My Keys To the Gold Medal Game

Tonight the World Junior Championships conclude with the rematch from the 2008 Gold Medal Game between Canada and Sweden. Both teams have seen each other this year as they played an exhibition game on December 19th at the Air Canada Centre.

My Keys for Sweden

Get out to an early lead. Sweden has shown that they won't let up when they got out to a 4-0 lead against Russia in the first period on New Year's Eve. They need to treat any lead like they are down because Canada has shown that they can comeback from a deficit

Victor Hedman need to be a leader out there. He hasn't stepped up to that next level that most people expected him. He did suffered a shoulder injury in November which might still bee hindering him. He needs to be physical because the Canadians will come to play physical.

Jacob Markstrom might have to steal this game for Sweden. He has been the best goaltender in this tournament. He didn't start in the exhibition game so this will be the first time that Canadians faces him. Eight players from Canada faced him last year at the World Under-18's in April. Canada won 3-2 but none of those eight players faced him.

Oscar Moller needs to be a factor. The player with the most NHL experience in this tournament but only has four points. That good but for a player that should of been on the top in the scoring race, it's a little dissappointing.

My Keys for Canada

Dustin Tokarski needs to have a better game then the last two games. He hasn't been as good as he was at the Memorial Cup last season. He did come big in the clutch in the third period of the United States game. He has to play a full sixty minutes to bring home the gold.

Thomas Hickey and Colten Teubert need to be that shutdown pair on defense. Luke Schenn did that job last year well. Both players have had some good moments but at the same time they allowed some goals.

Canada needs to score on the powerplay again. They were 1 for 9 on the man advantage against Russia. They are converting 51 percent of the time on the powerplay which is pretty good. They need to get two or three tonight to demoralize Sweden.

Lastly, come out physical like in the exhibitin game. I watched that exhibition game and thought it was January 5th already because they hit everything in sight. One thing to get the crowd to create a mini earthquake at the Scotiabank Place if Stefan Della Rovere, Patrice Cormier, or any other player knocks down Hedman in the first minutes of game like Dana Tyrell did in the exhibition contest.

That's My Take