Pettersson, Eriksson, Markstrom — Team Sweden
Surprisingly enough, Little Things Loui Eriksson has the most points of any Canuck at the tournament thus far. Through Sweden’s first three games, he has one goal and three assists. He has seen time on the first power play unit alongside Elias Pettersson, where he picked up his only goal off a backdoor tap in.
Pettersson has three assists so far, and despite being a point per game player at the tournament, he is extremely disappointed in the way he has performed thus far. Despite Sweden having an off day yesterday, Pettersson was on the ice working hard, saying, “I must be better and not think so much on the ice.”
It’s no secret that Pettersson wants to be the best player in the world, so at the World Hockey Championship, a tournament Pettersson won gold at last year, it makes sense that he’s doing everything he can to be the best he can be.
Goaltender Jacob Markstrom has picked up right where he left off in the remarkable season he had for the Canucks, and has been a rock so far in goal for Sweden. After a scary incident where Markstrom collided with a player in pre-tournament play, it’s good to see Markstrom not miss a beat and get right back to playing at a high level.
Markstrom allowed just one goal in Sweden’s 9-1 victory over Norway, and should play the rest of the tournament as Sweden’s starter. He backed up Henrik Lundqvist in the game prior against Italy, where Sweden won 8-0 (sorry Grandpa).
Sweden currently sits fourth in Group B with a record of 2-1-0. They will face Austria tomorrow, who have been shut out twice, and scored just two goals through their first three games of the tournament. For a complete Canucks fan guide to the World Hockey Championship, click here.