According to the expert, Mikael Granlund rose to elite center in the NHL this season. Ismo Lehkonen expects Granlund to get his place in Leijon as well.
15.5. 06:42 • Updated May 15 08:50
The Lions won the second match of the World Championships in Latvia on Saturday night Mikael Granlundin led by goals 2–1. Sports Expert Ismo Lehkonen raises three points from the game of Lions in this story.
1. Granlund as a center?
To be the number one forward in the chain Sakari Mannisen and Teemu Hartikainen Raised to the side, Granlund finished the Latvian net with a score of 1 + 1.
– The first field did not have an awful lot of goals against five out of five, as Finland had a total of seven. Special situation gaming is different, and we know how good “Mikke” is at spinning superiority. The finish came when he got in the palm of his hand, from where he also spins in the NHL. He saw the opening, decided to try and it solved the game, Lehkonen says.
Lehkonen expects Granlund to be in the center of his choice in Leo. According to an expert who watched a lot of Nashville matches this season, Granlund, who played in the NHL as a centerpiece, was one of the biggest reasons why the Predators made it to the playoffs at all.
– He finally broke into an elite center in the NHL this year. He oxidized early in the season Matt Duchenen and Filip Forsbergin union. With a quarter remaining in the season, Granlund moved on to another chain and was able to play good winning hockey with new piers.
– The coach has a big nut to crack to see if the dock is right for him. Here, too, came four hard tackles that he had to take as a dock. However, we can’t afford to lose some quality dude in vain that he has to play in a not-so-unique spot.
2. Lions committed to the defense game
According to Lehkonen, the first matches have already shown that Finland is once again able to keep its opponents in a few goals. The Lions have conceded only one goal in two matches.
– Everyone sees that any country was up against, Finnish players are committed to defensive play at the individual level. Everyone understands and everyone disciplines the defensive game as well as the different stages of the bitter game. It’s a big element in the winning hockey that everyone is 100% committed to the defense game system, Lehkonen says.
3. Here’s a remedy for a sticky offensive game
– In my opinion, the attacking game of lions is sticky and tangled due to the lack of skating on the discs, Lehkonen says.
According to Lehkonen, an offensive game would be better if non-puck players participated in the game with the maximum bet.
– Lions need to be more physical than a puck, that the game is not just about slipping. It takes grueling footwork for the attacking game to really start working.
– No one in international tournaments or tough matches is a player who can do miracles alone. Not even Mikael Granlund. Differences are made in the operation of the discs. Those players need to come out to blink.
The sticky offensive game was also affected by Latvia’s intense defensive play. Lehkonen would like to thank Latvia.
– Latvia gave the Lions coaching team and the team a toolbox to consider how to try to break the 1-3-1 staircase. It was pretty slimy. Finland’s normal control output did not work at all. In the third installment, through a few hints, Finland got through from the right side, thank you Joel Armian.
Finland will play next against the United States next Monday. The match starts at 20.20.