Sweden Player Ratings: Nyquist, Arvidsson put pride in crest on display

It was simply too little, too late for the Swedes.

The Tre Kronor will leave the 4 Nations Face-Off with one win to their name. The final standings will show them finishing third among the four squads, their five points tied with the Canadian team set to play in the championship game Thursday. But the details tell a different story.

While the Americans, Canadians, and Finns each had their moments of glory, the Swedes finish with only a consolation win against the U.S. on Monday, a 2-1 victory that still took all they had, against an American side mostly hoping to simply avoid injury before their real finale a couple days from now.

Still, while it might have been a meaningless game in the context of how this tournament will finish, there’s something to be said for what was showed by Sweden on Monday — a hard-fought performance, with only pride and love of country on the line.

With their tournament coming to an end, here’s a look at how each member of the Swedish squad fared against the Americans:

Jesper Bratt: 9 / 10
Perhaps Sweden’s best player at this tournament, the smooth-skating New Jersey Devils winger showed his quality again in this one. His creativity and poise with the puck on his stick have been noticeable in each of Sweden's games, and the same was true here. He earned some good looks, came up with some key defensive plays late in the game, too, and most importantly, sniped home the game-winner to give his nation some last-minute joy before the tournament’s end.

Leo Carlsson: 7 / 10
The youngest player to participate in the tourney, Sweden’s 20-year-old phenom didn’t look at all out of place alongside the vets in his first taste of 4 Nations action. The Anaheim Ducks pivot didn’t get on the board, but he showed glimpses of his elite skillset over the course of the night, dancing past USA defenders more than a few times.

William Nylander: 8 / 10
Nylander’s final game of this tournament went much the same way his 4 Nations experience did as a whole — largely quiet, but with a few brief moments that showed his true level. The Toronto Maple Leafs winger started Monday’s tilt slowly, but he came up with a brilliant play late in the first period, jumping up to intercept an American pass at his own blue line, weaving into the offensive zone, stopping up, and finding Bratt for the game-winner. Still, it was one of only a handful of moments all tournament where No. 88 looked like the player Maple Leafs fans see on a weekly basis.

Adrian Kempe: 7 / 10
It was another quiet night for Kempe after his sterling start to the tournament in Sweden’s opener against Canada. But the Los Angeles Kings talent still made his presence known with a couple of marquee chances on net, and some hard-nosed forechecking.

Joel Eriksson Ek: 7 / 10
With Mika Zibanejad sidelined — and after two strong performances from Eriksson Ek leading into this finale — the Minnesota Wild pivot was given a chance to take the reins in this one. Leading all Swedish forwards in ice time on Monday, he was quietly key once again, making smart reads all over the sheet.

Lucas Raymond: 6 / 10
The young Detroit Red Wings talisman left much to be desired on the Americans’ lone goal, with a half-hearted backcheck that left Chris Kreider open to bury the game's first tally 35 seconds into the game. But aside from that early stumble, he came up with some quality moments, once again looking calm and collected with the puck on his stick. He finishes the tournament as Sweden’s highest-scoring forward, with three points through three games.

Filip Forsberg: 6 / 10
It was a wobbly start for the Nashville Predators veteran. But Forsberg found his game as the night wore on, working through a rough first period and coming up with a few promising sequences. That said, he finishes the tournament pointless through three games — a disappointing run for one of the squad’s most talented playmakers.

Elias Lindholm: 5 / 10
Lindholm was the other forward, alongside Raymond, who got beat at the netfront on the Americans’ early goal. He nearly allowed the U.S. to double their lead soon after as well, needlessly firing the puck over the boards later in the first period to earn a trip to the box.

Elias Pettersson: 5 / 10
Vancouver Canucks fans may have hoped the 4 Nations experience would be a confidence booster for Pettersson, but the pivot leaves the tournament empty-handed. Another quiet night Monday did little to change that — aside from a couple of promising sequences, No. 40 had little impact on the game, finishing as the least-used forward in the lineup (seeing fewer than 10 minutes of ice in this one, down from 16 and 14 minutes through the first two games). He finishes as one of only three Swedish forwards to play all three games and leave without a point.

Gustav Nyquist: 10 / 10
In a game that had no bearing on Thursday’s championship matchup, a tilt that was played for pride alone, Nyquist was Sweden’s emotional compass. The Nashville Predators veteran was as relentless as he’s been in each of his nation's three games, forechecking hard, throwing his body around, and hounding opponents to come out on the right side of seemingly every puck battle. Nyquist was rewarded for that approach this time, deflecting home a goal in the first period to erase the Americans’ early lead — and he finished his night blocking a third-period shot to preserve Sweden’s lead.

Viktor Arvidsson: 10 / 10
Alongside Nyquist, Arvidsson had another quality performance himself, similarly leading his countrymen with a heart-and-soul effort for the crest on his sweater. It was his solid work in the offensive zone that helped set up the shot Nyquist deflected home for Sweden’s first goal, and Arvidsson’s blue-collar approach continued until the final whistle — a key reason his nation leaves with at least one win in this tournament.

Victor Hedman: 8 / 10
The Tre Kronor captain was key for his countrymen once again, coming up with plenty of quality defensive sequences to disrupt American scoring chances, and sacrificing at the netfront late in the game to preserve his squad’s lead and secure the win. As was the case with Nyquist and Arvidsson, if there was any question about whether the Swedes cared about beating the Americans on their home soil to finish the tournament, No. 77 provided the answer.

Jonas Brodin: 6 / 10
The Minnesota Wild veteran didn’t have a significant impact in one direction or another. He had a few looks, came up with a few key plays to break up chances from the opposition, and also found himself on the wrong side of a couple of nearly costly giveaways.

Gustav Forsling: 5 / 10
It was a tough night for Forsling, and it started early, as the minute-munching rearguard was the lone defender back on Kreider’s quick-trigger goal half a minute into the tilt. While he got little help from his teammates on that one, Forsling let Zach Werenski walk right by him to set up the tally — and the same happened with Kyle Connor and Jack Eichel at different points later in the game, with Forsling bailed out only by Samuel Ersson and his post. 

Erik Karlsson: 7 / 10
As has been the case for all three of Sweden's games, No. 65 giveth and No. 65 taketh away. Karlsson's ill-timed pinch factored into the U.S. scoring before fans had even settled into their seats — and his shot from the wall in the offensive zone was the one deflected past Jake Oettinger to tie it back up 13 minutes later. Overall, the Pittsburgh Penguins vet was a key weapon for the Swedes in this game, and in this tournament. He finishes his portion of the tourney tied for the points lead among his countrymen, and as the second-highest-scoring defender in all, with three points through three games.

Rasmus Dahlin: 7 / 10
Over the course of Sweden’s three tilts, Dahlin showed once again why he’s the future blue-line anchor for the Tre Kronor. He was solid once again Monday, earning a few quality looks and showing some bite against an American side that’s no stranger to extracurriculars. After some solid play through Sweden's first two tilts, he finished Monday’s game as one of the squad's most-used defenders.

Rasmus Andersson: 8 / 10
It wasn’t exactly a dream assignment here for Andersson, drawing into his first game of the tournament when a chance at the trophy was already lost. Still, with about as limited of an opportunity as could be offered, the Calgary Flames rearguard made his presence known, wiring a few point-shot blasts on net, and coming up with a team-leading five blocks to help hold the Americans at bay — he was particularly key late in the game, with the U.S. pressing and his countrymen fighting to hold onto their lead.

Mattias Ekholm: 7 / 10
It was a wild Monday for the veteran Edmonton Oiler. Initially slated to sit Sweden’s final game out, Ekholm wound up taking morning skate as his squad’s fourth-line centre, drawing back into the lineup for puck-drop, and chipping in with nine-and-a-half minutes as an extra defender to help his nation leave with at least one win. All that considered, he did all that was asked of him, putting in some good work on the penalty kill and coming up with a well-timed stick to stymie American attacks more than a few times.

Samuel Ersson: 9 / 10
Like the other pair of countrymen who drew into the lineup for the first time in Sweden’s finale, Ersson had a tough assignment sent his way Monday. But his was undoubtedly the toughest of the bunch — starting in net not only for the first time in this tournament, and behind a team already eliminated from trophy contention, but against an American squad that’s steamrolled its way through the tourney so far. And on their home soil, no less. But the young Philadelphia Flyers netminder stepped up to the task. He got burned early, and he surely wasn’t facing the best the U.S. had to offer, but Ersson did well in handling the hand he was dealt, turning aside every shot after the Americans’ first, to finish the night with 32 saves and a W.