The topic of the week was Toronto Morgan Rielly the crash and the ensuing code talk after the heated Ottawa fight.
of Ottawa Ridley Greig reached the end of the match with the puck freely towards the empty goal and unexpectedly decided to hit the empty net with a hard shot.
This was perceived in the Toronto camp as an action against the hockey code. Rielly attacked the Ottawa attacker and hit him in the face with a cross stick.
On Wednesday, the NHL handed the defender a five-game suspension.
– I don’t think Rielly is so stupid as to intentionally hit him in the face with a crossbow. It was a hot game anyway, so I think the third loss to Ottawa was a bit emotional, NHL expert Ismo Lehkonen ponders.
– It must have been a coincidence on the way that the crossbar rose so high. After that, there is really no other option but to hand out a suspension.
Lehkonen had nothing bad to say about Ottawa forward Greig’s actions.
– In that situation, he hardly understood what would follow. The guy was probably just a little bit of a fan and decided to pour his soul into the cage.
Lehkonen had a clear vision for the code discussion. According to a very experienced puck man, the ice hockey code exists and is well understood, but Lehkonen did not know that hitting the puck into the net would break the code.
Who surprised?
Philadelphia Flyers, and should I say it again. The surprise of the autumn season went to the star match break at the end of January with a five-game losing streak, and the team’s flight was considered to be broken in many places.
Operating with limited player material, Philadelphia’s downward spiral was thought to begin in February.
What else.
Fresh and sharp Flyers returned from the break, and are currently on a four-game winning streak. Head coach To John Tortorella must give a big feather in the hat not only from work during the break, but also from the season as a whole.
– Before the break, it looked like they had run out of gas, but they came out of the break really on foot and fresh. It surprised me, Lehkonen praises.
The Flyers’ win has been expected all season, but after the latest promotion, the promotion to the playoffs is starting to look more and more likely.
The team is currently in third place in its division and on the playoff line with six points. When you take into account the previous seasons’ defeats, the quality of the player material as well as the preliminary expectations, you have a giant bang on your hands.
Lehkonen still finds an area that needs improvement.
– Their possession efficiency is 12.9 percent, the second lowest in the entire league. They even mess up the game a bit when they get the upper hand, says Lehkonen.
Who cheated?
The well-known online media The Athletic published an article in which the Russian players of the NHL lamented Russia’s exclusion from international hockey.
The Russian players were presented in the story as victims, who have been deprived of the opportunity to compete against the best in the international arena. The article did not ask the Russian players about the country’s war of aggression in Ukraine.
The NHL has banned the North American media from asking one question regarding Ukraine.
– Russians are protected in this matter. At times, with red ears, he listens to how the Russians are praised and brought to the fore, even if there are hardly any spectators. I’ve been waiting because there they start asking the players for their opinion on what’s going on in Ukraine, Ismo Lehkonen’s line.
The North American media following the NHL have closed their eyes to the Russian war of aggression. Aleksander Ovechkin still poses with Vladimir Putin in his Instagram profile picture. This doesn’t bother the NHL media, as it follows goal by goal how the big guy is chasing Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goal record.
There is no understanding from Lehkon to complain about the fact that the Russians have been shut out of the international puck.
– There is nothing unfair about that. They cannot participate in international ice hockey. When we are still thinking about how to take sports science forward in a state-led manner, then the game will also be stopped here after the whistle, says Lehkonen, referring to doping.
Goal of the week
As the goal of the week, we highlight the wonderful goal scored by Colorado’s Finnish duo against Washington. Artturi Lehkonen received the puck with an upper hand in front of the goal back to the goal, but knew Rantanen’s location and delivered the pass nicely between the legs.
It was easy for Rantä to hit the puck into the net. The 4–2 hit was the winning goal of the match. Ismo Lehkonen’s son, Artturi, who recently returned from a long injury, recorded 2+2 performances in the match.
– After a long pause, everything comes together at the beginning like in a speeded-up movie and the game goes from there. It takes time. Of course, Arsi is also one of those players who, after a few losses, had to raise his hand that more should be brought to the counter, the father evaluates his son’s achievements.
What next?
The NHL’s transfer deadline approaches in the second week of March. In advance of the hot names Elias Lindholm already had time to change from Calgary to Vancouver and Sean Monahan Montreal to Winnipeg.
There are still more deals to come and maybe a Finnish player will change scenery. Philadelphian has been mentioned in the North American media as the latest potential Finnish mover Rasmus Ristolainen.
Lehkonen brought up three Finnish names, one of them surprising.
Kasperi Kapanen is the most surprising of Lehkonen’s withdrawals. In short, Kapanen has played a weak season, and a contract worth more than three million does not make trading easy. Lehkonen still believes that there could be demand.
– Many teams could be interested in Kapanen’s legs. I watched his last game and his legs look good, Lehkonen spins.
Nashville goaltender Juuse Saros is the clearest of the names. Saros belongs to the league’s absolute goalkeeper elite and he still has an affordable contract of around five million dollars with one year left. There would certainly be a demand for Saros if the club just wants to sell him.
– The third name is Ristolainen. He has gotten rid of old bad habits. Dallas, Tampa, Toronto, New Jersey, Edmonton and Los Angeles could very well be good options for him. But it always comes down to what it costs and whether it is necessary to keep part of the salary in Philadelphia and so on.
Mikael Granlund as well Kaapot Kakko and Kähkönen are other Finns whose names have been brought up in North America as possible targets for a player trade.
The Ika änäri podcast is published on Thursdays. You can find all the episodes in this link.