Team Sweden coach Sam Hallam still keeping his starting goalie decision in wraps ahead of Olympic opener

Team Sweden begins its quest for Olympic gold on Wednesday against Italy, but coach Sam Hallam is keeping everyone guessing about who will be in goal. For the third consecutive day, Hallam declined to reveal his starting goalie for the Group B opener at 3:10 p.m. ET.

The Swedes have three options in Filip Gustavsson, Jesper Wallstedt, and Jacob Markstrom, all of whom have been in great form this season. With the national side looking at a challenging schedule and tough opponents, coach Hallam wants every psychological edge his team can have.

Filip Gustavsson appears to be front-runner for Sweden's starting goalie role at the Olympics

"We announce that when we put out the roster tonight," Hallam said after Sweden's morning skate at Santagiulia Arena on Monday. "Something can happen in the first shift tonight that breaks the plan; someone could wake up with a sore throat," he said.

The secrecy comes as Sweden prepares for a challenging schedule that includes back-to-back games against Finland on Friday and Slovakia on Saturday following the Italy matchup. Hallam acknowledged having a plan but noted that injuries or illness could change everything.

The front-runner appears to be Gustavsson, who has been the Minnesota Wild's most consistent netminder this season. The 27-year-old from Skelleftea is 20-9-6 with a 2.64 goals-against average and a .907 save percentage in 36 games.

Gustavsson started Sweden's first two games at the 4 Nations Face-Off last season against Canada and Finland, both overtime losses. He left the Finland game after allowing two goals on four shots in the first period because of illness.

Wallstedt, a 23-year-old rookie from Vasteras, earned his Olympic spot with a strong start for the Wild. He is 14-5-4 with a 2.72 goals-against average, a .914 save percentage, and four shutouts in 23 games.

Markstrom was selected for the 4 Nations Face-Off but missed the tournament with a knee injury. The 36-year-old from Gavle has struggled this season for the New Jersey Devils, posting a 15-13-1 record with a 3.20 goals-against average and .882 save percentage in 30 games.

Hallam made clear that only two of the three goalies will likely see action during the round-robin stage. "If we can get two goalies in in the round robin, yeah, but I'm not looking to play three goalies," he said.

Sweden won silver at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, the last time NHL players participated in the tournament. After facing Italy on Wednesday, Sweden will play Finland on Friday at 6:10 a.m. ET and Slovakia on Saturday at 6:10 a.m. ET. The gold medal game is Feb. 22.


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