PRAGUE — The Czech Republic scored a three-goal second period to defeat Sweden 7-3 on Saturday to advance to the ice hockey world championship final for the first time since 2010.
Ottawa Senators forwards Dominik Kubalik and Lukas Sedlak each scored two goals and added one assist, while Carolina Hurricanes forward Martin Necas had a four-point game with one goal and three assists.
David Kampf and Ondrej Kase scored a goal and an assist each for the Czechs.
The Czechs will next face defending champions Canada or Switzerland, who will play later this Saturday.
Marcus Johansson, Marcus Pettersson and Joel Eriksson scored for the Swedes, whose eight-game winning streak in the tournament came to an end.
The Czechs jumped out to a 5-2 lead in the second period after the teams tied 2-2.
Kase gave the Czechs a 3-2 lead from close range at 6:05 of the period, and that was the first time the Swedes had lost in the tournament.
Necas doubled the lead with a single shot from the slot after Kampf won the faceoff 16 seconds later. Kubalik then made it 5-2 with a shot from the right circle that went between goalkeeper Filip Gustavsson’s pads.
The goalkeeper was removed after conceding five goals from 17 shots and replaced by Samuel Ersson.
Joel Eriksson reduced the Czech lead to 5-3 on a power play with his seventh goal of the tournament.
Sweden increased the pressure in the third period but Sedlak, who plays for Pardubice in the Czech league, increased the lead to 7-3 with two escape goals, both between Ersson’s pads.
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