Denmark vs Sweden

Sweden needed just nine minutes to break the deadlock. Mattias Ekholm opened the scoring with a well-placed finish after Victor Bjorck and Lucas Raymond combined to spring the veteran defenceman into space. Ekholm made no mistake, rifling home to put Sweden 1-0 up.

Just before the midway point of the period, Sweden doubled their lead through Ekman-Larsson. Raymond and Ivar Stenberg orchestrated the build-up, and the Florida Panthers blueliner showed his trademark poise to beat the Danish netminder from range.

Denmark's discipline issues surfaced early — Linus Karlsson was sent off for interference at 15', and though the Danes killed that penalty, Daniel Baastrup took a cross-checking minor at 19', giving Sweden a powerplay to carry into the second period.

Score after P1: Sweden 2-0 Denmark

Sweden made the most of the carry-over powerplay. Just five minutes into the period, Raymond scored on the man-advantage to make it 3-0 after Nick Olesen had been called for cross-checking.

The offensive onslaught continued. Jakob Silfverberg extended the lead to 4-0 at 8', converting after Carl Grundstrom and Robert Hagg worked the puck deep and found the veteran winger in the slot.

Denmark finally responded at 11'. With Carl Grundstrom in the box for interference, the Danes struck on the powerplay — Joachim Blichfeld finished off a slick passing sequence involving Phillip Bruggisser and Nick Olesen to cut the deficit to 4-1.

Any hope of a Danish rally was short-lived. Blichfeld was immediately whistled for hooking at 12', and Sweden made them pay. Victor Bjorck scored on the ensuing powerplay at 13', with Ivar Stenberg and Ekman-Larsson picking up the assists to restore the four-goal cushion.

Score after P2: Sweden 5-1 Denmark

The final frame began with Denmark pressing. Mikkel Lauridsen took an early holding penalty at 3', but Sweden's Johan Berglund returned the favour with a tripping minor at 4', keeping the special teams battle alive.

Tempers flared at 6' in a sequence that saw four penalties handed out — Oskar Sundqvist (roughing) for Sweden, Nick Olesen (roughing) and Christian Wejse (roughing) for Denmark, and Linus Karlsson (slashing) for Sweden. The 4-on-3 skating created chaos but no immediate goals.

Denmark pulled one back at 11' through Mikkel Aagaard, who scored on the powerplay after Jakob Silfverberg was called for tripping. Joachim Blichfeld and Nick Olesen provided the assists, making it 5-2.

But Sweden had the final word. Linus Karlsson atoned for his earlier penalty with a goal at 15', finishing after Simon Holmstrom and Anton Johansson worked the cycle to perfection. Felix Scheel took a slashing penalty for Denmark at 18', but there was no further damage.

Final score: Sweden 6-2 Denmark

Lucas Raymond was the star of the show, tallying a goal and two assists, creating chances off the rush and dictating play on the powerplay. Oliver Ekman-Larsson contributed a goal and an assist from the blue line, providing the veteran presence Sweden needed in a tournament opener.

Victor Bjorck and Mattias Ekholm each added a goal, while Ivar Stenberg chipped in with two assists in an impressive tournament debut.

For Denmark, Joachim Blichfeld scored one and assisted another, while Nick Olesen registered two helpers despite spending time in the penalty box. Mikkel Aagaard rounded out the Danish scoring.

The back-to-back sequence early in the second period proved decisive. After killing off the remainder of Denmark's first-period carry-over penalty, Sweden scored on the powerplay at 5' to go up 3-0, and Silfverberg's strike at 8' effectively ended the contest before the midway point of the game.

The victory gave Sweden their first win of the 2026 tournament after dropping their opening game, while Denmark remained winless. Both teams compete in Group B alongside Canada, Czechia, Slovakia, Norway, Slovenia, and Italy.

The 6-2 scoreline mirrored last year's meeting on 25 May 2025, when Sweden also won 6-2. The result extended Sweden's unbeaten run against Denmark to six matches.

Sweden will look to build momentum in their next Group B contest, while Denmark will need to regroup quickly with tough matchups ahead against the group's heavy hitters.