Sweden vs. Germany: Hockey Live-Stream Schedule, Odds
Sweden comes into the knockout round of the men's hockey tournament at the 2018 Winter Olympics as the team in the best form.
The Swedes breezed through Group C in pool play to earn the top seed in the elimination round, an honor that keeps them away from the Olympic Athletes from Russia until the final.
Although they appear to have a favorable matchup against Germany, the path to the final isn't an easy one, as Canada or Finland await in the semifinals.
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Germany earned a rematch with Sweden in the quarterfinals after a 2-1 overtime triumph over rival Switzerland in the playoff round.
The Germans pose an intriguing threat to the gold-medal hopes of Sweden because they played them so tight in pool play.
Date: Wednesday, February 21
Time: 7:10 a.m. ET
TV: USA
Live Stream: NBCOlympics.com
Odds to win tournament (per OddsShark): Sweden (+400, bet $100 to win $400), Germany (+6,600)
Sweden Looking to Extend Dominant Defensive Record
Praise is warranted for every player on the Swedish roster, but the defenders deserve more plaudits than their teammates and the athletes at that position on other squads still involved in the tournament.
While the offense was busy racking up eight goals in Group C, the defense allowed few significant chances and let in one goal in 180 minutes of action.
Sweden set the tone for its defensive success in the opener against Norway, as it held its fellow Scandinavian nation to 17 shots.
In the second contest of pool play, Germany outshot Sweden, but the latter stood firm with Jhonas Enroth making 28 saves in between the pipes in a 1-0 victory.
With first place on the line in Group C, Sweden locked down on defense by holding Finland to 19 shots and one second-period goal.
One of the key assets of the Swedish defense is 17-year-old Rasmus Dahlin, who is expected to be the No. 1 pick in the 2018 NHL Draft.
Dahlin and his experienced teammates put together the best defensive record in pool play, and their most important performance came against Germany, as they held them scoreless despite a barrage of shots.
With the Germans lining up across from them again Wednesday, the Swedes must make a few adjustments to the game plan they used in the second game of pool play.
If Germany is able to fire off 28 or more shots again, there's a good chance it will find the back of the net on multiple occasions.
In order to avoid an upset in the quarterfinals, Sweden must limit Germany's scoring opportunities while getting off to a blazing start.
Germany In Search of Revenge
Germany couldn't have asked for a better situation in the quarterfinals.
Head coach Marco Sturm's team is coming off an emotional overtime victory over rival Switzerland and played one of its best games in pool play vs. Sweden.
Germany enters with experience from close games, as it knocked off Norway in a shootout to conclude pool play and won in overtime Tuesday.
Dominik Kahun and Felix Schutz put the most pressure on the Swedes in the pool-play showdown, as they combined for nine shots, while Yannic Seidenberg, who scored the game-winning goal against Switzerland, powered two shots of his own toward the Swedish net.
Germany's defense carries confidence into the quarterfinals as well, after it held Sweden scoreless for two periods following Viktor Stalberg's first-period strike.
Since gaining confidence from the defensive showing in the loss to Sweden, Germany has given up two goals.
While Sweden may be the overwhelming favorite to advance to the semifinals, don't be surprised if Germany keeps the contest close and makes the Swedes earn their berth in the final four for every second.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
Statistics obtained from Olympic.org.
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