In the nine-game NHL round, several Finns managed to score. Carolina was unable to narrow Boston’s lead in the Eastern Conference, while Colorado’s difficult season continued in the West.
Pertti Lappalainen,
STT Sports
Florida in the ice hockey NHL Eetu Luostarinen broke his single-season scoring record. The Finn managed to score when the team lost to St.Louis 2–6 in the away bowl. Luostarinen finished his team’s 1-3 reduction at the end of the second period, but Florida could not get a strong start at any point.
The forward has hit 13+14 times this season. In the last five matches, Luostarinen has managed five power points. Florida’s other Finns Anton Lundell and Alexander Barkov missed points in the match.
The loss was a bad setback for Florida, which is struggling for a playoff spot. The team is in tenth place in the Eastern Conference, two points behind eighth-placed Washington. However, Florida has played more games than Washington and the teams ahead of it.
You can find the league tables of the NHL on teletext at this link.
Carolina, which is in a strong mood, won away from Washington. Teuvo Teräväinen caught the assist by Stefan Noesen to a power play goal at the end of the second period. The hit was the winning goal of the match. In the light of power points, Teräväinen, who is playing a weak season, is now on a four-game point streak.
At the same time, Carolina has won eight of their last ten matches. The results of the sharp season are 6+20 after the night’s match.
The New Jersey Devils, who are breathing down Carolina’s neck in third place in the conference, beat league jumbo Columbus 3–2 on their away trip. The Finns of the match, from New Jersey Erik Haula and Columbus Patrick Lainegot the assists to the man.
Defeats for Finns in matches between top teams
Western Conference leader Dallas hosts series leader Boston. The home team’s number one center Roope Hintz scored his team’s 1–1 equalizer in the opening set. Dallas was close to victory for a long time, but in the middle of the final set Pavel Zacha brought Boston up to par.
Czech striker in overtime David Pastrnak scored the win for the visitors. With the exception of Hintz, the other Dallas Finns were left without power points. The team’s star defender Miro Heiskanen played no less than 31 minutes, but at the same time he was on the field during two setbacks.
In last season’s final replay, Tampa Bay defeated Colorado in a 4-3 shootout. The home team Artturi Lehkonen scored the opening goal of the match less than a minute into the game. Partly due to Colorado’s injury concerns, the attacker, who rose to the first chain, has scored 16+19 in 48 matches.
Tampa, who experienced a final loss last summer, first came back to level after two goals and one more goal in the final set. A konkar striker in the shootout Steven Stamkos was the only one who succeeded. Mikko Rantanen failed in the decisive Colorado attempt.
Colorado is in a tight battle for a playoff spot. The team is seventh in its conference. Minnesota and Calgary are behind the reigning champion team by the same number of points.
In the “jumbo final” of the round, Montreal, the runner-up in the Eastern Conference, defeated Chicago, the last-placed player in the Western Conference, 4–0. A Finnish striker who plays like his team throughout Vaisua Joel Armia gave Montreal a 2–0 lead with his fourth goal of the season in the closing set.
Armia was also making the last pass of the game, Christian Dvorak too scored goal. The match was the first of the season for the forward from Pori, where he both scored and assisted a goal. Montreal is on a budding winning streak after winning three games in a row.