PARDUBICE, Czech Republic - The streak is over.
Canada lost a game at the world junior hockey championship for the first time since the 2004 final, falling 4-3 to Sweden on Saturday
The defending champions' winning streak ended at 20 straight games.
Sweden (3-0) can finish first in Pool A and earn a bye to the semifinal round Friday with a win over the Czech Republic on Monday.
Canada (2-1) needs to beat Denmark in its final preliminary-round game Monday (TSN, noon ET), and needs the Czech Republic to beat Sweden by five goals or less to earn the bye. If the Czechs win by six or more goals, they get the bye to the semis.
The host Czechs beat Slovakia 5-2 in the other Pool B game in front of a capacity crowd prior to Canada's game. In Pool B games in Liberec, Finland shut out Kazakhstan 5-0 and the U.S. edged Russia 3-2.
The top team in each pool gets the bye while the second-place team cross over to play the third team in the other pool.
Tobias Forsberg scored the winner with seven seconds left in the game on a beautiful feed from Mikael Backlund, who is a first-round draft pick of the Calgary Flames.
Swedish defenceman Eric Moe, Tony Lagerstrom and Oscar Moller of the Western Hockey League's Chilliwack Bruins also scored for the Swedes..
Claude Giroux of the Gatineau Olympiques, Brad Marchand of the Halifax Mooseheads and Shawn Matthias of the Belleville Bulls replied for Canada.
Goaltender Jonathan Bernier made 28 saves on 32 shots in the loss, while Sweden's Jhonas Enroth stopped 18 of 21 shots.
This was the biggest, fastest and hardest Swedish team Canada has been up against in years. The Swedes fought through checks and battled Canada off the puck, while pressuring the defending champions in their own zone to hamper the breakout.
Sweden trailed 2-0 early in the second period, but rattled off three unanswered goals before Giroux tied the game during a Canadian two-man advantage at 16:18. He banged in a rebound from Enroth's doorstep.
Moller tucked a rebound under Bernier with a power-play goal at 9:09 of the third period to put the Swedes up 3-2.
But the backbreaker for Canada was Sweden's tying goal, which Lagerstrom scored putting a shot from the endboards off the back of Bernier's skate and into the net at 6:45.
Canada's shutout streak in the tournament ended at 5:13 of the third period with Moe's power-play goal.
Matthias gave Canada a 2-0 lead at 2:17 banging in a rebound.
Sweden includes a dozen 12 NHL draft picks. Robin Figren of the Edmonton Oiler Kings and Mario Kempe of the St. John's Fog Devils also play for the Tre Kronor.
Canada scored in the first period for the first time this tournament off a tremendous effort by Marchand. He caged Claude Giroux's cross-ice pass, drove by Swedish defender Johan Motin and beat Enroth with a backhand with 55 seconds remaining in the period.
The world junior tournament is using referee teams of two for the first time. The German and American determined after video review midway through the opening period that Steve Stamkos didn't bang a rebound past Enroth.
Notes - The Swedes lone world junior title was in 1981 . . . Canada is 20-8-1 all-time versus Sweden . . . Canada's black jerseys, helmets and gloves worn Saturday will be up for sale starting Sunday on ebay with the proceeds doing to Hockey Canada's developmental programs for national teams.
Well, at least we are 2-1 :-\
