Well, this was unexpected: Henrik Lundqvist is not in Sweden’s lineup for their World Cup of Hockey opener against Russia on Sunday.
Team representatives announced that the all-world goaltender is dealing with an illness, according to multiple reporters including Dan Rosen of NHL.com.
Jacob Markstrom is getting the start for Sweden with Jhonas Enroth serving as a backup.
For all the starting goalie debates we’ve seen in this still-young tournament, it’s safe to say that the drop-off is steepest between Sweden’s top and other choices.
Russia’s firepower would have been a test even for Lundqvist. Now Sweden really needs to pull together, especially if Lundqvist needs to miss multiple games.