We’re off and running. Just a few thoughts about the two games today and then we’ll set up what’s to come tomorrow. Well, actually in just about a few hours but you get the idea.

-I think the reason Sweden is a lot of people’s favorites is because pretty much everyone on their roster would be called one of the smarter players on their NHL team. They’re all intelligent in both ends. Except for the little blip that let the Czechs back in it for a hot minute, the Swedes puck support was really outstanding. Even though they don’t all play together during the year, they seem to just pick up immediately. And this Erik Karlsson-OEL pairing is just too much fun to watch. I thought having to play centerfield for Karlsson would kind of limit Ekman-Larsson’s game, but there was no sign of that today. What a player. And of course, Karlsson is pretty much a video game.

-Oh sure the Czechs don’t need Ales Hemsky to play much when they have… a big handful of themselves, really. They’re a bigger mess than I thought.