In the second and third games of today’s quarterfinals of the WJC ’21, there was one little surprise and one expected result. While Canada handled their business in a tight checking 3-0 win over a scrappy Czech Republic tonight in Edmonton, Finland came back from a two-goal deficit to stun Sweden 3-2 this afternoon.
A unique rivalry between the Finns and Swedes continued in the latest installment at the big U20 signature IIHF event. For at least a period, Sweden was in control. They took the lead thanks to Red Wings prospect Lucas Raymond. He was able to use Albert Johansson as a decoy and go short side at 14:28 of the first period. Raymond had a good game finishing with a goal and assist.
Following a holding minor from Finland’s Samuel Helenius, Raymond set up Elmer Soderblom for a power play goal with 3:55 remaining. That increased their lead to 2-0. Both goals involved Red Wings prospects. That was the good news for Sweden. The bad was they did little else the rest of the game.
Instead of taking advantage of some more undisciplined penalties including a Helenius check to the head and misconduct early in period two, they allowed the pesky Finns back in it. Gaining confidence from successful penalty kills along with creating some dangerous scoring chances on Swedish netminder Hugo Alnefelt, who made some good saves, Finland finally broke through on Alnefelt when Henri Niskkanen took a smart wrist shot through traffic that went far side to cut the deficit to one at 5:32 of the second period. Brad Lambert and Eemil Viro set the goal up.
For whatever reason, Sweden didn’t respond well. The Finns always play a very gritty hardworking style that can wear on opponents. They are relentless when it comes to their tenacity. Even while handing their archenemy more power plays, they controlled play throughout the last two periods. Sweden didn’t get many shots on Suomi goalie Kari Piiroinen. They were outshot 31-24 overall. But it was the Finns who took over and turned it around.
Aku Raty had an apparent tying goal from Heinola overturned due to a successful Sweden coach’s challenge for offside. Otherwise, the game would’ve been tied up sooner. Heinola was superb throughout finishing with an assist and a game high 27:58. He really looks poised for a good second NHL year with the Jets. Don’t forget how they got him. In the Jacob Trouba trade with the Rangers.
With less than nine minutes left in regulation, Anton Lundell (Panthers) tied the game up on a nice setup from Ville Heinola (Winnipeg). It was Lundell’s fourth of the tournament. Their best player delivered in the clutch when it mattered most. After going 1-3-4 in a smaller role last year, he’s up to four goals with three helpers for seven points so far. A terrific skater who has good offensive instincts, you can see why many loved Florida getting him with the 12th pick in the ’20 NHL Draft. If USA wins over Slovakia, the Finns will face the Americans in the semifinals, which would mean a classic Russia versus Canada match-up.
With the game looking destined for sudden death overtime, Finland applied enough pressure for the knockout blow to Sweden. On just a great shift where they buzzed around Alnefelt’s net, where he made a couple of big stops, Roni Hirvonen finally came out from behind the net and beat the Swedish goalie with a wraparound. Mikko Petman picked up the lone assist on the crushing game-winner that came with 23.3 seconds to go.
All five exhausted Swedish skaters stood around and then a couple dropped to their knees in devastation. It was a heartbreaking way to lose a big game against their top rival. They were worn out. Don’t forget they were missing four players and had to replace the coaching staff due to COVID-19. Perhaps that was a factor in how they concluded the tournament after a promising start.
Sweden went from having a remarkable 54-game win streak in preliminary play to a guy wrenching overtime defeat to Russia and a 4-0 shutout to USA. They lost three in a row. A shocking turn. Top defender Philip Broberg also played through pain and still logged 23:57. Only Victor Soderstrom had more with 25:03.
In the third game, Canada used first period tallies from leading scorer Dylan Cozens (breakaway) and top defenseman Bowen Byram (Avalanche) to shutout a determined Czech Republic 3-0. As usual, Cozens led the way with a goal and helper, giving him a tournament best 15 points. In two WJC, he has 22 points. Very impressive for the future Sabre, who could challenge for the Calder Trophy. His line was dominant.
Taking a cool lob pass from linemate Connor McMichael, Cozens got behind the Czech defense and was able to beat Nick Malik just through the five-hole at 8:22. Malik got the start over Lukas Parik. The undrafted 18-year old son of former NHLer Marek Malik was good in making 22 saves. However, he did get beat twice through the wickets including on a long Byram point shot with traffic that squeezed in. He probably should’ve had it.
Despite falling behind by two, the Czechs never gave up. Like they had in their upset over Russia, they hung around. Canada didn’t dominate play offensively. Instead, it was their strong defense anchored by Byram and Jamie Drysdale that got it done. Rangers first round pick Braden Schneider was part of it. He had one solid hit that was clean and jumped into the rush for a scoring chance that missed the net wide.
The Canadian forwards applied forecheck pressure when they could with Cozens, McMichael and Peyton Krebs (2 assists) dominant throughout along with the lethal tandem of Byram/Drysdale. To their credit, the Czechs kept most of Canada’s shots to the outside and blocked several attempts. When they didn’t, Malik was there to keep them in it. It was a very good effort. The Czech coaching staff deserves a ton of credit for how they played.
They even pulled Malik twice for an extra attacker to create a six-on-five when they had offensive draws. That even started with over five minutes left in regulation. They did execute two perfect face-off wins that resulted in good chances. But Canadian starter Devon Levi was equal to the task by turning the shots aside. He finished with an uncanny 29 saves for the shutout. Canada isn’t used to allowing that many shots. They were outshot 29-25. There were some rebounds, but the Canadian defense cleared the pucks before any trouble arose.
Eventually, McMichael made a good read in the neutral zone to steal the puck and skate in alone for the empty netter with 2:49 remaining. Krebs and defenseman Kaiden Kuhle picked up assists. Kuhle has had a solid WJC. When it comes down to it, even without ailing captain Kirby Dach, who sent out a message on Instagram encouraging the boys, they’re a handful. They played without Alex Newhook. Another Avalanche prospect in a deep pool for a team that should be expected to compete for the Cup.
In the late game, USA leads Slovakia 1-0. Arthur Kaliyev has the only goal back in the first period. Matthew Boldy and Trevor Zegras have the assists. John Farinacci just increased it to 2-0. Shots are 12-5 USA. If they prevail, it’ll be a semifinal against Finland, who eliminated them last year.
I’ll have more later.
Hockey Prospects Plus 