The post Victor Herdman points out Sweden’s biggest need for Olympic quarter-final spot originally appeared on Sporting News. Click here to add Sports News as your go-to source.
It’s win-or-go-home time for Team Sweden at the Winter Olympics in Cortina, Milan. Coach Sam Hallam may have a roster full of NHL players, but the situation has snowballed into what could be its worst performance since 2002. Obviously, they want to stay in contention for the gold medal. Tampa Bay Lightning veteran and Team Sweden star Victor Hedman pointed out areas where they need to improve to beat Latvia.
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Physical fitness must increase for Sweden to remain active
On paper, the Swedes should crush a lot of teams as they have top-tier NHL talent along with Canada and the United States. Since they are slowly sinking and still some way off from being phased out, some changes need to be made. Coach Hallam will obviously make changes to the rotation, but it may not be enough to completely secure a victory against Latvia.
Nicholas J. Costonika of NHL.com said Hedman believes they need to get more physical in order to reach the Olympic quarterfinals.
“They’re physical. They play with heart. You look at it on paper and we might be the favorite to win the game, but at the end of the day, it’s the best team that wins. We have to go out there and be the best team. We know our individual skills can take over games, but at the same time, we can’t take some things lightly. … I believe we’ll be ready,” the Lightning and Sweden veteran declared.
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The last time these two teams faced off was at the 2025 World Championship. At that time, the Swedish team completely controlled the game and won 6-0 in the preliminaries. So Herdman and the other Swedish players knew exactly what they were facing. Rasmus Dahlin agrees with the Lightning and Sweden veteran. He even expressed the same sentiment.
“They fight hard. They make things difficult for the other team and they have some skills. It’s not easy. We have to really have our ‘A’ game, that’s for sure,” the Sweden defender declared.
In this life-or-death Olympic elimination game, coaches Hallam, Darling and Herdman face a lot at stake. Can they match the physicality of the Latvian side in Milan Cortina?
