William Nylander doesn't mince his words after Team Sweden's back-to-back losses at 4 Nations

William Nylander spoke honestly after Sweden’s second overtime loss at the 4 Nations Face-Off. The Swedes lost 4-3 to Finland on Saturday, putting them in a tough spot. Despite picking up an assist on Erik Karlsson’s goal, Nylander knew Sweden needed more. Now, with two overtime losses, the team's chances of making the final are slim.

Sweden, Canada and Finland each have two points, but Canada holds the tiebreaker. Sweden is in the worst position, having lost to both teams. Nylander admitted his team was inconsistent, battling hard at times but struggling overall. He said losing in overtime again made the situation even harder. Their next game against the United States is now critical.

"I don't know, I think we were just a little bit up and down throughout the game," Nylander said. "But I feel we did a good job battling back and (them) winning in overtime. It's a tough one for us."

William Nylander believes Sweden must change how it attacks. He said the team has played too much on the outside and must get to the middle. He noted that Team USA plays aggressively and creates scoring chances inside, and Sweden must do the same to compete.

Nylander felt OK about his performance but knew he missed some chances. He said the puck didn’t always settle and needed a sharper mindset when shooting.

"I mean, I felt OK today," Nylander said. "I think there were a couple (of chances) when I came inside. It was just, I mean, off there, puck went off the stick, whatever. But yeah, just got to get the shot-attack mindset, I think is the most important thing."

When asked about the rivalry with Canada, William Nylander downplayed it. He said it’s not about rivalries but about winning. Sweden has lost two games in a short tournament, which won’t help it. Now, it must regroup quickly for a must-win game against the U.S.

Sweden falls 4-3 to Finland despite William Nylander's effort

Mikael Granlund scored in overtime to give Finland a 4-3 win against Sweden in the 4 Nations Face-Off. His shot on a 3-on-1 came 1:49 into overtime, keeping Finland in the tournament.

Finland trailed 3-2 in the second period but tied the game with Aleksander Barkov’s goal. Anton Lundell and Mikko Rantanen also scored, while Patrik Laine had two assists. Kevin Lankinen made 21 saves in his first start.

Mika Zibanejad, Rasmus Dahlin and Erik Karlsson scored for Sweden. Filip Gustavsson started in goal but was replaced by Linus Ullmark after one period.