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The Russians with Radulov and Kovaljchuk

The game is played in Sochi, on the same ice rink that the Olympics will take part and the Russians do not want to disappoint their numerous fans who will be present here. They will go at Sweden with their best squad available and they beat them by 5-2 without their mains stars a month ago

The closer the Olympics in Sochi are, the hotter the atmosphere surrounding the Russian national hockey team. The time to change the roster is decreasing and the following three games in the Capital One Cup will be one of the last test run for the coaches. Two such tournaments have already been played in the past three months and the same teams took part as today, and the home team for today won both of their previous encounters.

Today, the Russians will be the hosts in Sochi, the venue for the Olympics and it is one of the reasons they are going with their best of the best. In their last game against Sweden played a month ago, they won by 5-2 and they had a far weaker team than now. As far as the goalie duo goes, it has not changed a lot since that game as we still have Eremenko and Barulin here, the top duo of the KHL, each better than the other.

There are also no changes in defense, the pairs are the same except for a minor tweak as Denisov replaced Alexandrov,  nothing too important. This time they are going with their best forces available at the moment which means the brilliant duo Radulov-Kovaljchuk and another great CSKA's shooter Prokhorin. Then there's the very powerful line-up Tikhonov, Shipachyov, Panarin from SKA, as these are some of the best young forwards in the league. Then we have six top players from Omsk, Bars, and Dynamo and the Swedes will have a very tough task handling such firepower.

This game is very important for the Russians and this is reflected in the statement of their coach Zinetula Bylatedinov:

- The halls has left a great impression on all of us, everything was done just like we wanted. We want to make a good impression here, play good hockey and please the fans as an introduction for the Olympics. The motivation of the players is at the highest level as we will have to make the choice after this tournament so we need to see the best performances. Radulov and Kovaljchuk? They will be in line together, but we are looking for their partner in the NHL.

One of the best Russian players Ilija Kovaljchuks emphasized his desire:

- It would be great if Datsyuk were in line with us at the Olympics, but now Shipacyov will do a great job. He's a great forward, he's got everything he needs. Everything is just like it should be in Sochi, a full arena will only help us.

So, the Russians are in a good mood and will send their strong offense to this game while Sweden are coming with a somewhat weaker squad than a month ago and they have only several KHL players in their squad but they aren't at the same level as their Russian counterparts. 

Sweden will be lead by the defender from Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, Staffan Kronwall, Severstal's defender Andersen and forwards from Atlant and Spartak, Wandell and Enqvist. It is not exactly a formidable team, as the rest of the squad are the players from the domestic league and the Swedish coach will check something and give the new goalie a chance, but of course, the Olympic team will only have two or three players from this team so this is a great chance for some of these players to get a glimpse of the national team experience. 

A similar Russian squad recently scored 5 goals against them in a game in which they were a disaster in defense and which they lost, despite having more shots than Russia. The only team they beat on that tournament was the Czech Republic and that is the only team on this tournament with a weaker squad than Sweden, although even that is debatable. What does the Swedish national team coach Par Marts think about all of this is best reflected in his statement:

- Let's not think about what happens at the Olympics, even though two or three players from this squad should play there. We should try to make things tough for the Russians, but we know it's going to be a very difficult task. Linus Ullstrom will be sent on goal.

It is a pretty bold move to send the 20-year-old Ullstrom on goal, a keeper from their domestic league who could have some trouble against the KHL stars and has no additional experience to boast, although his own view tells the best story:

- It will be damn fun. I dreamed about playing against Russia in Sochi. I am not really nervous but I will probably have a stage fright an hour before the game.

The Swedes should have learned something from their defeat a month ago because if they didn't, they will suffer the same fate. Russia will not forgive any mistakes and this could be a problem for the away team who are coming with many new forwards that didn't play in November. 

The Russians scored five goals against Sweden a month ago even though they didn't have their full squad available for that game and they beat them with a handicap in September at a tournament that had the same character as this one. The Olympics are approaching, things are becoming more serious and the Russians have decided to play in Sochi, the venue for the Olympics. They are very happy with the conditions, a full arena is expected today and I don't think they should lack any motivation. A huge reason for that is the team that they called up as it has all the best available player, including the super-stars Kovachljuk and Radulova, a great duo of goalies Barulin and Eremenko and the strong defense from KHL's best teams. When the NHL players join in, there will not be too much room left for the current squad so the battle for the spots on the team could be huge and this could be noticed today. The Swedes are once again coming with a mixed team, with only 4 players from KHL who are no at the level of their Russian counterparts while the rest are relatively unfamiliar names from their domestic league. There will be not battle for the top team with them as they know only two or three players will play on the Olympics while the rest are here just to get a glimpse of the national team experience. They will put the 20-year-old Ullstrom from the Swedish league on goal which does not seem too smart against the fiery attack that the Russians have and which contains the best of the best from KHL. Russia are better by at least three goals from this Swedish team and I expect them to warm the crowd up for the Olympics. They are a much stronger, experienced and motivated team than the Swedes and they have beaten them twice lately without their main stars so I expect them to do the same today.