Finland progressed to the top four in the under-20 hockey world championships. According to expert Topi Nättinen, there is really a lot to shake in Finland, especially when playing on a flat field.
Finland’s under-20 national ice hockey team advanced to the semi-finals of the World Cup in Edmonton by beating Germany 5–2. On the night before Saturday, Nuoret Leijonat will face Sweden in the World Cup semi-final played on Finnish time.
Sports expert Top Nättinen highlights three excerpts from Finnish excerpts.
1. More questions than answers
The Young Lions won the match against Germany with a 2+2 record Roby Järventien under. However, according to Nättinen, the match left more question marks in terms of gameplay.
– At the beginning, the game seemed to be in really good control, but somehow the grip slipped away. We started to stand and wonder and a difficult game was built from that. The World Cup semi-final is always a great achievement, but unfortunately there were more question marks about how the attacking game and Alivoima worked against stronger countries, Nättinen says.
According to Nättinen, Finland has defended at an ok level, gained the upper hand and used them to their advantage, but the five-on-five offensive game has been left behind.
– Finland does not get long attacks. Anesthetizing the opponent and gaining momentum is exhausting, says Nättinen.
– Getting to the next round always causes pressure and it certainly has an effect, but Finland should have prepared itself better game-wise, physically and mentally for the next match.
2. Underpower weak
Finland’s superiority has worked extremely well, with 59.09 percent certainty, but Alivoima has been correspondingly the weakest in the tournament, with only 45.45 percent. With the best teams in the tournament, Alivoima works more than 80 percent of the time.
– You have to be worried about that. I wouldn’t build a crisis out of this, because Finland has the skill and especially the know-how to play underpowered. With small tweaks and scouting of the opponent, it can certainly be fixed. Now we have to avoid that it does not become a crisis, and Finland would be even more passive. Finland has to risk even activating the underforce, because it can’t get any worse, says Nättinen.
According to Nättinen, Finland plays its understrength too passively.
– After clearing pucks, the opponent can easily get into the area and calm down the game easily. It is stationary and somewhat passive. We don’t react to loose pucks or the opponent’s bad passes, says Nättinen.
3. Chains lost
Finland has won matches, but it has been difficult to find attacking chains that work on a level playing field. Nättinen sees that, thinking about the championship, the team should have three good offensive chains, but sometimes two can be enough.
According to Nättinen, the best chain in Finland so far has been formed Kasper Simontaival – Joel Määtä – Roby Järventie.
– In ice hockey, you usually need three chains and now we have maybe one and a half fields. No chain has played all games well, especially five against five. In Finland, you can’t really find chains that would support the team, take them forward and put pressure on the other end, says Nättinen.
According to Nättinen, Finland should have at least two chains working at the offensive end in order to continue.
– In many tournaments Finland’s game has looked better and has been a confident Philis. Now there is really a lot to do, especially with five against five, for the team to get faith and spirit. Finland is still close to the medal, but I’m not terribly confident yet, Nättinen concludes.
The World Cup semi-final between Finland and Sweden will be played on Saturday, August 20. at 3:00 Finnish time. Canada and the Czech Republic will meet in the second semi-final. The match starts on Friday 19.8. at 23:00.