Final recap of how the six Sabres players did in Czechia
After disappointing performances in the semi-final on Saturday, Sweden and Canada met on Sunday afternoon in the bronze medal game of the 2024 IIHF World Championships in Prague, CZ and Tre Kronor bounced back with a 4-2 win over Team Canada. Czechia snapped Sweden’s perfect run of eight straight wins with a 7-3 thrashing, while the Canadians rallied late to tie Switzerland but lost 3-2 to in a shootout.
Rasmus Dahlin had an assist on Carl Grundstrom’s opening goal midway through the first period and played 21:29 in the contest. Dylan Cozens scored his tournament-leading ninth goal to tie the game in the second, and Canada took the lead early in the third on a Pierre-Luc Dubois tally, but the Swedes struck for three straight from Erik Karlsson, Grundstrom, and former Sabre Marcus Johansson for the win. Sabres winger Victor Olofsson, and defensemen Owen Power and Bowen Byram all went scoreless in the contest.
Here is how the five Sabres who participated in the tournament did:
Cozens(CAN) – 11 points (9 goals, 2 assists) in 10 GP – Scored in seven of Canada’s 10 games and in six straight. The Sabres center could be a candidate to be named the tournament’s top forward, but his club’s fourth-place finish could be a factor in that.
Byram(CAN) – 5 points (1 goal, 4 assists) in 9 GP – A slightly disappointing outing for the Stanley Cup winner, who was suspended for one game for cup-checking Jesse Puljujarvi of Finland.
Power(CAN) – 6 points (1 goal, 5 assists) in 10 GP – Power was utilized on the power play and on Canada’s top pairing for most of the tournament, gaining valuable experience for next season and for future usage in international tournaments like the Olympics in 2026
Dahlin(SWE) – 9 points (2 goals, 7 assists) in 10 GP – Dahlin played a major role for Sweden and was as prominent as names like Karlsson and Hedman in the tournament. That should only increase over the next few years.
Olofsson(SWE) – 4 points (1 goal, 3 assists) in 9 GP – The 28-year-old played mostly a support role in his second World Championships.
J-J Peterka (GER) – 9 points (5 goals, 4 assists) in 8 GP – The tournament’s top forward in 2023 had another excellent showing after a slow start, leading Germany in scoring for the second straight year.