GDT: 9/22 - Finland vs. Russia - 3 PM ET

[snipes]

Come on Finns!!

 

[hatterson]

If someone tuned in and didn't know who the intermission commentators were they would think they just took two drunk guys from the stands and put them in suits.

 

[Plural]

Does Finland always set up in the offensive zone with their point men standing within arms length?

With thks new coach it seems like it. Marjamaki hasn't really won me over with this tournee. Team Finland has never looked this bad for a whole tournament. Easimy the worst team in the entire tournee. Not only by roster. But our play sucks. A lot.

 

[ijuka]

A Finnish div. 1 1D makes better one timer passes than Vatanen.

 

[llwyd]

Well, ok period I guess - can't really find huge excitement, but anyway. I wonder what has happened to Vatanen in Anaheim, he doesn't seem to have developed at all, maybe even regressed a bit, weird.

 

[kary]

I think it's cause he's yearning for a pass that he can one-time, but everything that's given to him is awfully placed for apparently no reason.

Yes, the passes suck there is no question about it... But after he gets the puck under control he just doesnt seem to know what to do with it...

 

[Gsus]

If I was Laine I would be chasing Vatanen right now in the locker room.

 

[Conspiracy Theorist]

Why are Laine and Vatanen in the same unit?

 

[llwyd]

Laine doesnt seem to do anything else then standing around for a direct slapper.

Well, I don't know, that's kind of his role. And Vatanen's role is to set him up for a bloody one-timer, but it seems to be beyond his hockey skills at the moment.

 

[ijuka]

It looks like Vatanen doesn't understand how to build a one timer opportunity at all. He and Koivu are supposed to work together there, make the box smaller and then a pass is much easier especially if you one time the pass off a feed by Koivu.

It's like they've never watched a video of a PP with a right-handed shooter on left point.


The funny thing is that he HAS done that sometimes, but then when he gets the pass and then has the perfect opportunity to one time pass to Laine for a perfect opportunity, he shoots at the wall of bodies(That this sequence naturally builds right in front of him) himself instead.

 

[Gsus]

Laine doesnt seem to do anything else then standing around for a direct slapper.

Could it be because he has one of the best shots, especially onetimer?

 

[LeafsNation149]

Just got home how has each team played? More specifically Laine and Komarov?

 

[Dris]

Lepistö has been good. Maybe he could have still some NHL future.

I hope so. He is been the the most consistent D-man in the NT for a while. He is looking quite decent in this tournament

Vatanen is the one really underperforming...Olli Määttä has been disappointing too...

 

[ViD]

Will be funny if it ends 0-0 and Finland wins shootout

 

[Villert]

Will be funny if it ends 0-0 and Finland wins shootout

This is now what I'm hoping for. GWG on the shootout being a Laine one-timer somehow.

 

[ijuka]

Yes, the passes suck there is no question about it... But after he gets the puck under control he just doesnt seem to know what to do with it...

Do you think Kane doesn't know what to do with it when he doesn't pass it immediately, too?

 

[Padawan]

I say Vatanen isn't used properly. His first instict is the shoot and now he has apparently been given instructions to pass. He should be used as a blue line threat. Now there are two shooting threats in the same PP and clearly it's not working.

 

[Scotty B]

Sportsnet is dutifully relating McLellan and company's cover story, that they decided not to tell YG's they needed to win last nite in regulation to punch their ticket to semis. How do I know it's BS?

Elementary...even a loss in regulation would still meant that NAT's needed Finns to beat Russia ( albeit in regulation ) to go thru on goal differential. The fact that NAT coaching staff gave no thought to pulling Gibson with score tied, proves to me that they didn't know this...

NAT bench boss et al were asleep at the switch...Endofstory

***
On a more positive note, not a bad first period for Suomi, showed plenty of fight. Hopefully they kill this upcoming penalty off

 

[JTX]

ESPN promotion for tonight's Team USA game is "Tune in to see Brett Hull and Chris Chelios tear into Team USA live during the game."

 

[ijuka]

I say Vatanen isn't used properly. His first instict is the shoot and now his apparently been given instructions to pass. He should be used as a blue line threat. Now there are two shooting threats in the same PP and clearly it's not working.

Vatanen is not a shooting threat. There is only 1 shooting threat on that PP.


Where you might have a point though is that the other PP has 0 shooting threats so maybe Vatanen's 0.01 shooting threat factor is higher than that.

 

[Dris]

Just got home how has each team played? More specifically Laine and Komarov?

The best have been Donskoi. Granlund also good... Laine has been not good on the PP

 

[FinnLightning26]

I really don't know what people expected from Laine. The guy is 18 years old, playing his first games in a smaller rink against the best players in the world. Give the kid a break.

 

[canucks20]

None.

Oh relax. Barkov is easily on the Russian team

 

[ViD]

Znarok when will you double shift Malkin line ?

 

[DoubleGold]

Seen a thousand similar interviews of Mikko Koivu *yawn*.