2 Edmonton Oilers players scratched for Team Sweden elimination game
Photo credit: Yardbarker
Breaking new out of the 4 Nations Face-Off Tournament as Mattias Ekholm and Viktor Arvidsson have will be healthy scratched for tonight's game against Team USA.
Well folks, bad news for Oilers Nation as both Mattias Ekholm and Viktor Arvidsson will be healthy scratched ahead of tonight's bout.
Team Sweden is gearing up their toughest matchup yet against Team USA, and a shocking roster adjustment has been made to avoid going down 0-3.
While Viktor Arvidsson demotion is understandable because of his offensive struggles this season, Mattias Ekholm's demotion is somewhat shocking as he's considered one of the most underrated defencemen of the game.
According to Liam McCormick of Oilers Daily, According to a report from Elliotte Friedman this morning, Sweden's expected lineup will not include both Edmonton Oilers on their roster. In their place, Rasmus Andersson and Leo Carlsson will enter the lineup.
Viktor Arvidsson has had one of the worst seasons in his career this year with the Edmonton Oilers, nearing career lows in points, giveaways, takeaways, and more. Still, he's an NHL veteran that's being taken out for a sophomore - that's not a good sign for Arvidsson.
While Ekholm had a strong performance against Canada last week, it wasn't the case in Sweden's 4-3 loss to Finland. He was on the ice for two big goals against, and missed coverages on goals scored by Mikko Rantanen and Aleksander Barkov.
With Ekholm on the ice, Sweden has controlled 52.8 percent of the shot attempt share, 51.9 percent of the scoring chance share and 43.9 percent of the expected goal share. They've broken even in goals 1-1 in his 33 minutes.
Source: Oilers Daily
