Boston Bruins fans had mixed reactions to the lineup decisions for Sweden's final game of pool play against Slovakia at the Olympics. The crucial game saw Hampus Lindholm finally get a chance to pull on his country's jersey, but unfortunately, that was the extent of his work against the Slovaks. He assumed the Oliver Ekman-Larsson role and played zero seconds. Instead of playing with his Bruins teammate, Elias Lindholm was a healthy scratch.
Sweden struggled through another game, putting them in seventh place going into the qualification round. They have a daunting schedule of games ahead to win a gold medal, as they'll need to defeat a gritty Latvia team on Tuesday, which will then lead them to face a possible gauntlet of the USA, Finland, and Canada, if all the higher seeds win their games.
Sweden had a chance to avoid all of that if it had held on for another 39 seconds against Slovakia. Sweden needed to win by three goals to get first place in the pool and a bye to the quarter finals, but Dalibor Dvorsky took advantage of a Jacob Markstrom miscue to close the lead to 5-3 and clinch first in the group for the Slovaks.
Playing one fewer game for Sweden would've been music to the ears of Bruins fans, as both Lindholms have been battling injuries this season, and an extra game adds extra stress that they could aggravate. The bad news is that Elias may have already done that.
Sweden's head coach has been making some questionable lineup decisions all tournament, so it's possible that Elias was just a healthy scratch. However, since he entered the tournament with an injury that caused him to miss the Florida trip before the break, there's a good chance he was resting something that was affecting him from that.
Will Hampus and Elias Lindholm suit up for Sweden in Olympic Qualifying Game?
It'd be hard to see the reliable two-way center miss such a big game against Latvia, and there's a good chance he will be back in. The same can't be said for Hampus, as Rasmus Andersson was the odd defenseman out against Slovakia, and seeing him miss a second consecutive game after being so important to Sweden's backend would be surprising.
Even if Hampus does dress, he's likely staring at another game with zero usage. Ekman-Larsson had that old role, but he took control of his game by having a great performance against Slovakia. Hampus has a small chance of jumping anyone on Sweden's depth chart now.
Head coach Sam Hallam will likely keep his cards close to his chest until the Latvia game arrives. It has been a disappointing tournament for Sweden. Still, a qualification-round loss to the Latvians would be devastating for the program, and if he isn't already halfway out the door, it would mark the end of Hallam's tenure as the national team's leader.