Olympics: Team Finland 2022

[Stubu]

We all wanted a best on best tourney but didn't get it. Shrugging that aside, it's awesome that the dependable Komarov got one more go at it. Perhaps no more the hilarious wrecking ball that he was. Playing him with somewhat recent NYI teammate Filppula looks smart.

It'll be all about the chemistry rather than skill in the lines, and maybe Anttila the Hun marches out again.

China got a particularly funny tourney. Perhaps they wanted something else.

 

[mattihp]

Pakarinen needs to PP with Härski and Manninen. If Granlund is not suspended, stick him at center with Manninen on the point.

Pakarinen - Granlund - Härski
Manninen - Lehtonen

Pesonen - Filppula (hot player)
Vatanen - Kemiläinen

 

[Mestaruus]

Pakarinen needs to PP with Härski and Manninen. If Granlund is not suspended, stick him at center with Manninen on the point.

Pakarinen - Granlund - Härski
Manninen - Lehtonen

Pesonen - Filppula (hot player)
Vatanen - Kemiläinen

File dared to suggest benching Pakarinen . Pakarinen is full of heart, we've seen that too many times, so can't bench him.

I'm not sure was that OT win the best thing ever. Maybe OT loss could've been better if we wanted to avoid ROC at the semifinal, but they did lose against CZE in the last game so I guess what ever. Of course have to get to semifinals first, but just saying. Sweden is on the path to get USA on their semifinal if the favorites hold their ground. USA and Canada are question marks because of NHL sized rink where all of them played many years as kids. So it will be very interesting to see USA or Canada against European tournament favorites.

 

[FiLe]

File dared to suggest benching Pakarinen

Because I don't have a crystal ball; I can only make calls based on what I've seen, not what is yet to come.

But am I happy that Jalonen didn't agree with me? You can bet your buttons I am.


Looking forward - MaG the warrior of woe again. I wonder if that 5+20 was all he got or if he's going to have to serve a game penalty too. Because if the latter, now he'll have to serve it vs. our QF opponent instead of what would likely have been China.

 

[MoeTheHobo]

Lehtonen and Filppula didn't really click on the pp. The passes were always a bit off

 

[Mestaruus]

If Germany beats USA on either regular time or OT, then Finland is seed 1 and we are on the path to face Sweden again on the semifinal. That sounds more fun than ROC, who was the gold favorite before the tournament and I don't think ROC's loss to CZE changed that.

 

[mattihp]

Lehtonen and Filppula didn't really click on the pp. The passes were always a bit off

Nearly a goal though..

But I too prefer Vatanen and Kemiläinen in the Filppula unit.

 

[Mestaruus]

Looking forward - MaG the warrior of woe again. I wonder if that 5+20 was all he got or if he's going to have to serve a game penalty too. Because if the latter, now he'll have to serve it vs. our QF opponent instead of what would likely have been China.

Indeed. That's what I was thinking during the game as well. Well that will be interesting to see what will happen with that. If MaG has to skip the next game, then I wouldn't mind seeing Pakarinen there in that line. I know that those were mostly PP goals that we scored today, but I wouldn't mind this kind of approach on our first line. I think we can get more out of Pakarinen in some different line that he started the game on.

 

[FiLe]

Indeed. That's what I was thinking during the game as well.

Well, no matter - if MaG has to sit the next game, this result is still by and far a net win for us.

 

[Mestaruus]

Well, no matter - if MaG has to sit the next game, this result is still by and far a net win for us.

That goal against Latvia 5 mins before the end was a big morale booster as well. They must be getting that feeling of coming back from anything now. I mean that was supposed to be a sure win and we lost the lead and scored with not that many minutes left. So that kind of was a come back in my books with the expectations being "a sure win".

Säteri or Olkinuora to the goal is a hard question though. Olkinuora saved that one for sure goal in the first period but on the other hand, usually you can't blame a goalie for PP goals scored against him but I didn't like how in that 3-0 goal, I think it was the captain anton Lander who got an easy goal after Olkinuora bounced the puck. It wasn't flawless game from Olkinuora.

So Olkinuora and Säteri are pretty much tied. Maybe the history of last year's WHC is the deciding factor. He did lead us to the final back then. The way that game was lost against Canada was BS. Finland was the better team 5on5 and 3on3 was Canada's only chance cause they had some NHL star players there. Can't blame Olkinuora for that OT loss. He might as well been the starting championship goalie that tournament, so probably based on all that have to give Olkinuora the starting position over Säteri.

 

[SantosHalper]

This is it, from 0-3 to 4-3 comeback victory against the Swedes, this team now united. Manninen and Hartikainen are scoring like hell, Pesonen and Pakarinen got their goals, Komarov is literally flying everywere on the ice and Nättinen is made for small rink, straight forward game all the time. Björninen is a machine. This has the shades of the 2019 WHC championship team, this is it they are united well oiled machine now.

Defensive zones defensive game aka PaPpi, has been bit insecure but i bet after this win everything fells in to the right place. The discipline is restored.

 

[Mestaruus]

This is it, from 0-3 to 4-3 comeback victory against the Swedes, this team now united. Manninen and Hartikainen are scoring like hell, Pesonen and Pakarinen got their goals, Komarov is literally flying everywere on the ice and Nättinen is made for small rink, straight forward game all the time. Björninen is a machine. This has the shades of the 2019 WHC championship team, this is it they are united well oiled machine now.

Defensive zones defensive game aka PaPpi, has been bit insecure but i bet after this win everything fells in to the right place. The discipline is restored.

It's all looking good now but we might get CZE on the QF. CZE/SUI winner will face Finland if Germany doesn't beat USA in any way now. That game is live now. CZE would be a tough one. They just beat ROC/RUS, but they would be tired from the SUI game perhaps. Back to back days, back to back games for CZE.

Personally I'd love to face Canada or USA at some point of the tournament to see what they are made of. Finland being favored with better roster but NA teams favored with their entire childhood played in small rink. That is their back bone game.

 

[Mestaruus]

Looks like we are destined to face CZE even if we are seed 1 or seed 2. That is if CZE wins their extra round game. In a bizarre way Czech kind of follows us on the playoff bracket, because Germany beating USA would make us seed 1 and Germany would knock down Czech in the seeding, aligning CZE with us again. If USA beats Germany, thus making Finland seed 2 then it's CZE aligned with us again, because then CZE keeps their original seed when GER doesn't overtake them in the seeding.

 

[SantosHalper]

It's all looking good now but we might get CZE on the QF. CZE/SUI winner will face Finland if Germany doesn't beat USA in any way now. That game is live now. CZE would be a tough one. They just beat ROC/RUS, but they would be tired from the SUI game perhaps. Back to back days, back to back games for CZE.

Personally I'd love to face Canada or USA at some point of the tournament to see what they are made of. Finland being favored with better roster but NA teams favored with their entire childhood played in small rink. That is their back bone game.

Doesn't really matter who we face, every game is going to be tough and every has to be won from this point on. This team showed lot of character after two most horrible periods during this 2nd Jalonen-era. This game reminds me of the 2019 WHC QF game against Sweden, Sweden leaded that game twice first 3-1 and then 4-3 and like everybody knows Finland won in OT. I think that was the final piece that unified the team, i see similar traits now.

 

[Mestaruus]

Doesn't really matter who we face, every game is going to be tough and every has to be won from this point on. This team showed lot of character after two most horrible periods during this 2nd Jalonen-era. This game reminds me of the 2019 WHC QF game against Sweden, Sweden leaded that game twice first 3-1 and then 4-3 and like everybody knows Finland won in OT. I think that was the final piece that unified the team, i see similar traits now.

I kind of agree but purely thinking about win chance %, I'd rather be in Sweden's place on this bracket. We may still reach the final regardless, but the road is tougher in my opinion. I'm not suggesting a loss on purpose would've been a good idea, but if it just happened that way where we had lost on OT or regular time. We then would've avoided ROC/RUS and that side of the bracket basically in both of those scenarios. I would've loved to test the very unknown USA & Canada, which haven't faced any euro top teams yet. I predict that Sweden is a finalist after the playoff bracket was shaped that way.

Ice hockey at the 2022 Winter Olympics – Men's tournament - Wikipedia

 

[SantosHalper]

I kind of agree but purely thinking about win chance %, I'd rather be in Sweden's place on this bracket. We may still reach the final regardless, but the road is tougher in my opinion. I'm not suggesting a loss on purpose would've been a good idea, but if it just happened that way where we had lost on OT or regular time. We then would've avoided ROC/RUS and that side of the bracket basically in both of those scenarios. I would've loved to test the very unknown USA & Canada, which haven't faced any euro top teams yet. I predict that Sweden is a finalist after the playoff bracket was shaped that way.

Ice hockey at the 2022 Winter Olympics – Men's tournament - Wikipedia

I would love beat Russia on our way to the finals and would also like to see Finland - Canada gold medal game, but i also have feeling that might meet Sweden again.

 

[David OSullivan]

Czechs/Swiss is the toughest possible qf in my view.

I think I prefer to play roc in semis than final.

It's a tough road but I'm pretty sure Olympic hockey is supposed to be tough.

That QF will be so tough close game. Particularly the Czechs. They're building up.

 

[Czechboy]

Czechs/Swiss is the toughest possible qf in my view.

I think I prefer to play roc in semis than final.

It's a tough road but I'm pretty sure Olympic hockey is supposed to be tough.

That QF will be so tough close game. Particularly the Czechs. They're building up.

Are you saying the bracket has Russia and Finland in Semis if they both win their games?

 

[Mestaruus]

Are you saying the bracket has Russia and Finland in Semis if they both win their games?

Here's the bracket:
Ice hockey at the 2022 Winter Olympics – Men's tournament - Wikipedia

Bottom side of the bracket is probably much harder than the top. Again we don't know anything about Canada and USA really. Small ice helps them. Their rosters are bit worse than many Euro top teams' rosters. It's an interesting mix of unknown and I wish Finland would be there testing them, not Sweden.

 

[Svedu]

Czechs scored 6 against Russia. They are a contender for gold. This will be tough.

 

[Czechboy]

Here's the bracket:
Ice hockey at the 2022 Winter Olympics – Men's tournament - Wikipedia

Bottom side of the bracket is probably much harder than the top. Again we don't know anything about Canada and USA really. Small ice helps them. Their rosters are bit worse than many Euro top teams' rosters. It's an interesting mix of unknown and I wish Finland would be there testing them, not Sweden.

Thank you... so 2 best teams (Russia/Finland) ended up in same bracket.

 

[Czechboy]

Czechs scored 6 against Russia. They are a contender for gold. This will be tough.

We have to beat Switzerland. Not even thinking about Finland.. however, our path to Gold is like this

Switzerland.. Finland... most likely Russia and then Canada. I'm not liking those odds at all and I really like our team!

 

[Mestaruus]

Czechs scored 6 against Russia. They are a contender for gold. This will be tough.

Czech and ROC are the nightmare teams for me to face and luckily if Czechs manage to beat SUI, then Czechs are going to feel that in their legs at some point next day when they would face Finland. For that I think that Finland wins it but against ROC I'm not so sure. It's truly a coinflip against ROC.

 

[Czechboy]

Czech and ROC are the nightmare teams for me to face and luckily if Czechs manage to beat SUI, then Czechs are going to feel that in their legs at some point next day when they would face Finland. For that I think that Finland wins it but against ROC I'm not so sure. It's truly a coinflip against ROC.

Finn's got a very tough draw IMO. Swiss are also very hard to play against if you get them.

 

[Mestaruus]

Thank you... so 2 best teams (Russia/Finland) ended up in same bracket.

Before the tournament I said that EHT nations are the favorites and that stands. 3/4 of the EHT teams are on the bottom side of the bracket and the only EHT team on the top side Sweden will go to the final. That's what I think.