Finland W beat Sweden W 6:1 in the European Hockey Trophy Finland on Friday, keeping their own campaign spotless while handing their neighbours a second successive defeat. The hosts sit top of the table with three wins from three, and Sweden remain second despite the loss.
Both sides arrived on the back of winning runs, that's the thing. Finland had taken four goals past Switzerland on Thursday and kept a clean sheet against Czechia earlier in October, while Sweden's recent results read 5-0 and 5-0 in their two latest matches before this one.
The scoreboard doesn't lie, but it rarely tells the whole story. Six goals in what was effectively a one-sided evening suggests Finland were never really challenged after the opening exchanges, and Sweden's defensive structure simply couldn't hold up under sustained pressure.
By then the gap between the two teams in the standings had widened to a point. Finland's three wins give them a cushion that Sweden can no longer close without a significant shift in form, especially when the Swedes have now lost twice in a row.
The tournament is still early, but the pattern is emerging. Finland are the team to beat at this stage, and Sweden will need to find a way to respond if they want to stay in contention for the trophy.
