and assists behind teammate Adrian Kempe heading into the Olympic break.
“Hope it’s a speedy recovery for Kevin. He’s an unbelievable player, great teammate and obviously it sucks to see something happen like that, especially when you come to a tournament, been waiting for all your life in a tournament like this,” said Kempe, who scored in Sweden’s 5-3 win over Slovakia on Saturday.
The men’s ice hockey tournament has been one of the main attractions in Milan, where NHL rivals-turned-teammates have brought a bigger spotlight to the event, for which the sport’s global governing body applies stricter rules regarding hits and physical play.
“It’s just a hockey play. I don’t think there’s anything dirty. Probably the hockey might be a little cleaner here,” said Latvian Zemgus Girgensons, who plays for the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning.
“So I don’t think that’s anything to do with the Olympic tournament. It’s just the way the hockey is, and I feel bad for him.”
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