Lucas Raymond’s Costly Penalty Overshadows Stellar Performance in Sweden’s Group Stage Finale
Lucas Raymond was on the verge of being the hero. With a goal and two assists, the Detroit Red Wings forward had powered Sweden to a commanding 5-2 lead over Slovakia in their final Group B matchup at the Winter Olympics. His third-period goal - a dazzling move that saw him dance around Slovak defenseman Simon Nemec and slip the puck five-hole on goalie Samuel Hlavaj - was the kind of play that turns heads and swings momentum.
But with just 39 seconds left in regulation, things unraveled - fast.
Raymond was whistled for slashing after catching Slovak captain (and former Red Wing) Tomas Tatar across the shins. Sweden was still up by two, but that penalty opened the door. Slovakia cashed in on the power play, with Dalibor Dvorsky burying a late goal that didn’t change the outcome of the game, but dramatically shifted the outcome of the group standings.
Here’s where things got messy: Sweden, Slovakia, and Finland all finished group play with identical 5-2 records. The tiebreaker?
Goal differential in the games between those three teams. Before Dvorsky’s goal, Sweden was sitting pretty atop the group.
After it, they dropped to third.
- Slovakia: +1
- Finland: Even
- Sweden: -1
It’s a brutal twist for a Swedish squad that had done enough - until that final minute.
Raymond Owns the Mistake
After the game, Raymond didn’t shy away from the moment. The 23-year-old acknowledged the penalty was a costly one.
“It’s unnecessary, of course,” he said. “It’s not fun.
The guys played a great game the whole game. You don’t want to put the team in a situation like that.”
Asked to describe how he felt knowing what the penalty had cost his team, Raymond was blunt: “Good question. I don’t know. Of course, it’s not fun.”
It’s a tough position for any player, but especially for someone who had just delivered one of the standout performances of the tournament for Sweden. His three-point night had him in elite company among Swedish Olympic medalists - and then, in a blink, the narrative flipped.
Swedish Media Doesn’t Hold Back
The reaction back home was swift and pointed. Former pro and current analyst Sanny Lindström didn’t mince words during the TV4 broadcast.
“As brilliant as he is in the third period, and is involved in taking the group victory in Sweden’s favor… he becomes the scapegoat for an idiot thing,” Lindström said.
Håkan Södergren, a two-time world champion and Olympic bronze medalist, echoed the sentiment during HBO Max’s coverage.
“You can’t pull that one, Lucas,” Södergren said. “Very inexperienced for a player who plays in the NHL and the national team. That wasn’t smart.”
It wasn’t just the media. Swedish head coach Sam Hallam made it clear that discipline - or lack thereof - was a problem, and not just with Raymond.
“We can’t have it,” Hallam told Swedish media. “It’s unnecessary.
Lucas can’t have it. The discipline today… we need to take fewer expulsions, period.”
A Learning Moment for a Rising Star
Raymond’s talent is undeniable. He’s a top-line player in the NHL, and his offensive instincts were on full display against Slovakia. But Olympic hockey, with its tight margins and unforgiving format, has a way of magnifying every detail - good and bad.
This wasn’t a malicious play. It wasn’t a moment of rage or recklessness.
But it was unnecessary. And in a tournament where every goal and every second matters, it was enough to knock Sweden from the top of Group B to third place.
For Raymond, it’s a harsh lesson in timing and composure. For Sweden, it’s a reminder that even the smallest lapse in discipline can have outsized consequences on the Olympic stage.
The good news? There’s still hockey left to be played. But if Sweden wants to make a deep run, they'll need to tighten things up - and Raymond, for all his skill, will have to lead the way with both his stick and his smarts.