Norway Stuns Sweden with Shorthanded Goals in 3-2 World Championship Win.

Norway leapfrog Sweden in quarter-final race with famous 3-2 victory  

Norway scored twice while shorthanded to upset Sweden 3-2 at the 2026 World Ice Hockey Championship, putting the Swedes on the brink of a group stage exit.

Sweden on the brink after shock defeat to Norway at World Ice Hockey Championship...

Sweden’s medal hopes are hanging by a thread at the 2026 World Ice Hockey Championship. They must beat Slovakia in their final Group B game and rely on other results after losing 3-2 to Norway, conceding two shorthanded goals in the upset.

Back-to-back shutout wins over Slovenia and Italy had steadied Sweden after a shaky start in Group B. But the defeat to Norway means their neighbours can overtake them for fourth place with one match left.

That scenario was already playing out after 20 minutes. Rasmus Asplund took a tripping penalty in the eighth minute, and although Lucas Raymond had a penalty saved 10 seconds later, Norway capitalized on the power play.

Eskild Bakke Olsen found time and space behind the Swedish net and fed the puck back to Noah Steen, who put the underdogs ahead.

Norway held firm until the end of the first period, but momentum shifted less than two minutes into the second when Mikkel Eriksen was penalized for boarding. On the power play, Sweden moved the puck around the Norway zone until a deflection off Jack Berglund left it in the perfect spot for Ivar Stenberg to score from a tight angle.

Further penalties threatened to hurt Norway, but after Martin Ronnild was called for delay of game, Sweden negated their own advantage when Simon Holmstrom was penalized for slashing. When Max Krogdahl was then called for high sticking, the Polar Bears not only killed the penalty but regained the lead.

With 30 seconds left on the Swedish power play, Havard Salsten cleared the puck to Steen at his own blue line. Steen skated into the attacking zone, cut inside to get past the defender, and scored his second goal of the game past Arvid Soderblom.

Sweden’s attempt to respond was set back by a tripping penalty on Jakob Silfverberg. A video review also confirmed that Jacob de la Rose had not scored the equalizer during a scramble in front of the Norwegian net, leaving the underdogs ahead after 40 minutes.

Sam Hallam’s side had 20 minutes to rescue the game, and they drew level again just over three minutes into the third period. Norway seemed to have survived a spell of pressure in front of goal, but Raymond picked up the loose puck on the left and fired it into the top corner.

It looked like Sweden had the edge when Steen was called for slashing, but they failed to convert on the power play. When Stian Solberg gave them another opportunity after a delay of game call with 11 minutes left, Norway stunned the 11-time world champions once more.

Sweden started to build another attack, but Ronnild intercepted a pass at center ice. The loose puck fell to Eirik Salsten, who broke clear and scored Norway’s second shorthanded goal of the game.

Sweden pulled their goaltender in the final minutes and came close to equalizing again in the dying seconds, but Norway held on for a famous 3-2 win.

What a win for Norway! 😮‍💨🇳🇴 #MensWorlds #IIHF @norskishockey

🔗 Game recap: https://t.co/QUevxKYIEU pic.twitter.com/foI88KKlKe

— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) May 23, 2026

The win moves Norway above Sweden into fourth place on 10 points, one point behind Slovakia and one point ahead of the Swedes. All three teams are still fighting for the final quarter-final spot. Norway face the Czech Republic on May 25 and Denmark on May 26. Sweden’s only remaining game is against Slovakia on May 26, but they could be eliminated before then if Slovakia beat Canada and Norway pick up any points.