Sweden sunk by Guryanov’s quick OT goal
Denis Guryanov scored in overtime as Russia defeated Sweden 2-1 Thursday in the bronze-medal game at the world junior hockey championship.
Kirill Kaprizov had the lone goal in regulation for Russia. Netminder Ilya Samsonov was brilliant, stopping 38 of 39 shots.
The Russians have won a medal at the world juniors for seven straight years.
Jonathan Dahlen had Sweden’s lone goal, while goalie Felix Sandstrom made 24 saves. Sweden has now finished fourth in three consecutive tournaments.
In overtime, Guryanov took advantage of a sloppy defensive play by Sweden’s Rasmus Asplund, who sent an errant back pass to teammate Alexander Nylander. Guryanov, selected by the Dallas Stars in the first round of the 2015 draft, jumped on the loose puck and put it between Sandstrom’s legs just 33 seconds into the extra session.
The Swedes, who outshot Russia 39-26, were the faster and more dangerous team for much of the game. In the first period, the Russians managed just three shots while Sweden failed to capitalize on three power-play opportunities.
Kaprizov opened the scoring 16 seconds into the second period with his tournament-leading ninth goal. The Russian captain crashed the net, then slotted home his own rebound after Sandstrom made the initial save.
The 19-year-old Kaprizov scored in all but one game at this tournament. His nine goals are the most by a Russian player at any world junior tournament.
Kaprizov, a fifth-round draft pick of the Minnesota Wild, and Nylander both finished the tournament with 12 points, tops among all players entering Thursday night’s gold-medal game between Canada and the United States.
Samsonov did his best to preserve Russia’s one-goal lead. The towering goalie stopped the first 20 shots he faced, but was left helpless after a defensive blunder by Yegor Rykov. At 10:11 of the second period, Rykov’s clearing attempt ricocheted off the blade of Dahlen’s stick and bounced past an unsuspecting Samsonov.