'Now we are the big brother': Patrik Laine sends a jab at Sweden

But beyond the intensity, there is clearly a matter of pride on both sides. Both countries wanted to prove something today, and it was Finland that came out on top.

And of course, this means the guys took it to heart. And if anyone had any doubts, Patrik Laine proved it by throwing a jab at Sweden on ESPN after the game:

We are the big brother now. – Patrik Laine

These remarks clearly demonstrate how personal this duel was for both teams. They wanted to prove to the other country that they were superior.

And Laine took advantage of his team’s victory to add a little extra.

We know that some of Laine’s remarks in the media this season have come back to haunt him, but with his performance today, he can afford to be a bit cocky. He was named the second star of the game, having gathered two assists.

But above all, we can feel that this match really charged Laine. He was very intense on the ice, and he stated after the game that he felt more comfortable during the game today.

We even saw him getting into it with Joel Eriksson Ek… and that’s not typical for him.

After experiencing some rough patches with the CH in recent weeks, we hoped that the Four Nations Confrontation would allow Laine to bounce back to finish his season strong.

And clearly, we saw today what an inspired Laine can do on the ice. Let’s hope he can build on that now.

Overtime

Moreover, after the match, the Swedish team’s coach, Sam Hallam, briefly discussed the goalie change he made after the first period.

Let’s remember that Linus Ullmark replaced Filip Gustavsson at the start of the second period.

However, what the coach explained is that he made the change because Gustavsson is ill. He did not pull him from the game due to performance issues.

Is he battling the same illness as Cale Makar? Possible.