Sweden dealt Finland a near-fatal blow Tuesday afternoon, surviving a late push and clinging to a 2-0 victory to defeat its northern European archrivals.
Defenseman Anton Stralman scored what stood to be the winning goal in the second period, created from a vintage cycle between Daniel and Henrik Sedin.
Loui Eriksson added an empty-netter with only two seconds remaining.
After a shaky pre-tournament and a poorly-timed illness, Henrik Lundqvist was rock solid in his World Cup debut, turning away all 36 Finnish shots for the shutout.
It wasn't a particularly dominant win for Sweden, having been outshot 36-29, but the Swedes stayed composed through the entire game, keeping Finland's attack to the perimeter with a stout defensive performance.
Finland is still alive in the tournament, but barely. In order for the Finn's to survive, Sweden must beat North America on Wednesday, while Finland has to defeat Russia on Thursday, in their final round robin contest.
This scenario would create a three-way tie in Group B.
