Czechia and Finland win EHT openers

Czechia - Sweden 5-2

Czechia opened the Karjala Tournament with a 5-2 win over Sweden, demonstrating dominance in the first period with a 3-0 lead. The opening goal came just over seven minutes in when Daniel Gazda took advantage of a defensive error by Sweden’s Victor Söderström, scoring past Swedish goalie Erik Källgren. Filip Pyrochta and Pavel Kousal quickly added two more goals, with Kousal’s coming on a power play.

Sweden only managed one shot in the first period, a stark contrast to Czechia’s offensive pressure. However, they regrouped in the second period, scoring their first goal at the 23-minute mark through Dennis Rasmussen. Though Sweden outshot Czechia 16-4 in the period, Czechia remained resilient, and Gazda netted his second goal to restore the three-goal cushion at 4-1.

In the final period, Oskar Lang gave Sweden some hope by making it 4-2, but Czechia held their ground. Jakub Flek sealed the victory with an empty-netter in the final minute, giving Czechia a comfortable win in front of the home crowd at KV Arena.

Switzerland - Finland 2-3 (OT)

In their opening game of the 2024 Karjala Tournament, Finland rallied to defeat Switzerland 3-2 in overtime in Helsinki. Despite a slow start, Finland managed to overcome a two-goal deficit in the third period, ultimately clinching the victory with an overtime goal by Robin Salo.

Switzerland took control in the second period, outshooting Finland 10-4. Giancarlo Chanton scored the opener at 27:51, and Fabrice Herzog extended the lead to 2-0 late in the period. Swiss goaltender Stéphane Charlin performed solidly, maintaining the lead with a 90% save rate.

In the third period, however, Finland mounted a comeback. Mikko Lehtonen scored at 45:37 to make it 2-1, and Harri Pesonen equalized at 54:03, energizing the Finnish team. Swiss goalie Charlin faced heavy pressure as Finland outshot Switzerland 12-9 in the final frame.

In overtime, Finland continued to press and secured the win just over a minute into extra time, as Robin Salo scored off assists from Mikael Ruohomaa and Arttu Ruotsalainen, capping the Finnish comeback. Harri Säteri, Finland’s goalie, posted a strong performance with a 92% save rate, helping Finland secure their opening win in the tournament.

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