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NEWARK, N.J. -- Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson likes the look of Team Canada ... but he's confident the Swedes will win gold today, predicting his home country will win 4-2.
Last year, Alfredsson was forced to wear a Team Canada jersey in practice to settle a bet he made with Senators owner Eugene Melnyk when Sweden lost 3-2 in the championship game.
Alfredsson isn't sure about another bet, even with the teams once again facing off for the title.
"I haven't thought about that," said Alfredsson. "(The Swedes) play with a lot of confidence. They've got a lot of speed and a lot of skill. It should be a great game to watch. Canada is going to come out hard in front of that home crowd and it's going to be tough.
"If (the Swedes) can hold their own in the first 10 minutes, that's going to be a big factor."
After coming off the ice following a 3-1 loss to the Leafs Saturday in Toronto, a few players watched the final minutes of the Canada's 6-5 shootout victory over the Russians.
"It was pretty exciting. I didn't see Russia score all those goals. When we came in, it was 5-4 Russia and the net was empty," said defenceman Chris Phillips. "To see them tie it up with five seconds left was something else. Overtime was back-and-forth and good hockey. I was happy to see them pull it off in the shootout."
Coach Craig Hartsburg, who was behind the bench for Canada's last two gold-medal victories, said the Swedes are in tough.
"I don't think they've been really tested physically in the games they've played," said Hartsburg. "I think the Canadians will physically challenge them like nobody else has challenged them. If the (Swedes) can stand that, they'll have a chance. If the Swedes can't handle the physical play, then I think the Canadians will win easily."
