Canada vs. Finland – Live Stream, Tips and Olympic Hockey Match Preview
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in Olympics 16 Feb 2021
Sidney Crosby (credit: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
It’ll be a knock-down, drag-out battle for first in Group B and a round of 12-bye as undefeateds Canada and Finland come together this evening in the final clash of Group play action in the Olympic hockey draw.
The game is scheduled to start at 17:00 GMT.
In the UK, the game airs live on BBC’s interactive service, while live coverage is available online with bet365.
Get Canada vs. Norway coverage here:
Preview:
It’s been relatively smooth sailing for the favored Canadians thusfar, as they beat lesser-lights Norway (3-1) and Austria (6-0) in the first two games of their tournament. Goaltending and strong defense were the hallmarks of the victory, with the opposition coming away with just 43 combined shots in the two contests, but there were some offensive heroes as well.
Winger Jeff Carter posted a hat trick against the Austrians on Friday, and is quickly establishing himself as a strong candidate to play on the wing alongside superstar Sidney Crosby as the tournament progresses. Carter is a sharpshooter for the Los Angeles Kings of the NHL, but his three goals took almost everyone by surprise on Friday, as he had received limited ice time on Thursday against Norway, and was even considered a possibility for a scratch in the Austria game. His performance should cement him as a top-6 performer for the team, though, and it will be interesting to see if head coach Mike Babcock lines him up alongside Crosby in this key game against the Finns.
Speaking of Crosby, Sid the Kid has been remarkably quiet to start the tournament, with just 1 assist on 9 Team Canada goals. Now, he’ll be the first to tell you that individual stats don’t matter, so long as the team is having success, but he is counted upon by the Canadians to be an offensive game breaker, and so his slow start is ringing some alarm bells across the hockey-mad nation. Still, he is the undisputed best player in the world, and should be a sure bet to ratchet up his game when the situation merits it. Sunday is just such a situation.
Like Canada, the second-ranked Finns came out on top in both contests against Norway and Austria, though theirs were a bit more eventful: they beat the Austrians 8-4 to start the tournament, and then blitzed the Norwegians by a 6-1 scoreline in their second game. Clearly, goal scoring, which had been pointed at as being a deficiency in the Finnish game on paper, is something the team needn’t worry about going forward.
Leading the charge for the Finns thusfar has been veteran center Olli Jokinen, who has 2 goals and 3 assists to lead all points scorers in the tournament. Considered a third of fourth line center at the outset of the tournament, injuries to both Mikko Koivu and Valtteri Filppula thrust Jokinen into the first line spotlight, and he has shone for his team in the early going. He lined up alongside Jussi Jokinen and Tuomo Ruutu, on a Finnish first line laden with NHL experience and skill.
As he has been for the Pittsburgh Penguins all season, 19-year old defenseman Olli Maatta is proving to be a revelation for the Finns. He has 2 goals and 2 assists for the team in their first two contests, and is taking on the bulk of minutes for the club in an all-situations role. In his first Olympic games, Maatta is again making a name for himself as one of the pre-eminent young defensemen in the game. It will interesting to see if he is put up against Penguin teammate Sidney Crosby on a regular basis on Sunday, or if the Finnish coaching staff draw him on a different assignment than the familiar.
Both of these teams will be desperate to get a regulation win, as it (combined with Sweden getting something less than 3 points) would assure the top seed as the tournament re-seeds for the knockout phase.
The Finns have been an offensive powerhouse in their first two games, but those were against Norway and Austria. The top-ranked Canadians are another beast entirely, and bring a hard-hitting brand of shut-down hockey, backed-up by outstanding goaltending. It will be a game to rival the outstanding action we saw between Russia and the United States on Saturday, with the winner assuring themselves a crucial bye through to the quarterfinal stage of the competition.
