WC: 2021 Finland Roster Talk

Vohaul

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Jan 24, 2017
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Still not scoring loads of goals.. but there are guys on the team like Lundel and Ruotsalainen that do have a lot of skill and scoring potential too so I'm not too worried. So far Finland's done whats been required and hopefully the team will keep stepping up their game the further the tournament advances just like in 2019.

Germany played very tight defence.. that trap in the 3rd period was something. They're a tough team to play against.
 

THE JAM

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Jan 16, 2015
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Gonna be a weird (June 1, 12.15) morningtime unimportant game vs CAN. Probably winning the group or not is indifferent and FIN can't choose their QF opponent. It will be a crapshoot regarding the QF pairings...
 
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FiLe

Mr. Know-It-Nothing
Oct 9, 2009
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Is Finland's playoff spot actually secured?
Yes. If Finland stays at 13, Germany and Latvia would both need 5 points to overtake Finland - which only one of them can attain since they still play each other. If Finland and Germany end up in a 13-13 tie just between the two of them, then Finland has the tie-breaker. Latvia and Finland can't end up in a 13-13 tie without Germany involved, and there is just one scenario in which a three-way-tie between FIN-LAT-GER is possible.

The only scenario in which FIN, GER and LAT are all tied at 13 would take two FIN losses in regulation, GER win over USA in regulation and LAT win over Germany in overtime. In such a case, the points between the subgroup of FIN-LAT-GER would be divided: LAT 5, FIN 3, GER 1.

If the above scenario becomes true and Kazakhstan beats Norway in regulation, it becomes a four-way tie at 13. The points would be awarded accordingly: KAZ 7, LAT 6, FIN 4, GER 1.

But even USA can join the above subgroup with an OT loss to Italy. In the following five-way tie, the points would go as follows: KAZ 7, FIN 7, USA 6 LAT 6, GER 4.

And since there is no scenario in which FIN can end up in a four-way tie with GER or LAT sitting above that subgroup, Finland is in the clear.
 
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THE JAM

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- as far as I know the swedes have never been worse than 8th, so if they miss the QF it would be a sensation
 

THE JAM

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So... FIN will have two games vs LAT and CAN - and the results actually do not matter, since the other group's standings are as they are ...

Very interesting task for Jalonen, - what to do with these upcoming "non-important" games...
 
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Mestaruus

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Apr 11, 2011
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Slovakia would be the best possible. I don t don twant to be discrspectfull to Slovaks. The are very strong this year, but i ve a feel, that it s little bit better option than other 3.

Right now I want Finland to play against SVK or SUI. I don't want any of the EHT teams against us in QF. I have a bad feeling about facing them for some reason. I don't even have very good feeling about facing SUI, but got to pick your poison. I mean the reason is probably that I feel like we are more of an unknown for SVK and SUI, while we just played vs the EHT teams and they know us too well. That scares me a little bit. Besides we played against them with almost the same roster just few weeks ago.
 
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Mestaruus

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Apr 11, 2011
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Gonna be a weird (June 1, 12.15) morningtime unimportant game vs CAN. Probably winning the group or not is indifferent and FIN can't choose their QF opponent. It will be a crapshoot regarding the QF pairings...

Yeah it's too bad that we have the early game against Canada that day so we can't do "Swedens", but we wouldn't go that low anyways.
 
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Mestaruus

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Apr 11, 2011
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So... FIN will have two games vs LAT and CAN - and the results actually do not matter, since the other group's standings are as they are ...

Very interesting task for Jalonen, - what to do with these upcoming "non-important" games...

Imagine if Lundell gets injured in those non-important games. Other guy that I wouldn't like to loose right now is probably Björninen. Pakarinen as well.

Those games aren't completely irrevelant. We probably want to be #1 or #2 of the group, because it's very unlikely that RUS is #3 or #4 of their group. Despite of Finland's good record against RUS in playoff situations, I don't want FIN to play vs them, so we can be quite sure we don't face RUS if we get a win or two more. As I said above in other post that I don't like to face any of the EHT teams. Rather SUI or SVK.
 
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kudla

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May 11, 2016
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Slovakia is definitely the best team for Finland, we haven't beaten you in 20 years. We should do everything to avoid that 4th spot, because that would be an automatic end
 
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Mestaruus

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Apr 11, 2011
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Slovakia is definitely the best team for Finland, we haven't beaten you in 20 years. We should do everything to avoid that 4th sport, because that would be an automatic end

I forgot that it's been that long. All of Finland's 2000 era golds seem to come from Slovakia as well. Weird things.
 

Mestaruus

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Apr 11, 2011
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Slovakia is definitely the best team for Finland, we haven't beaten you in 20 years. We should do everything to avoid that 4th sport, because that would be an automatic end

Also it may be USA #1 in group if Finland loses points to LAT and/or CAN, so 3rd seed might not be safe either for SVK to avoid FIN.

USA is also a team to avoid. I'm glad that USA is in our group now because FIN can't play vs them in the QF. In my opinion they are the most impressive team in the tournament so far and Finland beat them because it was USA's first game without warm up games. USA played really well in that game against Finland, but Finland got the result. USA sometimes chokes in playoffs though, so we'll see. I got a good feeling about USA's chances in this year's tournament.
 

Eye of Ra

Grandmaster General of the International boards
Nov 15, 2008
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Malmö, Sweden
Not enough "jävlar anamma" types who can ignite team mates.

I think we do have some forwards like that in Wingerli, Sörensen, Friberg, Lindberg, Lindholm, Klingberg (injured too bad). But none of them are on Komarov grit level, thats true. I have no idea why someone like Everberg is not on the team, his toughness infront of the net would be huge.

May i ask about Mikael Seppälä, is he some sort of physical stay at home d?
 

Mestaruus

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Apr 11, 2011
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Against Latvia:

80 Saku Mäenalanen – 47 Peter Tiivola – 12 Marko Anttila
6 Tony Sund – 52 Mikael Seppälä

22 Arttu Ruotsalainen – 15 Anton Lundell – 20 Niko Ojamäki
3 Olli Määttä – 7 Oliwer Kaski

21 Jere Innala – 27 Petri Kontiola – 81 Iiro Pakarinen
55 Atte Ohtamaa – 2 Ville Pokka

25 Jere Karjalainen – 13 Mikael Ruohomaa – 38 Teemu Turunen
40 Petteri Lindbohm – 39 Kim Nousiainen

Säteri

I like it very much that Jalonen is resting some players here and protecting Björninen from injuries. Selin said that it's purely meant to get new energy and rest players, but if this Tiivola thing on the 4th line would work well, we can build a new line around Björninen against Canada and if it works, we may finally have 4 lines that are clicking instead of 3.

Sallinen-Björninen-Ruohomaa? Try it vs Canada and go back to old if it's not good.
 

weklof

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Jan 30, 2009
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Solna, Sweden
- as far as I know the swedes have never been worse than 8th, so if they miss the QF it would be a sensation

Yes, this WC is bonkers. It is very likely that both Sweden and Canada misses the QF. That leaves Finland and the Czech Republic the only nations to have qualified to quarterfinals every year (Russia and USA have missed two times each, in the early 2000s)
 

Conspiracy Theorist

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Jan 30, 2016
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Yes, this WC is bonkers. It is very likely that both Sweden and Canada misses the QF. That leaves Finland and the Czech Republic the only nations to have qualified to quarterfinals every year (Russia and USA have missed two times each, in the early 2000s)
Finland came very close to missing quarterfinals in 2014, but otherwise it was a successful tournament for Finns.
 
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Kibe

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Jan 17, 2012
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Helsinki
May i ask about Mikael Seppälä, is he some sort of physical stay at home d?
Pretty much yeah. Reliable in his own end. Not overly physichal but can play the body. Good positioning in defence. I do think however we have few guys better for that role, so he should'nt be playing much. Anyway it's crazy that he's even on the team since 5 years ago at 22yo he was still a Mestis player. Real late bloomer.
 

FiLe

Mr. Know-It-Nothing
Oct 9, 2009
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I like it very much that Jalonen is resting some players here and protecting Björninen from injuries. Selin said that it's purely meant to get new energy and rest players, but if this Tiivola thing on the 4th line would work well, we can build a new line around Björninen against Canada and if it works, we may finally have 4 lines that are clicking instead of 3.
Björninen has, perhaps a little surprisingly, been our most heavy-duty forward, the TOI king of this team, and not just out of forwards, but all skaters - which is quite unusual. (The 2nd most used is Määttä.) So it probably is just about giving him a rest, since it's a back-to-back, and then he's back to doing what he does in his usual spot when the next phase begins.

While it could simply be a case of giving Sallinen a rest, too, bringing Karjalainen back into the lineup implies to me that Jalonen is not quite happy with the offensive output of the squad. That Turunen-Ruohomaa-Karjalainen line is definitely not a defensively minded unit.

Still no Rindell, which, I admit, I find quite surprising. It's safe to say that if he isn't getting a look now, he's not going to get it in the entire tournament without injuries. At the same time Nousiainen, who is of the same age and is largely a player of similar stature, but wasn't that impressive on EHT, seems to have punched his way into the regular lineup. Oh well, the D has definitely worked as a whole, and the OMDs we already have in the lineup - Sund, Kaski and Nousiainen - have been good individually, too, so it's not like there's a screaming need to bring Rindell into the fold.
 

Mestaruus

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Apr 11, 2011
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Björninen has, perhaps a little surprisingly, been our most heavy-duty forward, the TOI king of this team, and not just out of forwards, but all skaters - which is quite unusual. (The 2nd most used is Määttä.) So it probably is just about giving him a rest, since it's a back-to-back, and then he's back to doing what he does in his usual spot when the next phase begins.

It is rest more than protecting him from injuries to be honest rather than Jalonen planning some new line as I suggested if I'm being real, but it was just what I'd like to see happen if Tiivola would work out between Mäenalanen and Anttila against LAT.

Along with Björninen being good in many things he's just so good in faceoffs that the TOI is deserved. I would love to see Björninen take some PP faceoffs as well but it doesn't seem likely to happen, as Jalonen hasn't made him do that thus far because he roled him as a PK center. Perhaps if we need faceoffs when we are down goal(s) it will happen. He played point per game this season in Liiga so it's a shame he can't play some PP as well.

Sallinen will be returned into the line up vs Canada for sure. Jalonen just loves the guy too much and I don't mind. He's mostly a 4th liner type guy rather than 3rd liner, but those spots are taken.
 
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FiLe

Mr. Know-It-Nothing
Oct 9, 2009
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Sallinen will be returned into the line up vs Canada for sure. Jalonen just loves the guy too much and I don't mind. He's mostly a 4th liner type guy rather than 3rd liner, but those spots are taken.
Well, unless that new Ruohomaa line instantly clicks and pots a couple. Then it would be extremely difficult for Jalonen to squeeze Sallinen back in, as the other lines are more or less set.
 

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