STOCKHOLM – Last year, Norway upset Sweden 5-4 in the tournament opener. But this year, Tre Kronor kicked off with a little revenge on home ice, earning a solid 3-1 triumph over Norway in Friday’s evening game.

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It was a hard-fought tilt between these Nordic neighbours.

Jakob Silfverberg, Marcus Kruger, and Loui Eriksson scored for Sweden, and captain Daniel Alfredsson added a pair of assists. Mads Hansen replied for Norway.

"Last year when we won against them, that was really special for us, so we came out with the same hope today," said Norway's Mathis Olimb. "They are kind of our big brother and you want to beat them, but they are good. Hopefully next time we can beat them."

Swedish goalie Jhonas Enroth outdueled his counterpart Lars Haugen for the win as Sweden outshot the Norwegians 44-20.

The teams delivered a high tempo from the get-go, and although the Norwegians got some decent early chances, the style would wind up favoring the bigger, better-conditioned Swedes.

A big scrum broke out late in the penalty-filled first period when Norwegian defenceman Ole-Kristian Tollefsen bodychecked an onrushing Henrik Zetterberg full-tilt into the Norwegian goalie, knocking Haugen’s helmet off.

"There were a lot of penalties," said Zetterberg. "I think in a game like this they should just let us play and I don't think they did. In the second and third, they let things go a little bit, and it turned out to be a better game."

The host team opened the scoring on a 4-on-3 man advantage at 16:48 of the first. It was a lovely Ottawa Senators connection, as Norris Trophy candidate Erik Karlsson moved into the right faceoff circle and fed Silfverberg in the slot for a quick shot that beat Haugen on the blocker side. It was the first career World Championship goal for the 21-year-old, who made his debut in Slovakia 2011.

Just 20 seconds into the second period, Norway knotted the score when Mads Hansen powered home a drive from the right point.

Sweden quickly regained its lead at 2:29, as Niklas Hjalmarsson fed a sweet cross-crease feed to Krüger, who banged it past a desperate Haugen for the eventual winner.

Tre Kronor brought heavy pressure late in the middle frame, with Eriksson barely failing to convert some glorious opportunities.

Sweden’s skill took over on the man advantage in the third period. Eriksson hooked up on a sweet give-and-go play with Zetterberg, firing home the disc from a tough angle and making it 3-1 at 4:18.

"The Norwegians were doing a good job of getting under our skin and frustrating us, but Enroth did a great job in the net," said Sweden's Gabriel Landeskog. "He showed a lot of poise back there, especially on the penalty kill."

Next up, the Swedes take on the Czechs on Saturday, while Norway faces Russia on Sunday.

With the win, Sweden’s all-time World Championship record against Norway (dating back to 1950) improved to 12 wins, one tie, and one loss.

"We knew it would be a tough game but we are satisfied with the game," said Norwegian coach Roy Johansen. "After all that, it was a good start to the tournament for us."

Among the Swedish hockey luminaries in attendance in the Globen Arena crowd of 7,770 were Markus Näslund and Peter Forsberg. The former Tre Kronor and NHL stars now serve as the general manager and assistant GM respectively of MODO Örnsköldsvik in the Swedish Elitserien.

LUCAS AYKROYD