NHL teams
Scott Burnside, ESPN Senior Writer 8y

Team Europe shocks Sweden to advance to World Cup of Hockey finals

NHL

TORONTO -- The team with no past and no real future carved out a place in the World Cup of Hockey final in the most dramatic fashion.

A team made up of players from eight smaller hockey nations in Europe -- formed ostensibly to round out the eight-team tournament field -- upset a highly skilled, heavily favored Team Sweden 3-2 in overtime to move on to face undefeated Canada in a best-of-three final starting Tuesday night.

Few will believe that Team Europe, led by Los Angeles Kings captain Anze Kopitar and veterans Zdeno Chara and Marian Hossa, has a chance to slow the Canadian juggernaut, which has rolled through the tournament and outscored opponents 19-6.

That's all right. No one gave Team Europe a proverbial snowball's chance in Hades to beat a Swedish team that boasted the deepest defense in the tournament, led by two-time Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson and Victor Hedman, and a skilled, experienced forward corps that includes Nicklas Backstrom and the Sedin twins, Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin.

But there were the Swedes, watching incredulously as Team Europe gathered in one corner of the Air Canada Center ice to jump up and down in unison after Tomas Tatar converted a hard Mats Zuccarello cross-ice pass into the dramatic game winner just 3:43 into extra time.

After limiting Team Europe to just five shots in the first period -- and at one point denying a shot on goal for almost 12 minutes and then scoring early in the second to take a 1-0 lead -- perhaps the Swedes believed the game would simply come to them, that victory and a rematch of the Sochi Olympics gold-medal game against Canada was inevitable.

Back home in Sweden, the team will no doubt face harsh criticism in the wake of this stunning loss, especially given the edge the Swedes enjoyed in skill and talent. 

But credit Team Europe for seizing the moment. Under perpetually upbeat head coach Ralph Krueger, the Europeans quickly developed an identity as structurally sound and opportunistic. They took advantage of a curiously passive Swedish group in the last half of the game to push the pace and tie the game late in the second period on a Marian Gaborik goal.

Then, just 12 seconds into the third period, Tatar corralled his own rebound and slipped it past Henrik Lundqvist to give Team Europe its first lead of the day. Even when Karlsson's seeing-eye shot tied the game at 2-2 with 4:32 left in regulation, Team Europe never buckled and was rewarded with a win few expected after they began the pre-tournament schedule with two disappointing losses to Team North America.

That seems like a long time ago for a team formed specifically for this tournament that might never be part of the World Cup format in the future.

Three stars

1. Tomas Tartar, Team Europe: Tatar scored two of the three European goals, including the winner in overtime, and both required skill and determination to pull off.

2. Jaroslav Halak, Team Europe: The New York Islanders netminder continued to flash his hot hand at the World Cup, as he stopped 37 of 39 shots against Sweden. Although he was never really under siege, his right-pad save on Backstrom in overtime set in motion the Tatar OT winner on the same sequence.

3. Roman Josi, Team Europe: The Nashville Predators defender played a whopping 29 minutes, by far the most of any skater in the game, and helped a surprisingly effective Team Europe transition game.

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