It was a classic mismatch on paper. The 11th-ranked Latvians pitted against the powerhouse Swedes. The 2006 Turin gold medallists versus the last-place finishers from the 2010 Vancouver Games. But Team Sweden had its hands full in booking its spot in the quarter-finals of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics Saturday, earning a hard-fought 5-3 win over the pesky Latvian side. Erik Karlsson, Daniel Alfredsson and Alex Edler each had a goal and assist for Team Sweden at Shayba Arena. Sweden (3-0), which finished its round-robin atop Group C, was also fuelled by goals from Patrik Berglund and Jimmie Ericsson. The Swedes were spectacular with the man advantage, going 4-for-5 on the power play. Karlsson now has five points (three goals, two assists) in three games in Sochi. Janis Sprukts had a goal and assist, while Lauris Darzins and Zemgus Girgensons – the only current NHLer on the team – also scored for Latvia (0-3), which went 2-for-4 on the power play. Sweden came into the game as heavy favourites, boasting much more NHL and international experience. But Latvia, coached by Buffalo Sabres bench boss Ted Nolan, found a way to level things out on the ice, never quitting with some energetic and feisty play. Latvian netminder Kristers Gudlevskis didnt look like a goalie making his first Olympic appearance, either. He was poised, calm and collected in making 25 stops on 30 shots. Perhaps his best came off the stick of Loui Eriksson in the third period. Gudlevskis was seemingly at the mercy of Daniel Sedin, who sent a cross-crease pass to a wide-open Eriksson. But the Latvian goalie was up to the task and stretched out to steal what looked like a sure goal from the Bruins winger. Latvia kept the Swedes on their toes throughout the game, trading scoring chances and forcing Lundqvist to make several tough stops throughout the game. The New York Rangers netminder finished with 20 saves and helped keep the Latvian attack at bay. The Swedes broke through and opened the scoring on a power play at 15:50 of the first period while Krisjanis Redlihs was in the penalty box, with Berglund redirecting a Karlsson point shot into the back of the net. Latvia tied it 1-1 on a spectacular passing play fuelled by Janis Sprukts. From his own blue-line, he did his best Chris Pronger impression and sent a tape-to-tape long pass to Kristaps Sotnieks, who found a streaking Lauris Darzins. The 29-year-old showed excellent patience in outwaiting his world-class counterpart Lundqvist, beating him with a sneaky backhand move. The short-handed Swedes were already without the services of one of their top snipers in Henrik Zetterberg, who was forced to pull out of the Winter Games with a herniated disc in his back. The Swedish Ice Hockey Federation announced the injury after Swedens 4-2 victory over the Czech Republic Thursday. But it was just another in a list of star forwards to drop out of the Games with health issues. Vancouver Canucks captain Henrik Sedin pulled out of Sochi on the eve of the Olympics with a rib injury. The normally durable 33-year-old had his National Hockey League ironman streak snapped at 679 games last month, a franchise best in Vancouver. Detroit Red Wings workhorse Johan Franzen, a key presence in front of the net unafraid to get physical, is also on the injury list for Sweden with a concussion. adidas zx flux sale . -- Canadas Aleksandra Wozniak missed on a match point as she lost a third-round, three-hour struggle to Venus Williams on Sunday at the Sony Ericsson Open. Nike Roshe Run Flyknit Dames . -- There were no late-game heroics for the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday. http://www.klassiekesalen... . Francesco Lodi converted a penalty in the 23rd minute and Catanias Argentine goalkeeper Juan Pablo Carizzo made a series of difficult saves in the final minutes. Siena remained in 17th place, just two points clear of the relegation zone. [url=http://www.klassiekesalenl.com/nike-air-max-thea/nike-air-max-thea-dames.ht... air max thea dames sale . This is Lillys third trip this season to the DL, which is retroactive to June 5. He has made only five starts, going 0-2 with a 5.09 ERA. He missed the first 19 games while recovering from left shoulder surgery, and also was sidelined for 17 games from April 30 to May 20 with a strain in his right rib cage. Adidas Sneakers Sale . Huberdeau, the third-overall pick in the 2011 NHL Draft, will not be eligible to play in the NHL this season except on an emergency recall, according to TSNs Bob McKenzie.WASHINGTON -- Time to start the MVP talk for Alex Ovechkin, who scored his NHL-leading 28th goal, stood up for a teammate who got rammed into the boards, and led the Washington Capitals to their eighth straight win. The Capitals also managed to play well with a lead for a change and enjoyed a rare dominating win over a team outside their division. The 5-1 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday night left little doubt that Washington is again a force in the Eastern Conference. "To get a decisive win against them tonight," forward Troy Brouwer said, "it shows us that we belong where we are." Jack Hillen, Martin Erat, Marcus Johansson and Brouwer also scored, and Braden Holtby made 29 saves for the Capitals, who remained four points ahead of the Winnipeg Jets atop the Southeast Division with five games to play. But it was Ovechkin who earned his captains "C" against the Maple Leafs. There was his goal -- a one-timer from the top of the left circle during a power play. There was his assist -- a pass from nearly the same spot that was tipped in by Erat. And there was his dont-mess-with-my-linemate crash into Jay McClement after McClement knocked Nicklas Backstrom head-first into the boards in the first period. A massive scrum ensued, but only Ovechkin was penalized -- for charging -- and the Capitals gained momentum by killing the penalty. "You can hear the crowd, you know?" Ovechkin said. "The guys said they were going to kill it all day long." Washingtons Jason Chimera picked a fight with McClement later in the period, but coach Adam Oates and the rest of the Capitals lauded Ovechkin most for sticking up for Backstrom. "I just step up for my teammate," Ovechkin said. "And again, I think any one of them would do the same if it were happening to me." Ovechkin also said the team made sure to talk about the need to "play for a win" after taking a 4-0 lead. The Capitals blew a four-goal lead in their previous game and needed overtime to pull out the victory. Put it all together, and Oates was more than ready to make the case for Ovechkin to reclaim the MVP trophy the Russian forward won in 2008 and 2009. "Im obviously very biased about that, so my answer would be, yeah, absolutely," Oates said. "Obviously, Sidney Crosby is another candidate, for sure. He had such a scoring lead.dddddddddddd But I think youve got to factor in the fact that hes missed a lot of games. ... Alex has really led our team. You see it every night now." The Capitals have been feasting on the weak Southeast, going 14-3 within the division, but they entered Tuesdays game just 9-14-2 against the rest of the East. All but two of those nine wins were by one goal. So it was a major morale boost that they were able to manhandle Toronto, which is closing in on the franchises first playoff berth since 2004. The Maple Leafs had won four of five, but they looked sluggish one night after they beat the New Jersey Devils 2-0 at home on Monday. Toronto was down 4-0 to the Capitals before Mikhail Grabovski scored in the third period. "It looked like we had nothing in the tank, nothing to give," Maple Leafs coach Randy Carlyle said. "We werent playing anywhere near the level which was required." McClement said his hit on Backstrom wasnt malicious. "I was just back-checking on him, and it looked like he went in pretty awkwardly," McClement said. "Im definitely not that kind of player." The Capitals drew their usual close-to-full house, with fans seemingly undeterred by the deadly bombings at the Boston Marathon on Monday. Security was increased at the Verizon Center, although mostly behind-the-scenes and so subtly that many noticed little or no difference as they endured the usual bags searches and screenings by hand-held metal detectors. Arena workers said there were extra security patrols, specifically checking trash cans and security cameras before the building was open to the public. The huge scoreboard went dark shortly before the opening faceoff for a moment of silence. Ovechkin, with his 19th goal in 18 games, moved two ahead of Tampa Bays Steven Stamkos in the NHLs goal-scoring race, although Stamkos pulled back within one when he scored against the Jets later in the evening. "Hes very lethal, very dynamic and energetic out there," Toronto defenceman Mark Fraser said of Ovechkin. "Everyone on the ice knows when hes on the ice, thats just his presence. ... When hes determined, hes a force to stop." NOTES: Maple Leafs LW Joffrey Lupul returned after missing five games with a concussion. ... Erats goal was his first since he was acquired in a trade-deadline deal with the Nashville Predators. cheap jerseys wholesale jerseys ' ' '