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It sneaked up in the dying moments of the first period in Sweden's semi-final against Slovakia, a curious bit of the rotten karma that only ever seems to afflict Swedish goaltenders.

Jacob Markstrom, who had given up only two goals to that point in the entire world junior tournament, inexplicably failed to snare a routine 40-foot wrister from Slovak defenceman Marek Mertel. The shot skittered off Markstrom's trapper and into the net.

Lest the inevitable comparisons begin to Tommy Salo's legendary 2002 Olympic hockey blunder that cost Sweden a game against Belarus — he flapped at a high dump-in from centre ice that somehow bounced into the net — Markstrom didn't flinch, let alone falter.

The 18-year-old quickly reverted to type, pulling off several key saves, including a few of the stunning variety, to keep his team in a contest they would win 5-3.

Through four starts at the tournament, Markstrom has an extravagant .953 save percentage and 1.25 goals-against average.

For all the hype surrounding towering defenceman Victor Hedman, the feeling in the Swedish camp is that if they are to avenge last year's loss to Canada in the final, it will come down to how Markstrom, a gangly Florida Panthers draft pick, performs in net.

"He's the most important guy on the team," said forward Mikael Backlund, a Calgary Flames draft choice who has five goals in the tournament. "If you have a good goalie, you can win the gold."

Goaltending has been a perennial weakness for Swedish teams at the world junior championship.

But with 2008 silver-medal-winning goalie Jhonas Enroth, a Buffalo Sabres draft pick, and now Markstrom, the Swedes are demonstrating a newfound ability to nurture young netminders. That has translated into more confidence elsewhere on the ice.

"I liked [Markstrom] when I saw him last year [at the world under-18 tournament], Backlund said. "I didn't know very much about him, but then he started to play so good, he got into his senior team in Sweden and dominated, so I was feeling, 'Yes! Now we have a really good goalie on our team for next year at the world juniors.' This year he's dominating the top league in Sweden, so he's one of the best goalies in the world. I've probably never seen a better goalie."

The precocious Markstrom, a mobile, limber butterfly goalie, is already the starter for Brynas of the Swedish Elite League and is at or near the top in all major statistical categories.

And he now stands to play a key part in Sweden's hopes in snapping a 28-year gold-medal drought.

Markstrom, 6-foot-3 and lean, said he's never played before crowds as big as those seen at Scotiabank Place, but that hasn't affected his confidence.

"I don't know how it's going to feel … but the more people there are, the better I play, so tell all the Canadian people to come and watch the game," he said, laughing.

If Sweden hasn't yet eclipsed its neighbour and hated rival Finland as the pre-eminent goalie factory in the region, the recent dominance of the New York Rangers' Henrik Lundqvist, a three-time Vézina Trophy finalist, and the emergence of youngsters like Detroit Red Wings prospect Daniel Larsson, Enroth and Markstrom suggest sunnier skies ahead.

For a country that has been outpaced only by Canada and Russia in total medals at the tourney, it seems inconceivable that the only world-class goaltending talents Sweden has sent to the NHL are Pelle Lindbergh — a Philadelphia Flyers star who tragically died in a 1985 car accident — and Lundqvist.

"We've had many good goalies before, but for some years we haven't had it [superior goaltending]," said Stefan Ladhe, a goaltender coach who has worked with Sweden's junior backstops for more than a decade. "Even in the Swedish league there were a lot of Finnish guys, American guys, Canadians. Now we have a lot of good young guys … we have eight names without Markstrom [in contention for next year's world juniors]. A few years ago, you had maybe three."

A large part of that difference is a renewed emphasis on goalie coaching, something that is part of a broader overhaul of Sweden's junior program launched five years ago.

"The big difference is that we educate hockey players, and you [Canada] produce winners," Swedish head coach Par Marts said. "And I think we have to learn from that, but we can't copy. We have to take our style and learn to compete and learn to win."

Ladhe said that has resulted in an approach that seeks to tailor the coaching to an individual's strengths, rather than trying to fit players into a particular mould or teach a specific style.

And Ladhe, who didn't even travel with the team to tournaments until 2005, is now a fixture, tutoring Markstrom and understudy Mark Owuya daily.

In addition to giving Ladhe a more prominent role, the Swedish hockey federation has instilled a program to identify and develop young talent not merely among players, but among coaches as well.

"There's better education now than there has ever been," Ladhe said.

Lundqvist's fame has helped draw more kids to the position, and it's also prompted a subtle cultural shift in Sweden's main professional league.

"It's a huge influence," Ladhe said. "Lundqvist was maybe the first young guy in some years to play in the first division, and coaches saw that you could win with a young Swedish goalie."

Sweden's lucky charm

He's a walking, talking lucky charm in a grey Swedish Ice Hockey Association blazer. In addition to being Sweden's assistant coach, Peter Sundstrom, who played parts of six NHL seasons with the New York Rangers, Washington Capitals and New Jersey Devils, provides the link to Sweden's first and only world junior hockey championship triumph in 1981. In that tournament, a Swedish team featuring Sundstrom and his twin brother Patrik, who later played for the Vancouver Canucks, among other teams, beat the Soviet Union and Finland in the medal round. Though Patrik was named the tournament's outstanding forward, it was Peter who scored the deciding goal. "It's not that big, but every year at this time, I'm reminded of it," said Peter, now 47. "The newspapers and everybody ask me about the goal, but it would be better if these kids write their own history." He added that comparisons between the most recent edition of Sweden's finest juniors and the 1981 team are tenuous: "It's like the Stone Age. You can't compare the different times. These kids here are much more skilled than back in the '80s." At the same time, Sundstrom ticked off several qualities he hopes the current crop can emulate: "Good character. There were a lot of winners, and a few that played in the NHL, too."