Finland’s Mikko Rantanen to miss Olympic bronze medal game with injury
Finland will be without another star player for their bronze-medal game against Slovakia, as Mikko Rantanen will not be playing due to a lower-body injury, as reported by Finnish media.
Mikko Rantanen ulos kokoonpanosta! Tässä Leijonien ketjut pronssiotteluun leijonat.com/2026/02/21/lei… #Leijonat
Rantanen was hurt in third period of yesterday's game vs Canada. Will be re-evaluated when he returns to Dallas regarding severity & timeline of injury. EDIT: Apparently not concern this is season-ending...but exact severity TBD
Mikko Rantanen is not playing the Bronze Medal game for Finland. There are reports in Finnish media he has a lower-body injury
At this point in time, the cause of Rantanen’s injury is not known, aside from the injury coming at some point in the third period of Finland’s semifinal game against Canada on Friday. Finland received some criticism for Rantanen’s deployment in the game, as he played just 16:09, but it’s possible the lack of ice time may have been due to the injury.
There is also no confirmation on how long Rantanen is expected to be out with the lower-body injury, but he is expected to be re-evaluated when he returns to play with the Dallas Stars. The injury is not expected to be season-ending, but the exact severity of the injury has yet to be determined.
Rantanen was excellent for Finland in this Olympic tournament, as he finishes with two goals and four assists for six points in five games. He’s also been stellar for the Stars this season with 20 goals and 49 assists for 69 points in 54 games.
Oliver Kapanen is expected to take Rantanen’s place on the top line alongside Sebastian Aho and Artturi Lehkonen. Kapanen has only drawn into two games for Finland, and has yet to get a point in the tournament. He’s also having a great rookie season with the Montreal Canadiens, where he has 18 goals and 13 assists for 31 points in 57 games.
Eeli Tolvanen will draw into the lineup in place of Rantanen after missing the semifinal game against Canada, skating on the fourth line with Erik Haula and Joel Armia. He has one goal in four games in the tournament, along with 11 goals and 20 assists for 31 points in 55 games with the Seattle Kraken this season.
The injury is a big blow to the Finnish lineup, as they have already been without Aleksander Barkov in the tournament after the Florida Panthers captain sustained an ACL and MCL injury during training camp. Now without their top two forwards, the Finns will hope to capture bronze for the fifth time in the last six Olympic tournaments.