In a recent Olympic quarter-final match against Latvia, Swedish hockey legend Mats Sundin expressed his disappointment with the performance of the Swedish national team, particularly regarding their faceoff statistics. After the second period, Latvia led in faceoff wins by a score of 24 to 16, which Sundin termed 'incomprehensibly poor', especially when comparing the stature of Latvian players to the Swedish team. He emphasized the need for improvement in this crucial aspect of the game, highlighting its importance in overall performance.

Alexander Wennberg, a center for Tre Kronor, agreed with Sundin's assessment, acknowledging the significance of winning faceoffs in gameplay. Wennberg stated that it is a vital component of success during matches and stressed the necessity for better execution in future games. Additionally, Mika Zibanejad, another center, reflected on his own struggles, having lost four out of seven faceoffs in the match, and showed a determination to examine this aspect to enhance performance.

The head coach of the national team, Sam Hallam, also recognized that losing faceoffs contributed to Sweden's challenges in the match. This ongoing critique from both players and coaching staff indicates a pressing need for a strategic overhaul in the team's approach to faceoffs as they prepare for upcoming competitions, underlining the importance of this skill in achieving Olympic success.