‘Their star power is massive’: Finland preparing to take on Canada in Olympic semifinals
It took some late heroics and a dramatic comeback in the quarterfinal, but Team Finland will be playing for a medal at the Olympic Games in Milan.
Whether the Finns find themselves in the gold medal game or going for bronze will come down to whether or not they can put together an upset for the ages against Team Canada.
“We’re gonna throw everything we have,” Sebastian Aho told Sportsnet’s Luke Fox on Thursday.” “[We] obviously [need] the best game we can play to have a chance to beat them. That’s a great challenge for us, but it should be a fun one.”
It was Aho’s clutch heroics that kickstarted Finland’s comeback from 2-0 down to rally past Team Switzerland for a 3-2 overtime win on Wednesday.
Aho’s goal was followed by an equalizer from Miro Heiskanen, and then Arturri Lehkonen came through in overtime to send Finland to the semifinal.
Friday’s opponent, the Canadians, required similar dramatics to secure their spot in the semifinal, as Team Czechia nearly stunned the hockey world before Mitch Marner’s overtime winner quashed its upset bid.
Even as the Canadians showed some vulnerability on Wednesday, the Finns know well that Canada is a uniquely imposing challenge, even against an Olympic backdrop that has produced some of the most talented rosters the sport has ever seen.
“I think [David Pastrnak] said it’s probably the best team ever,” Mikko Rantanen told TSN’s Mark Masters. “I would probably agree with that with the players they have.”
For Rantanen and Aho, who join Roope Hintz as the team’s most prolific offensive talents, Wednesday’s game is another opportunity to cement their standing as clutch players against quality opponents.
Neither Aho nor Rantanen has turned 30 yet, and they are both in the top 20 among active NHL players in Stanley Cup Playoff points.
If Canada has a weakness, it comes on the back end and between the pipes. Both Rantanen and Aho are more than capable of making the Canadians pay for even a momentary lapse in focus.
For goaltender Juuse Saros, the challenge against Canada will be finding a consistent level. The Nashville Predators‘ backstop has been phenomenal at times in this tournament, but his inconsistency got the Finns in trouble against Team Slovakia in the opener and nearly cost them their tournament at the start of the quarterfinal.
“Their star power is massive,” Saros told Masters. “Probably the biggest challenge for this tournament.”
The Canadians may be without captain Sidney Crosby, but he’s just one factor in the waves of threats Jon Cooper’s squad can throw over the boards. Connor McDavid and Macklin Celebrini have teamed up to dominate the tournament on the first line.
Saros, along with Dallas Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen, will have to find a way to keep that line in check.
They’ll have help. Finland is well-known at the international level for a commitment to team defense that can result in play more effective than the sum of its parts. Having centers like Aho and Anton Lundell in the lineup who excel in their 200-foot games helps, too.
The Finns earned bronze in 2014 and 2010 and the silver in 2006, the last three Olympics featuring NHL participation. They’re one win away from guaranteeing a fourth straight Olympic medal in international best-on-best.
If that can come Friday against Canada, they’ll deliver one of the biggest moments in their storied hockey history.