World Junior Championship roundup: Sweden rallies past Switzerland

Sunday is the third day of the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship, which is being held in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota.

All games on NHL Network in U.S., TSN in Canada

Day 3 games

Sweden 4, Switzerland 2: Lucas Pettersson (Anaheim Ducks) scored two goals in the third period for Sweden, which rallied past Switzerland in Group A preliminary-round action at Grand Casino Arena.

Love Harenstam (St. Louis Blues) made 28 saves for Sweden (2-0-0-0).

Leon Muggli (Washington Capitals) had two assists, and Elijah Neuenschwander (Ducks) made 26 saves for Switzerland (0-0-0-2), which lost 2-1 to the United States on Saturday.

Eric Nilson (Ducks) gave Sweden a 1-0 lead just 53 seconds into the first period on a snap shot at the left post.

Beni Waidacher (2026 NHL Draft eligible) tied it 1-1 at 14:27.

Lars Steiner, a C-rated skater on NHL Central Scouting's preliminary players to watch list, gave Switzerland a 2-1 lead on a wrist shot from the right face-off circle at 18:22 of the second period.

“I think a lot of people don't expect us to play the way that we played the last two games (against Sweden and USA)," Steiner said on Switzerland's game. "I think we showed that we can play with the big nations, but we're still a little step behind. But we showed we can do it and we've just got to show it in the last two games.”

Viggo Bjorck, an A-rated skater on NHL Central Scouting's preliminary players to watch list, tied it 2-2 with a snap shot from the high slot 57 seconds into the third period.

Pettersson gave Sweden a 3-2 lead at 6:28 on a snap shot from low in the right face-off circle that deflected off the right arm of Neuenschwander.

Pettersson scored an empty net goal at 19:13 for the 4-2 final.

“It's been a bit up and down. We have better periods and then less better periods, but we have six points,” Sweden captain Jack Berglund (Philadelphia Flyers) said of his thoughts after two games. "Can't get more and we have the third period here, (which) is something we have to continue with because I thought it was a really good period. And like I said, a win is a win.”

Sweden will play Germany on Monday (1 p.m. ET; NHLN, TSN) before Switzerland faces Germany (2 p.m. ET; NHLN, TSN).

Finland 8, Latvia 0: Petteri Rimpinen (Los Angeles Kings) made seven saves as Finland won its second straight game in Group B at 3M Arena at Mariucci, on the campus of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.

“Team played one heck of a game,” Rimpinen said. “I didn't have a lot to do, maybe seven shots on net or something. But it's kind of hard to play these kind of games as a goalie, to stay focused when there is nothing happening. So there's two games that has been tough for me, not a lot of shots (eight saves on 10 shots against Denmark on Friday). But today, I think I did a great job. Of course, I can't decide how many shots is coming at me. I can just decide how many I stop. So that's the key.”

Emil Hemming (Dallas Stars) scored two goals for Finland (2-0-0-0). Heikki Ruohonen (Philadelphia Flyers) had a goal and two assists, and Max Westergard (Philadelphia Flyers), Jasper Kuhta (2026 draft eligible), Lasse Boelius (2026 draft eligible) and Joona Saarelainen (Tampa Bay Lightning) each had a goal and an assist.

“What we talked about with Latvia before the game, they defend so very well at the net front in the [offensive] zone, we have to play a tight unit all the time and get speed and get to the net, and guys were very good today the whole 60 minutes,” Finland coach Lauri Mikkola said.

Mikus Vecvanags (Montreal Canadiens) made 33 saves for Latvia (0-0-1-1). They had four shots on goal during the final two periods.

Hemming finished a give and go with Matias Vanhanen (2026 draft eligible) to give Finland a 1-0 lead at 4:11 of the first period.

Kuhta made it 2-0 at 14:19 when his sharp-angle shot went off Vecvanags' stick and under his pads.

Westergard scored off the rebound of a shot by Niklas Nykyri (2026 draft eligible) to make it 3-0 at 19:16.

Hemming pushed the lead to 4-0 at 1:37 of the second period with a one-timer from the left face-off circle during a 5-on-3 power play.

Saarelainen knocked in a loose puck in the crease to made 5-0 at 14:06.

Roope Vesterinen (2026 draft eligible) made it 6-0 at 2:51 of the third period when he scored on the rebound of a Nykyri shot. Ruohonen cut through the slot and beat Vecvanags from the left side to make it 7-0 at 5:35, and then passed from behind the net to Boelius, who made it 8-0 at 10:31.

“Today I can say, if your car doesn't have gas, what's going to happen to your car?” Latvia coach Artis Abols said. “It stays. That's what happened to us.”

Finland next plays Czechia on Monday (3:30 p.m. ET; NHLN, TSN). Latvia faces Denmark on Tuesday (4:30 p.m. ET; NHLN, TSN).

NHL.com deputy managing editor Adam Kimelman and senior draft writer Mike G. Morreale contributed to this report