4 Nations Face-Off: Top standouts as Finland beats Sweden in overtime
When you match up two heated rivals together, you’re bound to have an exciting game.
And with Canada and USA on tap later tonight, Finland and Sweden didn’t disappoint, entertaining the Bell Centre crowd in Montreal with a 4-3 overtime win.
The Finns have taken third place in the four-team tournament with two points, overtaking Sweden by virtue of a tiebreaker. Sweden, meanwhile, is on the outside looking in ahead of their final game against the United States on Monday.
The first period didn’t have a ton of shots, just 12 shots combined. The Finns only took four, but they made them count with two goals in the first. Mika Zibanejad would score first at 8:35, beating Kevin Lankinen down low. But Anton Lundell and Mikko Rantanen each scored in the second half of the opening frame to make it a 2-1 game, shocking many people in attendance.
The Swedes entered the second period with a goalie change, swapping out Filip Gustafsson in favor of Linus Ullmark. The move seemed to spark a comeback effort, with Rasmus Dahlin and Erik Karlsson scoring one each to make it 3-2 after 30:32 of play. The Finns made it a 3-3 game with three minutes to go in the middle stanza, with Aleksander Barkov tipping in Kaapo Kakko’s own tip off an Olli Maatta feed to make it a 3-3 game.
One team that definitely didn’t want extra time was Sweden, who already lost 4-3 to Canada in overtime back on Wednesday. So losing more points by not ending the game in regulation wasn’t ideal. And it hurt even more when Mikael Granlund scored in overtime, giving the Finns their first of the tournament after losing 6-1 to the Americans on Thursday.
Here’s a look at the top performers from both teams as they head to Boston to conclude the tournament:
Finland
#92 Patrik Laine, RW (Montreal Canadiens): Laine dropped to the third line and looked strong with two assists in the first period. He loves playing in open space, and his pass on the Rantanen goal helped give the Finns the 2-1 advantage. Laine needed a game like this – it’s been a difficult few weeks for him with the Canadiens, and he needed something to get him going again. That being said, he needs to find ways to be more effective at 5-on-5.
#96 Mikko Rantanen, RW (Carolina Hurricanes): Rantanen made some excellent plays today, starting with a power-play goal 19:46 into the first period. He then made an electric pass to Olli Maatta near the end of the second to make it a 3-3 game. In open space, Rantanen makes things happen – and I’ve been impressed with his performance through two games.
#16 Aleksander Barkov, C (Florida Panthers): Barkov dealt with what looked like a minor injury late in the second period, but it didn’t take away from an otherwise solid performer. His two-way game was as good as you’d expect, and he nearly scored on a third-period breakaway after getting out of the penalty box. He was one of Finland’s better shot generators, but he also blocked his fair share of chances, as well.
Sweden
#88 William Nylander, RW (Toronto Maple Leafs): Nylander showed so much speed and skill today in a better showing from him compared to Wednesday. He made a great feed to Karlsson on the 3-2 goal, breaking out of the zone before finding Karlsson on a nice rush. Nylander had a couple of good looks in the second period but just came short. Still, a nice showing for No. 88.
#65 Erik Karlsson, D (Pittsburgh Penguins): Karlsson continues to look like he’s at his peak again. He’s been so smooth at both ends and made no mistake on the 3-2 goal. Defensively, he rarely made a mistake and continued to be difficult to beat in 1-on-1 situations. Karlsson has been one of the best defenders through three game days, which, given some of the criticism when he was named to the team in the first place, is definitely interesting.
#93 Mika Zibanejad, C (New York Rangers): Rangers fans want to see more from Zibanejad this year, but today was a good showing. He scored the opening goal of the game and then proceeded to lead Sweden’s forwards in shots. It looked like Zibanejad was playing with more pace and urgency in his game at a level we just haven’t seen enough in the NHL.
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