Anton Lundell’s game does not leak even in the finals. It is a great indication of the exceptional maturity of a youngster playing only his second NHL season, writes NHL reporter Tommi Seppälä.
SUNRISE. Sometimes the brilliance of an exceptional individual in hockey does not stick to the retinas of the general public, especially in North America, which relies on a strong star cult.
Goal scorers and goalkeepers who make parade saves end up in the headlines and stars, sometimes over the general players who quietly do irreplaceable things in the background in terms of winning.
of Florida Anton Lundell has shown his ability to make an impact in the NHL – even in the finals – but sometimes this falls into the latter category due to his versatility. For players whose overall brilliance on the rink goes unnoticed by the general public.
It would be fair to say that the situation with Lundell right now is along these lines.
Anton Lundell is currently not among the talking points of the Stanley Cup finals caravan at the reporters’ morning coffee or lunch tables. Neither good nor bad.
Much more should be said about Lundell.
It’s a good time anyway, at what level is the youngest player in the final series, only 21 years old, playing the game. And now we are talking specifically about reliable sixty-meter play down to the smallest details that can be executed with quality.
There are no leaks in Anton Lundell’s game, even in the final stage. It is a great indication of the exceptional maturity of a youngster playing only his second NHL season. It is also the reason why the HIFK-backed center forward leads his own chain and is often the first to slide onto the ice to kill the puck.
It’s good to understand that Finnish hockey history doesn’t really know a similar story. Esa Tikkanen played in the NHL finals already in his twenties. They did that when they were a year older Teuvo Teräväinen and Jesperi Kotkaniemibut at the age of 21 they were nowhere near the level of the current Lundell in terms of comprehensiveness.
A Florida pilot who has seen it all Paul Maurice not coincidentally playing Lundell with an average of 18 minutes.
Lundell is a player who is capable of playing a very high-quality and reliable puck game even in the merciless finals. The young Finn is one of only four Florida forwards who have not had a single turnover in the finals. Under the intense pressure of Vegas, this is a tough performance.
On the other hand, without the puck, Lundell takes care of the back pressure and defensive duties already like a conker. Lundell’s playing is smooth skating, good positioning and high-quality defense with stick pressure.
Only very few, truly exceptional individuals are able to do this intact, I would like to say even to almost flawless play in the tough NHL playoff world. Lundell doesn’t need to be dragged along anymore, the situation is rather the other way around.
When Florida’s game didn’t take in Las Vegas to get started, the coaching staff moved Lundell Alexander Barkov chain to wake up the team’s Finnish star. And be that as it may, after a while the game tool was found on the Vegas network.
Lundell is quickly becoming a completely irreplaceable two-way glue player for Florida who can be thrown into practically any chain to bring energy, puck skills and balance. The fact that a young Finnish man is ready for this at only 21 years old is truly puzzling and, even in a broader perspective, exceptional in every way.
The statistics support the hype.
Lundell’s joker is the only one of Florida’s top three chains that hasn’t scored a single goal in the five-on-five finals. In dangerous goal positions, Lundell is on the plus side both personally and at the chain level.
And here we should not forget the level of competition.
Lundell has played the most five-on-five in the finals, among other things Mark Stone, Chandler Stephenson, Ivan Barbašov and Jack Eichel against. Lundell has won the dangerous goal posts against every player mentioned above. The performance is a great story from a 21-year-old player!
And there’s nothing wrong with the results either. Three matches in the finals were 1+1. It can only be found in front Matthew Tkachuk. Barkov’s balance is 0+0.
Crazy is the story and tough is the level at which such a young player operates in such tough games.
In the age of individualism, Anton Lundell is exceptional and the best example for many young Finnish juniors. We live in a golden age of star cults and overemphasis on individual skill, but winning as a team is still the deep core of hockey. Lundell has understood this at an early age – and what kind of things can best help the team win.
Unfortunately, those performances are not often found in YouTube compilations.
You can watch the goal composition of the third final in the video below. The final series continues on Sunday morning at three o’clock Finnish time. The match can be seen on TV2 and Areena.