HALIFAX – Jiří Kulich scored with 49.6 seconds left in extra timepropelling the Czech Republic to the World Juniors final with a 2-1 win over Sweden on Wednesday followingnoon in Halifax.
Kulich came on the right wing and fired a wrist shot that deceived the vigilance of Carl Lindbom, who had been perfect until the end of the third period.
It was the sixth goal of the competition for Kulich in as many games, he who was selected 26th overall by the Buffalo Sabers in July 2022.
As soon as he saw his teammate picking up speed on the wing and heading towards the Lindbom net, Eduard Šalé believed it.
“Jiří has such a good shot and a good draw that I thought maybe that was it. He may have played a little lucky, but the result is the same. We are happy to have him with us, ”said Šalé, who at 17 was not born on his country’s last podium at the WJC.
The Czechs will have the opportunity to collect their first medal in 18 years, since they won bronze in 2005.
They have not triumphed at the World Juniors Under-20 since their back-to-back championships in 2000 and 2001.
David Jiříček had previously allowed the Czechs to keep dreaming of the final, when he scored the equalizer with 38.8 seconds on the scoreboard.
The tall Czech defender delivered a blistering slap shot that left the Swedish keeper no chance.
“It was a great moment of relief. I didn’t know how to react; I just walked to the bench to celebrate with my teammates,” said the Columbus Blue Jackets prospect.
“Now it will be up to us to complete the job (tomorrow). It would be a grand moment for Czechia to get their hands on the gold”:
In a few hours, the Czech Republic will know who from Junior Team Canada or the United States will be their opponent in the gold medal game, played on Thursday evening.
Swedish disappointment
Sweden will have to wait once once more before savoring the gold. His drought is now 11 years without winning the CMJ, his last triumph dating back to 2012.
In the interview area, the faces of the Scandinavian players were long.
Like many of his compatriots, Canadiens prospect defenseman Adam Engström felt his team deserved a better fate.
“We played a match as we wanted. We thought we had done enough to win, but three once morest three, anything can happen,” he philosophized.
The Swedish troupe will take the few hours at their disposal to focus their energies on the duel for the bronze medal, despite the bitter taste in their mouths.
“I think we would all be happy to come out of here with a medal, even if it’s bronze. We are going to want to win this match,” assured Engström.
The Three Wives has still not played in the gold medal match since 2018. He then lost to Canada in an edition played in Buffalo.
As the Czechs ramped up the pressure in the final period, Lindbom made some of his best saves in Kulich and Jiříček, the latter with the glove on a hard-hitting one-timer from the sixth overall pick of the last NHL Draft.
Finally, it is these two players who will have allowed the Slavic formation to have the last word.
“In overtime, three once morest three, I taught my players to go for it, not to let the game come to them. I think they applied that very well, but they scored on one of the only scoring chances they had. In this sense, we can say that it is a bit cruel. But that’s hockey,” observed Hävelid.
After a well-shared first period, defender Ludvig Jansson continued his momentum, opening the scoring following 1:39 of play in the second period.
The Florida Panthers’ fourth-round pick thus added a fourth goal to his tournament tally, which had given the Swedes victory in overtime once morest the same Czechs in the group stage on December 29.
The squad led by Magnus Hävelid might have deserved a better fate, given that they were able to make the necessary adjustments to contain the forecheck that the four lines of the Czech Republic had deployed so well in their first five games of the CMY.
Even in extra time, it was the Swedes who got the majority of the scoring chances before Kulich showed some opportunism.
