In the upcoming match against the Swedish national team, the Latvian men's hockey team needs to try to push their opponents out of their comfort zone, said the head coach of the Latvian national team, Harijs Vitolins, in a conversation with journalists, according to LETA.
On Tuesday at the Olympic Games in Milan and Cortina, the Latvian hockey team will face Sweden in the first round of the playoffs. The match will start at 22:10 Latvian time.
Before the game, the Latvian national team held a training session in which Rudolf Balcers and Janis Jaks did not participate. Vitolins reported that Balcers is ill and it is still unknown whether he will be able to play, while Jaks missed the training due to a mild concussion he sustained during a physical play in the match against Denmark.
"He had a fever last night and was feeling unwell. We are proceeding with the current lineup, and if he says he is fine, then we will make changes," the coach explained the situation with Balcers.
Vitolins also announced that the Latvian national team's goal against Sweden will be defended by Elvis Merzlikins, who has been on the bench in the previous two matches.
The Swedish team has won two out of three group stage matches, with their only loss coming against Finland (1:4). Vitolins noted that the Swedish team plays very technically.
"We should expect a lot of puck movement, there will be a lot of chaos, especially in our defensive zone. There are moments when two defensemen go behind the goal line, and everyone is skating and playing around the perimeter. We know that we need to try to push the Swedes out of their comfort zone, physical play will play its role, and we need to try to catch them on counterattacks," the coach said.
"We will not be the favorites in this match, but we can play compactly and create good counterattacks," he added.
The hockey tournament of the Olympic Games in Milan and Cortina will last until February 22.
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