Day 3 at the World Juniors was a quiet one, with just two games on the schedule. Canada had the day off and did not practice, opting instead to rest ahead of its match-up with Denmark on Monday. Still, there was reason to tune in, as a few draft-eligible prospects suited up for Sweden, which debuted its new “navy blue” uniforms — though they appeared closer to black. Here’s how the day unfolded.

The game got off to a fast start, with Sweden scoring the quickest goal of the tournament so far just 53 seconds in. Calgary-born Swedish forward Eric Nilson drove hard to the net, took a nice pass and made a nifty move to beat the Swiss goaltender.

Switzerland generated pressure later in the period, spending extended time in the Swedish zone. Beni Weidacher fired a low shot along the ice through traffic that slipped past the goaltender to tie the game at one.

The second period was tightly contested, with both teams keeping play to the outside and limiting quality scoring chances. Switzerland did a good job getting pucks to the net, but rebounds were scarce. Late in the period, Lars Steiner snapped a wrist shot that struck the back bar and came out so quickly it initially went unnoticed. After a video review, the goal was confirmed, giving Switzerland a 2-1 lead heading into the intermission.

In the third period, Sweden was determined not to fall victim to an upset. It took just 57 seconds for highly touted prospect Viggo Björck to tie the game. Sweden wasn’t finished there. Five minutes later, Switzerland failed to clear the puck from its zone and turned it over to Liam Danielsson, who quickly found Lucas Pettersson. Pettersson buried the go-ahead goal to put Sweden in front.

Switzerland found itself in a familiar position, much like its opener against the United States. Trailing by one, the Swiss pressed for the equalizer. With the net empty, however, they were unable to establish sustained offensive-zone pressure. Lucas Pettersson sealed the victory with an empty-net goal to secure the win for Sweden.

Projected top-three draft pick Ivar Stenberg had a relatively quiet game. He recorded an assist on the empty-netter but otherwise struggled to make a significant impact and was even removed from the first power-play unit. Instead, it was his teammate and fellow high-end draft prospect Viggo Björck who stood out. Björck set the tone early in the third period and scored the game-tying goal that sparked Sweden’s comeback. He was named Sweden’s player of the game.

Finland clearly knows something Canada doesn’t. One day after Latvia pushed the Canadians to overtime, Finland made quick work of the Latvians. Latvia never truly found its footing in the game and managed just seven shots on goal. Yes, Finland outscored Latvia’s shot total.

Dallas Stars first-round pick Emil Hemming was the lone Finnish player with a multi-goal performance. The rest of the offence was spread throughout the lineup, with Heikki Ruohonen leading the way overall with a goal and two assists.

Finland has now held Latvia scoreless at the World Juniors dating back to the summer of 2022. The Finns appear confident in their structure and execution, with little reason to make any changes.

Finland has completed the easiest portion of its schedule after decisive wins over Denmark and Latvia. A tougher test awaits on Day 5 against Czechia. Canada will likely be cheering for Finland in that match-up, as a Finnish win combined with a Canadian victory over Denmark would guarantee Canada at least a second-place finish in the group. That would set up a New Year’s Eve showdown with first place on the line. A Czech win tomorrow would really make things interesting in group B as Canada end up finishing as low as third in the group.

🇩🇪 Germany vs. 🇸🇪 Sweden — 11 a.m. MST
🇫🇮 Finland vs. 🇨🇿 Czechia — 1:30 p.m. MST
🇸🇰 Slovakia vs. 🇺🇸 United States — 4 p.m. MST
🇨🇦 Canada vs. 🇩🇰 Denmark — 6:30 p.m. MST