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Patric Hornqvist, the Penguins’ league-wide known agitator, made his IIHF World Championship debut today in a matchup with Switzerland. His was slotted for the powerful Sweden team on a line with Mikael Backlund and Elias Pettersson, which naturally opens up a ton of opportunity for scoring. With that firepower, it took the Swede no time at all to net a power play goal in the first period to give Sweden a 2-0 lead over the Swiss.
2-0. Patrick Hornqvist gets his first of the tournament after making his tournament debut. Ninth overall in World Championship action. Nice passes from Elias Pettersson and Mikael Backlund. #IIHFWorlds #Pens pic.twitter.com/Qs5u2SY08L
— Steven Ellis (@StevenEllisNHL) May 13, 2018
After that tally, Hornqvist kept having a really nice game. He had a handful of scoring opportunities that came extremely close to going in if he had just elevated the puck or placed it a couple inches the other way.
Had Patric Hornqvist got the puck in the air, this would have been a sure goal. #IIHFworlds pic.twitter.com/CMyZ0NzgS0
— Steven Ellis (@StevenEllisNHL) May 13, 2018
Hornqvist also was responsible for a few prime scoring chances after feeding perfect pucks to his linemates, like this incredible neutral zone pass that sprung Pettersson on a breakaway try:
Elias Pettersson got sprung by Patric Hornqvist and blew down the ice with great speed before making a nice move...
— Steven Ellis (@StevenEllisNHL) May 13, 2018
... but he hit the post. #IIHFWorlds #Canucks pic.twitter.com/S504OwCDIK
The Swedes lead Switzerland 3-2 after 40-plus minutes of play, and are up big in shots on goal, controlling play with ease. However, this game is really turning into a great one, as Sweden tries to take Group A. You can catch the remainder of the third-period action on NHL Network.
UPDATE: Sweden went on to win 5-3 over the Swiss, notching its sixth-straight IIHF Worlds victory and sole ownership of the top team in Group A.