The Finns have stepped forward when match series had to be decided, writes Urheilu’s NHL editor Tommi Seppälä.
Tommi SeppäläNHL reporter
The Finnish team is a very tired expression used too often in the NHL. There are no Finnish teams in the NHL, period. Now, however, we have an exceptional Finnish story in the league’s playoffs – the Finns have been building the biggest championship favorite from Florida.
Florida advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals for the second year in a row. Anton Lundell initially Eetu Luostarinen with the winning goal Vladimir Tarasenko 2-1 hit.
When Florida knocked off Boston in the second round, Lundell hit the equalizer and scored the game-winning goal. When the Panthers dealt the final blow to Tampa in the opening round, Alexander Barkov served the opening goal and scored the next two himself.
Last year, Barkov passed Matthew Tkachuk the game-winning goal as Florida advanced to the finals. In the stoppage game of the opening round against Boston, Lundell registered 0+2 performances, and Barkov was building the team’s last-minute equalizer.
Florida doesn’t have a weak spot
Barkov is a superior candidate for the most valuable player in the playoffs: everything has been said about his near-perfect two-way play, and superlatives are experiencing inflation.
Less has been said about the importance of Lundell and Luostarinen in the triple chain. It is the top level of the trio that makes Florida particularly high-quality, deep and dangerous. As excellent all-round players, the duo with Tarasenko not only shines in end, corner and goal advantage twists, but are able to darken any chain.
The trio played together in the Rangers series for about half an hour and mainly the opponent’s most dangerous trio, Vincent Trochek led by the second against. The end result? Five against five goals for Florida 2-0 and only four scoring opportunities from the first sector.
In the same way, the defender colossus dominated at the stern Niko Mikkola. He also played the most in the series against Rangers’ second line, but lost 5-for-5 games only to Trocheck (1–2). Otherwise, Mikkola mostly won his games and or broke the tie.
Mikkola’s playing is effortlessly elegant and effective. While the huge defenseman has size and vision, he doesn’t need to sprint around the court chasing tackles and blocks. Smooth movement, positioning and timely club pressure often get the job done.
The Finns have earned their praise, but they are only part of the machinery that plays at a high level. Florida looks like a collective without weaknesses, and as part of this whole it is easy for an individual to succeed.
Each chain and pair of defenders brings to the table a contribution of top quality, and on the other hand, a bit of their own look. In the completed series, no fewer than eight players scored at least two goals. During the entire spring, ten players have already managed three hits.
For example, the corresponding figure for Edmonton and Dallas is eight.
The whole is crowned by a gameplay that works like a well-oiled machine. Florida plays tenaciously and determinedly through the end and grinds the juice out of the opponent there as the series progresses. This was also the case against the Rangers, although in the last game Florida also created scoring chances from direct attacks.
Florida’s game has the rhythms of the modern era and the control game in the middle area works excellently. In the offensive game of the attacking zone, it is extremely strong in the corners and behind the goal, and it makes great use of the blue line. When you combine this with deep and really high-quality player material, you have a real hell machine.
If Florida takes its train to the terminal station, we can talk about the Finnish Stanley Cup win of all time. In 1987, the pitcher was raised Jari Kurri, Esa Tikkanen and Reijo Rotsalainenbut since then the championship has never been won with such a wide Finnish team – especially with all the players playing such significant roles.
Another Finnish mafia rules in Dallas. Its rise to the final would crown the Finnish spring.