Canada and Finland will meet in the final for the third year in a row at the Men’s Hockey World Championship, but the red and whites face a huge challenge: to face the contenders on their noisy home turf.
Here’s what you need to know about the gold medal game, which took place on Sunday at the Nokia Arena in Tampere, Finland and starts at 13:20 ET / 10:20 AM PT.
ADVANTAGE FOR COUNTRY COUNTRY
Finland won this match in the final in 2019, and Canada took the gold in 2021 (the tournament was canceled in 2020). The rosters of the respective teams are different, of course, but there are enough returning players to ensure that this game has an extra layer of malice.
The biggest difference in this rematch: Suomi play on their own rink in front of their own fans. The crowd was a factor in the Finns’ 4-3 victory over the United States in the semifinals, with the full hall applauding their team as much as they could. Players like to say they don’t hear the audience after they enter the game, but if Canada is trapped running around and taking bad penalties, expect a lot of mocking whistles.
“We know that the building will shake and the Finns are playing for gold at home, but we must try to have a strong start and not allow (the Finns) to gain momentum from their fans,” said Canadian Dylan Cosens. Saturday match.
TRUCULENCE VS. DISCIPLINE
The Finns have a reputation for being disciplined, meticulous and patient and their game so far in the tournament has not changed that impression. In nine games, they completed 68 minutes on penalties at 113 for the Canadians. But wait, it’s getting better: the Finns have not conceded a strong goal throughout the tournament. That’s right, their PK percentage towards the final is 100 percent.
On the other hand, Canadians were, um, much more likely to hone their penalty-shooting skills, stopping the opposition 78.38 percent of the time while they were short. It was good for the seventh in the tournament, but not great, really, considering the speed and skills of the team.
The key here against the Finns will, of course, be to stay out of the box. But that’s easier said than done when Canadians are reflexively relying on tough play and officials are looking for some hint of abuse, given Canada’s rugged and dirty reputation internationally.
Look no further to see how this could go wrong, except for the semi-final against the Czech Republic, when Zack Whitecloud made a double minor for a cross-check at just 4:28 in the game, which led to a goal by David Krejci. Canada received two more penalties during the period before responding with six consecutive goals to escape a 6-1 victory, but will not have the same opportunity to rebound against the tight Finns.
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When it comes to power play, the Finns are less experienced, scoring 31.03% of the time (fifth) compared to Canada’s 34.48% performance at No. 2 in the rankings. It can be said that the Canadian powerful game shoots in all cylinders, heading for the final, coming out 2 against 4 against the Czech Republic, as both goals fed the rally of the second period, which proved the difference in the semifinals.
Canadians will have to strike the delicate balance between physical play and enthusiastic grumpiness. Otherwise, it won’t take long for the zebras to start issuing passes to the penalty area if Canada crosses the line repeatedly.
THE OFFENSE IS THE BEST … THE OFFENSE
Canada’s top line of Pierre-Luc Dubois, Cosens and Drake Butterson is 2-3-4 in tournament points, combining 16 goals, 38 points and a plus-28. Adam Lowry, Kent Johnson, Matt Barzal and defenders Ryan Graves and Devon Severson have added the offensive names to watch for Canada.
The goal scorer of the Finns is a suitable defender: Miko Lehtonen, who leads with two goals and 10 assists for 12 points. Sakari Maninen, Mikael Granlund and Joel Army are also worth watching.
Not among the top scorers for the team, but still a factor is defender Miro Heiskanen, who came during the tournament after his Dallas Stars were rejected by the Calgary Flames. Heiskanen has a nefarious five points in five games to match a plus-four. It is not exactly a secret weapon, but it is the main brick in the wall of the Finns’ corps with a blue line.
“It’s great to have (Heiskanen) here,” Lehtonen said after Finland’s 4-3 semi-final victory over the United States. “He is an amazing player. He skates so well, he sees everything when he’s on the ice, he can move, he can hang with the puck. That’s a good thing for us. “
POSSESSION IS NINE TENTH OF THE LAW
The main key to Canada’s chance will be out of the draw. In particular, the Canadians have four players in the top 10 in the percentage of confrontation, led by Dubois, who owns the space with unearthly 66.94 percent. Also good here are Lowry, Dawson Mercer and Nicholas Roy. The only Finn in the top 10, Hannes Bjorninen, can face many contenders.
NUDE, OF COURSE
It’s no secret that Canadian goalkeeping is a bit at a crossroads and his performance in this tournament is oddly ninth when he ranks in save (0.891 to get 2.46 team goals against average), but Chris Driger doesn’t have anything. be it from that while we came out with a stellar performance with 25 saves against the Czech Republic. The Seattle Kraken stopper did not have the season expected of him, and his save of .910 in the tournament is bordering on normal, but he seems to be winning the hot hand at the right time.
At the other end of the ice, of course, we have the country that rules the world of goalkeepers. The survival rate of the Finnish team is minimalist 0.949 and goals – against an average of 1.10, both estimates leaving the rest of the tournament in dust. If Canada loses, it will be because they could not find a way to solve the problem with Yusi Olkinoura (0.86 GAA).
NEVER UNDERESTIMATE FINANCES
Based on comments after the victory over the Czech Republic, Canada looks serious to win its fourth World Cup in the last seven tournaments. But… Finland.
“We came here to win. We are proud of our hockey. As Canadians, hockey is in our blood, so I know that everyone at home supports us taking the gold. It is an honor for me to play for your country and that is the whole reason we came here. ” – Defender Ryan Graves
“Our first line is amazing at the moment, our powerful game is snapping, we had some big goals from the fourth line as well. It’s a team effort and we need it to win the gold medal. ” – Forward Max Comtois
“The only reason we came here is to get to this gold medal match and do everything we can to win it. Step 1 is ready, we are in this game we wanted to play, and now Step 2 is to prepare and take this gold medal. ” – Dubois
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