GDT: Group E • May 9 • Russia 2, Finland 3 (SO)

[PeacEnforcer]

This Russian team is useless, Elimination by either Canada or USA followed by Bykov being fired is a good bet.

Sure, but u know what? I would very much like to read what u and others wrote about the czechs last year after the preliminary round? I bet one will find many similarities in assessment and predictions
Not to mention that this last statement of yours kinda contradicts the statistics u yourself provided here above and our overall record of recent years. So, rein in your horses, man or u stand every chance to look like a fool on the 15th of may.

 

[SerbianHabs]

Sure, but u know what? I would very much like to read what u and others wrote about the czechs last year after the preliminary round? I bet one will find many similarities in assessment and predictions
Not to mention that this last statement of yours kinda contradicts the statistics u yourself provided here above and our overall record of recent years. So, rein in your horses, man or u stand every chance to look like a fool on the 15th of may.

In those tournaments Russia was at least playing respectably. This tournament looks more 2000-2005 era. If Russia win the tournament I will be very happy to witness the reaction in Moscow. They have a chance against Finland but Canada is a completley different animal. I think the last time Russia played poor hockey but still had a respectable result was in 2002(Runners up). 3-3 with Ukraine lol. They could hit form out of nowhere against Finland today or the knockout round but Russia usually carries momentum in good tournaments. If you look at the 2010 Olympics, how sluggish the team looked in all their matches you could see what was coming against Canada. Whereas in 2006 they had beaten Sweden,USA playing good hockey before the match against Canada and went in with a different mind set.

 

[Erathian]

Lets go Finland, lets go!

 

[PeacEnforcer]

In those tournaments Russia was at least playing respectably. This tournament looks more 2000-2005 era. If Russia win the tournament I will be very happy to witness the reaction in Moscow. They have a chance against Finland but Canada is a completley different animal. I think the last time Russia played poor hockey but still had a respectable result was in 2002(Runners up). 3-3 with Ukraine lol. They could hit form out of nowhere against Finland today or the knockout round but Russia usually carries momentum in good tournaments. If you look at the 2010 Olympics, how sluggish the team looked in all their matches you could see what was coming against Canada. Whereas in 2006 they had beaten Sweden,USA playing good hockey before the match against Canada and went in with a different mind set.

No one is satisfied with the way we have been playing so far - it's a fact, but...we are picking up which is the most important thing: dynamics - whether it's there or not. It's clearly there when we play against strong hockey nations. And don't u forget that one of the obvious explanations for total lack of chemistry in our team's first matches at this WC is the fact that Bykov and Zacharkin were busy in the KHL final until just a few days before the Championship so they literally did not have much time to prepare the team for this year's event.
It's not an excuse but an explantion of what we've seen so far.
However there are strong sings we'll continue to pick up as the tourmanment goes on: we see better team play already, better movement, more desire and desperation, then again ovi needs time for acclimatization and getting used to the system to have his say in the PO round.

In other words, despite our performance not having been convincing so far, there's reason to believe it's beginning to change. Not to mention, that the personnel we have are capable of handling any task or any team and it's just a matter of proper management after all.

 

[Kratti]

Interesting game. It's going to be fun to see whether Finland can contain the much more skilled Russian team or not. Also another real test for Granlund, hopefully he can put up a performance.

I missed games 4 and 5 for Finland so no real idea how the first line is doing or if they are actually playing like a first line yet. Hopefully the addition of Pyörälä is working out. Also Lajunen for Lahti is an interesting change, not sure if it impacts anything but it's never a bad idea to give a bit of responsibility for the younger ones.

 

[Alessandro Seren Rosso]

In other words, despite our performance not having been convincing so far, there's reason to believe it's beginning to change. Not to mention, that the personnel we have are capable of handling any task or any team and it's just a matter of proper management after all.

We say this since the first game ...

 

[Diagonaali]

The game might be a bit meaningless, since both teams have already qualified, but it will still be one of the most interesting meetings we've had with Russia lately.

I would like to see Finland go hitting hard the Russian players for the sake of the scrum in the previous game on EHT. It would be also exciting to see Ruutu and Ovechkin go after each other the way they did during one of the last regular season games between Caps and Canes.

R2 will probably add some spice in the soup also by trying to run some Finnish players.

I don't really care if Finland makes more goals or not in this game, but it would be nice see them beat up the Russian team big time. With Jalonen as head coach that is not very likely to happen, though.

 

[striker333]

If Russians wont get so many unnecessary penalties, they will win it.

 

[BusQuets]

Granlund is going to hit Artjuyhin out of this game... no?

 

[happysquirrel]

Russians are getting their energy levels up. Most likely Finland tries to match Russian toughness but fails and takes too many stupid penalties. Since Finland plays super bad when shorthanded, these penalties will lead to goals. Finns lose motivation and cohesion and fail to contain skilled Russian forwards, which leads to taking even more goals. Finns get only a couple of good scoring opportunities which is not enough to score a single goal.

6-0 for Russia.

 

[Latex*]

Granlund is going to hit Artjuyhin out of this game... no?

Yes.

Granlund will bounce back from the weak performance against Slovakia and scores a goal. (and hits Artjuyhin out of this game.)

 

[happysquirrel]

I would like to see Finland go hitting hard the Russian players for the sake of the scrum in the previous game on EHT.

I think you will get what you want and as a consequence Finland takes stupid penalties and Russia leads 3-0 after first period.

I don't care which side wins, I only wish that this would be a good, fast paced, game. It would be great if both teams would finally get their acts together and play the type of hockey they both are capable of playing. But I fear the game will be full of penalties and boring and anticlimatic to watch.

 

[Caz]

I don't care who wins as long as it's us.

 

[Juzmo]

Granlund is going to hit Artjuyhin out of this game... no?

I don't care who does it as long as it is a clean (two wrongs don't make a right) and huge hit. I doubt that happens, but would be cool.

It's going to be tight. Hopefully we will be able to get some points out of it.

 

[happysquirrel]

Interesting game. It's going to be fun to see whether Finland can contain the much more skilled Russian team or not. Also another real test for Granlund, hopefully he can put up a performance.

I hope they don't try to contain the Russians, but instead focus on their own game (without taking penalties). In theory this game should be entertaining to watch, as Russians have skilled forwards but their defence is not good enough to shut-out energetic Finnish playstyle. In perfect world it should be a very fast paced game, going from one end to another without too many breaks.

But I think Finns are overcharged and take penalties and the game is over before it really ever started.

I missed games 4 and 5 for Finland so no real idea how the first line is doing or if they are actually playing like a first line yet. Hopefully the addition of Pyörälä is working out.

It works better with Pöyrälä than with the useless Aaltonen, but it's still nothing amazing. Koivu is great, making straight simple game, but other than that the game of 1st line is still not goal oriented. Most of the time it looks desperate hacking with no sensible chance for creating play that leads to goals.

 

[joey16]

GO SUOMI

I´m so rooting for Ruutu today..

 

[Caz]

...It works better with Pyörälä than with the useless Aaltonen, but it's still nothing amazing...

I don't want to say Aaltonen is useless. If he just realized that he needs to lend the puck to other teammates more often and a bit earlier, he could be a big help. Now his buzzing and turning is wasted without concrete results (by himself, true).

 

[happysquirrel]

I don't want to say Aaltonen is useless. If he just realized that he needs to lend the puck to other teammates more often and a bit earlier, he could be a big help. Now his buzzing and turning is wasted without concrete results (by himself, true).

I don't fully understand what role he is supposed to have. He doesn't help the defence, he can't score, he can't pass. All he does is stand at the defensive end and when he has the puck he just skates uselessly.

Yes he could be a big help, but IMHO his mindset is such that he is not of almost any help. A good example from the previous game: he is front of enemy goal and get's passed the puck for perfect scoring opportunity but... he is facing his back towards the goal! It looks like he isn't thinking about scoring at all, just about skating.

 

[thomast]

Finland should give big hits to other players when artyukhin is on ice because that will drive him mad. I preduct that Lajunen will give big hit to artyukhin.

 

[octopi]

I don't care who wins as long as it's us.

You Finns are alright!

 

[happysquirrel]

Finland should give big hits to other players when artyukhin is on ice because that will drive him mad.

Not a bad idea. The problem is that Finns may take stupid penalties when trying to provoke him to defend his teammaters. If Finland is to have any hope, the Finns need to stay out of the penalty box.

 

[Caz]

I don't fully understand what role he is supposed to have...

I agree.

Maybe we could say he's got potential, but he's making himself less useful with the style he plays now.

 

[thomast]

Not a bad idea. The problem is that Finns may take stupid penalties when trying to provoke him to defend his teammaters. If Finland is to have any hope, the Finns need to stay out of the penalty box.

I ment big and clean hits.

Lajunen already faced tougher opponents than artyukhin

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcM0ag3aWnc&feature=player_embedded#at=77

 

[happysquirrel]

Maybe we could say he's got potential, but he's making himself less useful with the style he plays now.

I agree he has potential. Perhaps they have figured a good role for him for this game.

I think if Finland would be smart, they would start calm for the first 10 minutes and just focus on taking Russian hits without delivering hits themselves. I wouldn't be surprised if refs were told to call penalties on all borderline hits, and this could give us powerplay opportunities early in the game. If we can score early and keep the lead for a while, I think the Russian team may once again suffer from their archetypal weakness of playing as individuals instead of playing as a team.

 

[Fallenity]

Apparently Finland only needs one point to make the #2 spot certain, unless Czech fails against Germany. I hope Finland will play wisely and control the puck, since Russia usually loses its nerve when it can't "play its own game". But this could be endangered by the fact that Finland will want to start its game physically and that could lead to penalty trouble.

4-2 for Russia. Kovaltchuk will score and Ovetchkin will get his first point.