USA falls to Sweden at word junior hockey championship
Alexander Nylander, center, of Sweden and teammates celebrate after Nylander scored during the 2016 IIHF World Junior Ice Hockey Championship game against the USA in Helsinki, Finland, on Dec. 28, 2015. Credit: Getty Images / Roni Rekomaa
HELSINKI — Linus Soderstrom made 46 saves and Alexander Nylander scored and Sweden shut out the United States 1-0 on Monday in the world junior hockey championship.
Nylander scored on a second-period breakaway. He has a goal and four assists in the tournament to lead Sweden, which is 2-0 in Group A
The United States, which fell to 1-1 after beating Canada in its opener, couldn’t score despite having eight power-play chances in the game.
It was the first time the U.S. lost to Sweden in the world juniors since 1996, ending a 12-game winning streak.
Nylander plays in the Ontario Hockey League and is expected to be selected in the 2016 NHL draft. Soderstrom was a fourth-round pick of the New York Islanders in the 2014 draft.
In other games on Monday, the Czech Republic blanked Slovakia 2-0.
The U.S. will face Switzerland on Wednesday and Denmark on Thursday.
