TORONTO -- Team Sweden found out an hour before their game with Russia that they would be without their star goalie Henrik Lundqvist. During Sweden's World Cup opener, Daniel Sedin told ESPN's Leah Hextall that news of their goalie's illness circulated just before a game that would go a long way in determining which of these world hockey powers might advance from a stacked Group B.
If there's a favorite in the group, it's the Swedes. The only weakness, we all believed, was goaltending depth after Lundqvist.
Not an issue if Lundqvist plays as expected. Definitely an issue if he doesn't even show up.
And yet, there was backup goalie Jacob Markstrom, all 6-foot-6 of him, wiping out concerns that Lundqvist's surprise absence created, making 27 saves in Sweden's 2-1 win over Russia. The only player to beat him was Alex Ovechkin, who nearly did it twice in the final 33 seconds of the game, only to have an apparent game-tying goal disallowed because it was gloved in.
In beating the Russians, the one perceived weakness Sweden might have had was alleviated. Team Canada laid down the gauntlet that they were the favorites by steamrolling the Czech Republic on Saturday, but this win by the 2014 Olympic silver-medalists might have been more impressive considering the circumstances.
Sweden didn't have their star goalie against the powerful Russians. It didn't matter.
They withstood an early push from a Russian team that clearly sensed an opportunity, with physical play that featured two monster hits from Ovechkin -- one on Niklas Hjalmarsson and the other on Victor Hedman.
But there was no rattling the Swedes, who kept steady pressure on Russian goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, then didn't miss when the best opportunities presented themselves.
Gabriel Landeskog scored on a one-timer four minutes into a power play and Hedman followed with his own one-timer, driving down the middle of the ice and absolutely connecting on a nice backhand feed from Carl Hagelin.
Markstrom played well when tested, including a nice save on a Nikolay Kulemin one-timer in the second period, but it was the play in front of him that was more impressive.
Sweden limited the Russians' scoring chances, doing a great job occupying offensive-zone time with the Sedins leading the way with a cycle that needs its own wing in the Hall of Fame.
The Russians missed an opportunity, to be sure. They had the best team in their group playing without their most important player, and they still couldn't capitalize despite Ovechkin's near heroics at the end. There usually isn't enough time in a short tournament like this to recover.
As for the Swedes, perhaps they rely less on Lundqvist than originally believed. If so, that's a major problem for the rest of the World Cup field.
Three Stars
1. Victor Hedman, D, Sweden: Bobrovsky was sharp in goal for Russia, but it's no easy task turning aside a one-timer from Hedman when he's driving down the middle of the ice. Hedman was a key part of Sweden's defensive play as well, helping shut down a powerful Russian attack, leading all Swedes in ice time.
2. Jacob Markstrom, G, Sweden: He wasn't severely tested but made the saves when he had to while answering the call after being put in a tough spot. He played an economical game, letting his big frame do the heavy lifting, showed strong poise and looked good handling the puck.
3. Gabriel Landeskog, LW, Sweden: Landeskog's missile opened the scoring against the Russians, and the early action has proven how crucial scoring the first goal has been: The team scoring first is undefeated so far in the World Cup.