Monday, December 29, 2008

Three points each for Sens' Swedish prospects

Ottawa Senators draft choice Erik Karlsson
Each of Erik Karlsson and Andre Petersson, both draft choices of the Ottawa Senators, scored three points (a goal and two assists apiece) as Sweden routed Latvia 10-1 in WJC round-robin play. Karlsson's goal was on the powerplay, one of his assist was also with the man advantage (hello, PP quarterback... ) he assisted on the game-winning goal, had five shots, and was +2 on the night, while Petersson had four shots and was +1.

The tournament has been a coming-out party of sorts for Karlsson, who has five points in three games so far (2G, 3A), tying him with Magnus Svensson Paajarvi for the points lead on Sweden. Petersson was a relatively unheralded fourth-round pick, but has four points so far (1G, 3A) and has likely been a pleasant surprise for Sens scouts and management.

For anyone who's been watching, Victor Hedman had one assist for Sweden, four shots, and was +2. He hasn't been receiving as much powerplay time as Karlsson, though; against Slovakia on Sunday, Karlsson was the defender on a 5-on-3 while Hedman sat on the bench. A commenter suggested he may be injured, which might explain why his performance hasn't been quite as dominant as anticipated.

Anyone watching John Tavares: Two more points (1G, 1A) in the 5-1 win over Germany, good for nine points (5G, 4A) in the tournament. He's apparently three goals away from Eric Lindros' record for career goals in a World Junior Championship, and still has likely two more games this year and, technically, will be eligible for the 2010 WJC.
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