A third of the 60-match regular season of the Ice Hockey Championship League has not been played. Sports expert Top Nättinen catching up on the league’s most interesting phenomena and already peeking into spring.
Rämpävä Tappara
Tampere’s Tappara, who won the three previous Finnish championships, is in a rare situation. It has lost five games in a row in regular time.
It is the most since 2011, when kirvesrinno accumulated seven losing games in regular time.
It is only seventh in the league table, although there is six points behind Rauma Lukko, which is at the top. For Tappara, what is worrying is its defensive game. During the previous five matches, the team has rung 27 times.
– It’s a really worrying sign. On paper, it’s easy to fix, but along with scoring goals, it’s one of the most difficult things in hockey, Urheilu’s expert Top Nättinen states.
The players have changed a lot since last year. At the same time, last season’s speedy vertical hockey has changed.
The goalkeeping game has stopped.
– There has been a delayed start and composure in the game. It may have confused the team. At the individual level Juha Metsola has not been able to patch Christian Heljanko. In the five previous matches, the save percentage has always started at a standstill.
For years, Tappara has had a large number of high-quality core players. Nättinen sees that there is now a shortage of such.
Last season, among other things Anton Levtchi and Petri Kontiola bore a great responsibility. The expert already thought before the season that the team lacks virtuoso players.
– They stayed in the team Christian Tanus and Nicholas Halloran. Acquired Julius Mattila and Aapeli Räsänen are very different styles of players. John Quenneville is a good goal scorer at his best, but he can’t make a game alone either.
– There is a lot of coverall department. Tappara is a hard and hard-working team, but they have not been in the pack Otto Leskinen defenders like Skill play was a question mark before the season, but now the problems are also on the defensive end.
Coincidence or not, the team had a weak period around the same time last season. Since Boxing Day, it lost its matches on 9/11. In spring Rikard Grönborgin however, the Tampere team he coached was unstoppable.
Nättinen does not count Tappara out of the championship fight this time either.
– If it gets most of the team in shape, Tappara has a composition to fight for the championship. It may even be a good thing for them that they squat so big.
– It forces the club to think about why we are in this situation. If anyone in this country knows how to win the Finnish championship after difficulties, it is Tappara.
Cheered up Kärpät
Kärpät was a crisis team in the SM league at the end of autumn. There was speculation about the head coach To Ville Mäntymä with kicks.
At the moment, people from Oulu are slipping strongly. It has seven wins out of the eight previous matches.
Teemu Turunen has shown his value to the team. Turunen, who recovered from an injury at the beginning of December, has been at a point per game pace since his return.
– Mikko Myllykoski your line as an inexperienced sports director is to invest in the players first, and then think about other things. Turunen could easily play in other European leagues and be one of the best players there. His absence was certainly noticeable.
Seen the world Ville Pokka and Swedish Marcus Björk have brought solidity to the Kärppie freezer. Underachievers Victor Berglund mixed Martin Jandus were allowed to leave.
– Even though Poka has had a long rehabilitation period, he can help the team even when he is 80 percent fit.
Awesome Standings
Lukko, SaiPa, Ilves, HIFK, Ässät, KalPa, Tappara and Kiekko-Espoo.
Hardly anyone could guess that the top eight will look like this, when the last third of the 60-game regular season has not been played.
Eight points separate Luko and Kiekko-Espoon, which is in eighth place.
Ilves and Luko’s GPA is currently below 1.80.
– If they continue at this pace, less than 110 points are needed to win the regular season. It has never been seen in a regular season of 60 games and with three points. The last time Jokerit won with a lower point average was in 2013 (111).
– It tells about the fact that all the teams have played really fluctuating from top to bottom. There have always been teams that have been able to play at a really hard level. Now we are far from the winner of the regular season having +120 points. No one has escaped.
There’s plenty to be excited about on every side of the standings. The top four in the regular season advance directly to the quarterfinals.
Those who reach places 5–12 play each other in a playoff series, the winners of which advance to the top eight.
– Now it feels like Vitonen can lose to the one who is 12th. The series is so flat. The teams will only get stronger, so there are no free point machines.
A surprising favorite?
Tomi Lämsän coached by Lukko has surprised many. It’s hard to pick spring favorites from a flat pack, but Nättinen flies the flag for the people of Rauma.
– HIFK has really relied on one chain. Tappara is definitely not a clear champion favorite. Ilves has had many difficult periods and injuries. Everyday life has come for SaiPal too, but with their super winning streak, they can now afford to play evenly.
– Lukko is a team that I have watched with interest all season. The composition is well cast. Joni Ortion with that, they have a really strong goalkeeper department. Confidence is really hard. The game is on, and they have a top coach for it. The only question mark is whether they have the ability to stretch.
The settings for the spring games are delicious.
– It is a historically rare spring. There is no one who will take it for sure.