In the end, Sweden had a stop-start tournament that ended at the quarter-final stage, one round earlier than in Beijing four years ago.
The team has faced criticism from some sections, but there is no doubt the manner of their elimination was tough to take - going down 2-1 in the fourth minute of overtime against the United States, for whom Quin Hughes powered home the winning goal.
Speaking to Swedish television after the match, Tre Kronor captain Gabriel Landeskog summed up how he and his teammates were feeling.
"Empty. Not how we expected it to end, of course. But if you get into the game, you have to endure the game."
The Colorado Avalanche man, who assisted Sweden's goal, was also critical of the overtime format of the competition.
"My opinion was that it should be five-on-five. I checked the rules before the tournament and knew that's how it looked, but it's scary to think that an Olympic final is going to be decided three-on-three for 20 minutes."
Head coach Sam Hallam, who guided the Swedes to a bronze medal at last year's World Championship, has come under fire from some in the local media for not getting the most out of his star-studded squad.
Wherever the blame lies, there is little doubt the Swedish campaign has been inconsistent - after beating Italy, Sweden were beaten 4-1 by neighbours Finland, before a late concession in a 5-3 win over Slovakia cost them a chance of first place in Group B, eventually finishing third.
There seemed to be improvement from the side in a 5-1 playoff win over Latvia, but against the USA, their attacking prowess went missing when faced with a fellow medal-contender. The Swedes only found the net through Mika Zibanejad after pulling the goaltender in the final minutes.
The defeat was clearly tough to take for Hallam: "You could say it's just hockey, but it's not. It's our life."
"It's hard to digest. Feels like we've struggled a bit uphill in these Olympics," he added.
The USA will face Slovakia in the semi-finals, while Finland take on Canada, both matches are scheduled for Friday 20th.