Preferred quarter final opponent of big 5?

Who is your preferred quarter final opponent in a beat on best?

  • Canada

    Votes: 1 6.7%
  • USA

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Sweden

    Votes: 1 6.7%
  • Finland

    Votes: 4 26.7%
  • Russia

    Votes: 9 60.0%

  • Total voters
    15

Czechboy

Easy schedules rule!
Apr 15, 2018
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So I'm curious. Let's say there was a real best on best. And Russia was playing. Everyone is invited. Swiss, Latvia, Czechs and Russians. All players are available from all the leagues.

Here is the question. Who is your preferred quarter final opponent of the big 5? They are all amazing. So I'm curious who everyone would prefer on the way to the semifinals?
 
I voted Russia. I don't have a logical explanation about why. It may be because we beat them the last time we played them in a best on best quarterfinal. However, thinking as I write at the same time, Canada is obviously the worst one to draw in the quarterfinals. That leaves Sweden and Finland. Those two have a track record and history of a very high level of team play regardless of the actual talent on the roster, so they scare me in that sense. I guess that leads me to Russia anyway.

Joke addition: the ideal opponent to draw in the quarterfinal is the USA, because if we play against ourselves, then we win. :P
 
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I voted Russia. I don't have a logical explanation about why. It may be because we beat them the last time we played them in a best on best quarterfinal. However, thinking as I write at the same time, Canada is obviously the worst one to draw in the quarterfinals. That leaves Sweden and Finland. Those two have a track record and history of a very high level of team play regardless of the actual talent on the roster, so they scare me in that sense. I guess that leads me to Russia anyway.

Joke addition: the ideal opponent to draw in the quarterfinal is the USA, because if we play against ourselves, then we win. :P
US are the paper champs right now.. and they are terrifying. They have F and D that can match Canada and G's that can counter the Russian Troika! Canada is Canada. Swedes are never an easy out. Finn's are the most successful at Quarters using best on best Olympics (4 out of 5 at 80%... possible Canada was 80% too but they lost Semi and Bronze - to Finland in Nagano).
 
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Finland has the worst team of the five, so probably them.
I would take a healthy Team Finland over Russia and maybe even Sweden, but Finland lacks depth so an injury to someone like Heiskanen or Barkov drops them below them on paper. We did beat Sweden without Heiskanen in the 4 Nations now that I think about it, with Miro I'd be even more confident. Playing style wise we match up worse against NA opponents though, so it's match up based too.
 
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I would take a healthy Team Finland over Russia and maybe even Sweden, but Finland lacks depth so an injury to someone like Heiskanen or Barkov drops them below them on paper. We did beat Sweden without Heiskanen in the 4 Nations now that I think about it, with Miro I'd be even more confident. Playing style wise we match up worse against NA opponents though, so it's match up based too.
You beat Sweden in OT. An important note.
 
I would take a healthy Team Finland over Russia and maybe even Sweden, but Finland lacks depth so an injury to someone like Heiskanen or Barkov drops them below them on paper. We did beat Sweden without Heiskanen in the 4 Nations now that I think about it, with Miro I'd be even more confident. Playing style wise we match up worse against NA opponents though, so it's match up based too.
I would not. Russia’s weakness, centers, is better than Finland’s weakness, the whole defense.

Finland basically doesn’t have more than one guy who can play an NHL PP on that backend and probably only one real first pairing defenseman.

Miro is great, but let’s not make him into something he’s not. He’s not the best defenseman ever. The reason the defense needs him so much is because he’s the only good defenseman.
 
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Russia. I don't think Finland has lost to them since 1998. Sweden would be another choice. Beating them without Heiskanen in 4 nations was nice enough.
 
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