Finns get physical, rattle Jagr, Czechs
Jaromir Jagr, the NHL's leading scorer, was assisted off the ice with a bloody forehead after being slammed into the boards, and the Czech Republic suffered a 4-2 loss yesterday in Turin that kept Finland as one of two unbeatens in the tournament.
Afterward, Czech coach Alois Hadamczik said Jagr did not suffer a concussion while being driven into the boards by Finland's Jarkko Ruutu in the second period, resulting in Ruutu's ejection. The coach was incensed with the hit and said it marred the game.
''The shadow of this game is the foul on Jaromir Jagr," he said.
Taking advantage of Jagr's absence for the second half of the game, Finland secured a spot in the eight-team quarterfinals with the comeback win. The Finns, joining Slovakia at 3-0, rallied on two goals by Jere Lehtinen and Teemu Selanne's fifth in three games after trailing, 1-0.
The Czechs (1-2) lost their second in a row but still can reach the quarterfinals by staying ahead of winless Italy and Germany.
How much of a threat the Czechs would be without their two best-known players -- Jagr and goalie Dominik Hasek -- is uncertain. Hasek left Turin Friday with an injured leg. Jagr's status is uncertain, though his coach said he could play again as early as today.
With the score tied at 1 in the second period, Jagr was digging for the puck along the boards in the Czech end when Ruutu, of the Vancouver Canucks, sped across the ice, his left elbow up, and rammed Jagr headfirst into the boards.
Jagr, who leads the NHL with 88 points for the New York Rangers, crumpled and was face down for several minutes, a pool of blood collecting on the ice. He was then helped to the locker room, wobbling most of the way.
Ruutu, jumped by Jagr's teammate Martin Straka after the hit, drew a game misconduct as thousands of Czech fans whistled loudly for several minutes.
Sweden 6, Latvia 1 -- Peter Forsberg is back. Not surprisingly, so is Sweden.
Despite being eased into the lineup because of a slow-healing groin problem, Forsberg set up two goals in his first game of the tournament, helping the Swedes rebound from a shutout loss with an easy victory over Latvia.
''Pretty good for not playing for 3 1/2 weeks," said Forsberg, who assisted on Sweden's first and fourth goals.
Next up for the Swedes (2-1) is the US in a game likely to affect seeding for the quarterfinals.
Latvia (0-2-1) is making its tie against the Americans look more and more like a fluke. Since then, the Latvians have been outscored, 12-4.
P.J. Axelsson of the Bruins and Samuel Pahlsson were the beneficiaries of Forsberg's assists. Daniel Alfredsson scored twice, and Nicklas Lidstrom and Henrik Zetterberg also scored for Sweden.
Russia 1, Kazakhstan 0 -- Evgeni Nabokov made 24 saves in his second straight shutout and Alexander Kharitonov snapped a scoreless tie midway through the second period, leading Russia (2-1) over Kazakhstan (0-3). Vitali Yeremeyev made 49 saves for Kazakhstan.
Italy 3, Germany 3 -- Christian Borgatello scored a shorthanded goal with 1:32 left that put Italy (0-2-1) on the brink of victory, but Marcel Goc answered 15 seconds later for Germany (0-2-1), forcing a tie that probably means neither will advance out of group play.
