Suddenly Cocky Russians Face Swedes

It seems as though Evgeny Kuznetsov forgot they had to play in a semifinal game before going on to the finals.

“I hope to see a better comeback in the final against USA,” said Kuznetsov on what he thought of their comeback against Finland in the quarterfinal game.

Talk about getting ahead of yourself.

The Russians prevailed against Finland 4-3 in overtime in what many believed was a locked up decision for the Finns.

Kuznetsov – a Washington Capitals selection – took over in the last three minutes and continued into the extra frame, posting the winning marker on a laser shot over glove of Finnish goalie Joni Ortio.

“I missed the chance and on the next attack and the Finland team scored [the third goal],” he said.  “I felt extra motivated because I didn’t score.  I felt I needed to help my team because I felt guilty.  It pushed me hard to the finish of the game and to score a goal.”

And not only did he score the winning goal, but he assisted on their second goal of the game, and then tied it with just over a minute left in regulation.

It was a crazy collapse for the Finns, who missed the chance to head to a semifinal game for the first time since 2006.  They were leading 3-1 in the third until the aforementioned Kuznetsov went on a tear.

They will now play in the fifth place game against the Czech Republic.

As for the Russians, they will look to punch their first ticket to the World Junior finals since 2007 when they lost to the Canadians 4-2.  It won’t be easy, as they face a tough Swedish opponent who received the bye into the semi’s by defeating Canada on New Years Eve to win their pool.

The last time Russia and Sweden played each other was at the 2010 tournament, as Magnus Paajarvi Svensson had a goal and two assists, pacing the Swedes to a 4-1 victory.

Filled with excitement, Maxim Kitsyn did not speak a lot about preparation for the Swedes, saying that they wanted to enjoy their victory for a while before switching gears to the semifinal outlook.

“We need to play more carefully and concentrate on some things.  Our coaching staff will get us prepared to play.”

The Swedes had a different position on the game, taking a less confident approach.

“We haven’t won the championship yet and that’s what we’re going for,” said forward Carl Klinberg.  “We can’t get hung up on one victory.”

With their extra offday to rest some bumps and bruises, forward Sebastian Wannstrom promised that they would be ready to go once the puck drops.

“We watched the quarter final and we’ve watched the other teams too,” he said.  “We practiced hard and will be prepared for the game.”

Puck drop is 3:30 pm EST.  The winner will move on to the gold medal game Wednesday night and face the winner of the Canada/USA semifinal.