Sweden vs Norway Prediction, Tips & Odds – May 22, 2022 19:20 CET
After facing the hosts Finland, Sweden has another Nordic derby on the schedule this Sunday in the 2022 IIHF World Championship. It will be a clash against one of the group outsiders, Norway, whose team has already secured its stay in the top division. On the other hand, Sweden has entered some good form in this tournament and already secured a place in the quarter-finals, but will look for a strong finish in the final two rounds.
Sweden
Led by a couple of experienced NHLers, Swedish team is looking very strong at the moment. During the first couple of rounds they were waiting for the inclusion of a couple of players and were playing with only three lines. They still had enough quality to take down Austria(3:1) and the Czech Republic(5:3) which shows how good they really are.
They completed their team for round 3 against Great Britain and had a dazzling display in that game decimating the British team with five quick goals in the opening period. In the end it was a convincing and an emphatic 6:0 win which set them up nicely for the huge derby against the hosts Finland.
With the leadership of their experienced NHL defenders Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Adam Larsson, they managed to prevail after penalties against the hosts and more than 11 000 fans. After a horrible performance at the previous World Championship, Sweden mean business this time and have to be considered one of the main title favourites. In addition, yesterday they took advantage of the final roster spot available to strengthen their roster even more announcing the arrival of a new skilled NHLer in view of William Nylander.
Welcome back, Willy 🇸🇪 @MapleLeafs forward @wmnylander will join @Trekronorse at #IIHFWorlds.
Read more ➡️ https://t.co/vXPwogN2Y4 pic.twitter.com/u7KyvJkHeW
— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) May 20, 2022
Norway
Despite not having their main NHL superstar Mats Zuccarello, Norway still had more than enough to avoid the bottom place and secure its stay in the top division. Zuccarello´s Minnesota Wild were eliminated from the playoffs around a week ago but he still hasn´t arrived.
It seems he won´t be needed because his team only has a couple of games left on the schedule. Their chances of making the knockout stage are slim with the fierce competition they have in the group but one can never rule out surprises at this tournament and NHL stars flying in to play at the last second.
So far Norwegians won the games they were expected to win but that is pretty much all. Their team seems average and doesn´t have nearly enough to compete with the top teams but it seems that wasn´t their intention anyways. Main priority was avoiding the bottom so now they can relax and enjoy their hockey facing three of the strongest teams from the group in the final three rounds – Czech Republic, Sweden and the US.
Day 8 has wrapped, and the standings are shifting, with all eyes on the next few days as teams push for that #IIHFWorlds quarter-finals spot. đź‘€ pic.twitter.com/7w5poExvu0
— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) May 20, 2022
Sweden vs Norway Prediction
Winning points against the group heavyweights would only be a bonus for Norway. Sweden is flying high at the moment and preparing its roster for the knockout stage and the big games coming up. They could take a day off defensively in this one so we are expecting a high-scoring game with lots of chances and goals. Norway has proven so far it has the potential to score and should notch a couple of goals with Sweden´s offense producing the most of the goals in this game.
Prediction: Total Over 5.0
Odds: 1.74
Bookmaker: 22Bet
Date and time: 22.05.2022 19:20 CET
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