Finland’s team captain is suspended in the quarter-final against Sweden – which has led to great anger.
Now Sam Hallam breaks the anger about the Finnish performance.
– It’s like apples and pears, he says.
It was in the last group stage match against Switzerland that Finland’s Mikael Granlund cross-checked an opponent in the face. The measure led to great anger, not least as the match was meaningless from Finland, who were already ready to face Sweden in the quarter-finals before the match.
The story about Dahlin
Mikael Granlund is the captain of the Finnish team and an important player in the power play. Granlund also has more than ten years of playing in the NHL on his track record. On Wednesday, it was clear that Granlund will be suspended in the quarter-final against Sweden, which will be played on Thursday evening, and it is thus a key player that Finland is forced to do without.
When Finland found out about Granlund’s suspension, they chose to respond – by attacking Tre Kronor star Rasmus Dahlin.
– Rasmus Dahlin pushed an elbow into the head of an opponent the other day without being suspended. So then I don’t think Mikael should be suspended either, says national team captain Jukka Jalonen to Expressen.
Sam Hallam’s answer
How Sam Hallam views the situation with Granlund – or the comparison with Rasmus Dahlin – has been unclear. But for SVT, Sweden’s national team captain is now speaking about the Finnish performance.
– I don’t want to compare those situations, it’s a bit like apples and pears, says Hallam.
Sam Hallam believes, however, that the match will be different now that Granlund is forced to stand over.
– It changes the conditions a bit, but I’m sure that Finland has good players at the back who can step in, he says.
However, Adrian Kempe is more clear about how heavy it is for Finland.
– He is a very good player and he has controlled and set up their powerplay well, so it is clear that it is a heavy break for them, he says.
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