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HOCKEY

Sweden trounce USA 6-0, face Swiss in world final

Title-holders Sweden booked their place in the final of the world ice hockey championships Saturday with a 6-0 whitewash of the United States.

Sweden trounce USA 6-0, face Swiss in world final
Sweden's players jump onto the ice at the final whistle of the semifinal match Sweden vs USA of the 2018 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship in Copenhagen on Saturday. PHOTO: JOE KLAMAR / AFP
The Swedes notably hit three goals in the space of as many minutes in a decisive second period.
 
Sweden will now face Switzerland who saw off Canada 3-2 in their semi-final.
 
After cruising through the pool phase Sweden were put to the test by Latvia in a 3-2 quarter-final win. But any American hopes of doing likewise melted before the halfway point of a decidedly one-sided encounter.
 
A 15th-minute goal by Viktor Arvidsson may have left the USA with some belief of getting back into contention. But a three-minute lapse in concentration during a more lively second period proved costly.
 
 
 
After Magnus Paajarvi doubled Sweden's advantage on 28 minutes, Patric Hornqvist tripled it three minutes later. To rub salt into the wounds, Mattias Janmark hit Sweden's fourth just 10 seconds later.
 
A desperate manoeuvre that saw the Americans remove their goaltender eight minutes from the final whistle, thus deploying an extra forward, had an adverse effect.
 
Arvidsson hit his second, into an empty net, in the 52nd minute with Adrian Kempe rounding off the win with a goal on 58 minutes.
 
Untouchable in offence, Sweden were quick to also pay tribute to goaltender Anders Nilsson, who saved a massive 41 shots on his way to a clean sheet.
 
The Swiss followed up their quarter-final win over Finland with an impressive triumph over Canada to set up a repeat of the 2013 final won by the Swedes 5-1.
 
Tristan Scherwey, Gregory Hofmann and Gaetan Haas were Switzerland's scorers on Saturday against a Canadian team missing a host of NHL stars.

HOCKEY

Sweden’s Rasmus Dahlin first overall pick in NHL draft

Rasmus Dahlin became just the second Swedish-born player to be selected first overall in the NHL draft on Friday when the Buffalo Sabres used the top pick on the rangy teenage defenceman.

Sweden's Rasmus Dahlin first overall pick in NHL draft
Rasmus Dahlin is bound for Buffalo. Photo: Ron Jenkins/Getty Images/AFP
Dahlin, who plays for Frolunda HC in the Swedish league and was widely expected to be the first pick, follows Mats Sundin, who was the top choice of the Quebec Nordiques in 1989.
 
“I just want everything to start,” Dahlin said. “I'm going to bring everything I have to that city. I'm super excited. I can't wait.”
 
Russian forward Andrei Svechnikov went second to the Carolina Hurricanes and the Montreal Canadiens used the third pick to get Finnish centre Jesperi Kotkaniemi.
 
The draft had a decided Europe flavour as four of the top six players were Europeans. The first American was Brady Tkachuk who went to the Ottawa Senators at No. 4 and the Phoenix Coyotes took the first Canadian Barrett Hayton with the fifth pick. 
 
The 18-year-old Dahlin said he was happy to call Buffalo home despite the fact they haven't had a winning season in the past seven seasons and have missed the playoffs eight years in a row.
 
“It's amazing to finally put on the Buffalo Sabres' jersey,” Dahlin said. “I've been there twice. I love that city.”
 
The six-foot-three, 185-pound Dahlin was honoured as the best defenceman at the 2018 world junior championship in Buffalo, registering six assists in seven games. He also played twice for Sweden as a 17-year-old at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.
 
At number six, the Detroit Red Wings chose the brash Halifax Mooseheads winger Filip Zadina who vowed to make teams that passed on him pay down the road.
 
“I'm telling my agent if they will pass on me, I will fill their net with the puck,” the Czech Zadina said. “Yeah, it's just I want to prove to them that they have done a bad decision.”
 
The lone trade of the day came before the draft when the Colorado Avalanche acquired backup goalie Philipp Grubauer and defenceman Brooks Orpik from the Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals for the 47th pick. The Capitals were willing to get rid of Orpik and Grubauer so they could create salary cap space to sign free agents.