Stockholm Division
Preliminary Round Game:
Russia : Norway
4 : 2
The Norwegian team surprised the Russians and gave them a run for their money when they played in the preliminaries. Russia beat Norway 4-2. The Russians outshot Norway 46-21 but Norway's goalie; Lars Volden played an excellent game between the pipes with 42 saves.
The Russians kicked off the World Championships with a 5-2 win over Latvia. The Russians dominance continued from the first game to the seventh game. In their second game the Russians defeated Norway 4-2. Russia then beat Germany 2-0 and Denmark 3-1. Russia toughest test should have been against Sweden but Russia overpowered them in all facets of the game and won 7-3. Russia finished of the preliminary round with two shutouts as they beat the Czech Republic 2-0 and Italy 4-0. Russia ran over its competition in the preliminaries but will be in for a tougher test as they move on throughout the tournament. They finished with a perfect 21 points which placed them atop of the Stockholm division.
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The Norwegians started off the tournament with three straight losses. They were defeated by the Swedes 3-1, the Russians 4-2 and they lost to the Czech Republic in a shootout 4-3. It was appearing that Norway was heading for another disappointing finish at a World Championship, but they were able to turn things around. They beat Italy 6-2 in their 4th game to get their first win. They then went on to beat Latvia 3-0 and demolish the Germans 12-4. Led by Patrick Thoresen the Norwegians finished off the preliminary round with a 4th win over Denmark. They defeated the Danes 6-2. Norway finished 4th in the Stockholm division with 13 points, only 1 point behind the 3rd place; Czech Republic.
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This game should have a decent page to it, but the Russians will determine how the game will go. They should dominate the play and will easily outshoot Norway but the Norwegians are very capable of capitalizing on the chances they get. Norway scored 33 goals which is the second highest amount in the tournament so they have the goal scoring capability but Russia have given up a tournament low 8 goals. Russia will dictate the pace of the game but Norway will be able to stick around for sure and give the Russians a run for their money.
Who to Watch:
Evgeni Malkin - The best player in this tournament should be able to dominate anyone Norway matches up against him, should have no problem producing
Patrick Thoresen - The Norwegian has led the World Championships in scoring but can he continue that against Russia who have only been scored on 8 times in 7 games?
Semyon Varlamov - The Russian goaltender has had a very great tournament and if he keeps up his level of play, Russia will be extremely tough to compete with
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