GDT: Quarterfinal • Feb. 19 • Finland vs. Russia • Part I

[Systemfel]

2014 Olympic Games
Quarterfinal

February 19
7:30 AM ET • 13:30 CET • 16:30 MSK

Finland
Projected lineup.

Left Wing​

|

Center​

|

Right Wing​

64 Mikael Granlund​

|

26 Jarkko Immonen​

|

8 Teemu Selänne

| -

28 Lauri Korpikoski​

|

12 Olli Jokinen​

|

15 Tuomo Ruutu​

| -

36 Jussi Jokinen​

|

27 Petri Kontiola​

|

50 Juhamatti Aaltonen​

| -

71 Leo Komarov

|

21 Jori Lehterä​

|

41 Antti Pihlström​

| -

Left Defense​

|

Right Defense​

44 Kimmo Timonen

|

45 Sami Vatanen​

| -

3 Olli Määttä​

|

6 Sami Salo​

| -

18 Sami Lepistö​

|

38 Juuso Hietanen​

| -

5 Lasse Kukkonen​

|

4 Ossi Väänänen​

| -

Starter​

|

Backup​

40 Tuukka Rask​

|

31 Antti Niemi​

| -

Scratched​

|

Reason​

F 16 Aleksander Barkov​

|

Injury​

| -

F 23 Sakari Salminen​

|

Healthy​

| -

G 32 Kari Lehtonen​

|

Healthy​

| -

Russia
Projected lineup.

Left Wing​

|

Center​

|

Right Wing​

71 Ilya Kovalchuk

|

13 Pavel Datsyuk

|

47 Alexander Radulov​

| -

8 Alexander Ovechkin

|

11 Yevgeniy Malkin​

|

24 Alexander Popov​

| -

41 Nikolai Kulyomin​

|

42 Artyom Anisimov​

|

28 Alexander Syomin​

| -

43 Valeriy Nichushkin​

|

27 Alexei Tereshchenko​

|

91 Vladimir Tarasenko​

| -

-​

|

-​

|

10 Viktor Tikhonov​

| -

Left Defense​

|

Right Defense​

79 Andrei Markov​

|

26 Vyacheslav Voinov​

| -

82 Yevgeniy Medvedev​

|

74 Alexei Yemelin​

| -

6 Nikita Nikitin​

|

77 Anton Belov​

| -

51 Fyodor Tyutin​

|

-​

| -

Starter​

|

Backup​

1 Semyon Varlamov​

|

72 Sergei Bobrovskiy​

| -

Scratched​

|

Reason​

F 15 Alexander Svitov​

|

Healthy​

| -

D 5 Ilya Nikulin​

|

-​

| -

G 30 Alexander Yeryomenko​

|

Healthy​

| -

Officials​

|

Referee​

|

Kelly Sutherland | -

Referee​

|

Marcus Vinnerborg | -

Linesman​

|

Greg Devorski | -

Linesman​

|

Jesse Wilmot | -

Click to read more...

 

[mattihp]

Can we please trade Vinnerborg for a russian referee? Or that Kovalchuk goes player referee?

If it is a close game Vinnerborg will win it for the russians.

 

[KPower]

Varlamov starting.

 

[petemalmi]

Can we please trade Vinnerborg for a russian referee? Or that Kovalchuk goes player referee?

If it is a close game Vinnerborg will win it for the russians.

Maybe you should concentrate on the real problems and not turn into a sore loser even before the game has been played.

 

[DamonDRW]

This nightmare for me again... This game can be decided by either Malkin/Ovechkin playing their game or Finland performing to perfection.

 

[Novak Djokovic]

5-1 Russia

 

[f1nn]

really hoping the Russians don't get their game together just in time for this game or we're screwed

 

[QnebO]

Vinneborg is the referee.. We are doomed. He is the most easily bribed, Finland hating referee ever walked on earth.

We will suffer from bad power play calls and are very likely to lose the game. It has always been this way when Vinneborg is the referee, and I don't see it changing.

 

[IDuck]

good luck to both teams...i love the finn's so i will be pulling for them but i hope both teams play a great game and let the better team win.....hope for big/good games out of teemu and sami V

 

[Mehar]

Vinneborg is the referee.. We are doomed. He is the most easily bribed, Finland hating referee ever walked on earth.

We will suffer from bad power play calls and are very likely to lose the game. It has always been this way when Vinneborg is the referee, and I don't see it changing.

Some Finnish fans were saying the same thing about the Canadian ref the day before their game against Canada. Finland should not worry about who the ref is. If they duplicate their effort in the Canada game, and if their goaltending comes up big, they can pull off the upset.

 

[f1nn]

I think if we can play the same way as we did against Canada the Russians will get frustrated and that will be our chance

ps. man I picked the wrong week to quit smoking

 

[Dominus]

I'm expecting this game to be similar to Finland-Canada. There's definitely potential for horrible humiliation but I hope this will be competitive. Russia will come out guns blazing but if we can keep them out of the scoreboard for the first period then anything is possible. I do believe however, that we are able to generate a little bit more scoring chances than against Canada. We just need to bury those chances.

We also need solid goaltending of course. Rask can't let in goals he did against Canada. I was positively surprised how few glaring mistakes our defense made against Canada. They'll clear most of the rebounds but Rask probably still has to make a couple of big saves for us to have a chance.

To be brutally honest I think we'd see better games in the semis if Finland loses. Especially with this lineup and Erkkas coaching rest of the games against Finland will be "the most boring hockey games" people have ever seen. I love those defensive battles but I can understand why most people do not.

Someone said in the Finland's roster discussion thread that Finland is using Granlund wrong and I have to agree. We are not taking advantage of our best offensive player. He should play center to use his strengths. Especially with this style of play when we mostly try to attack quickly. Granlund doesn't have the speed to play this style of play at the wing. Another option would be to use more organized attacks and control the puck a little bit more. (The infamous "johtavan viivelähtö" )

To better our chances I made a big bet against Finland. I never win when gambling. Tremble Russia!

 

[Rob]

Finland's style will not be pretty but I think it will be effective. I can totally see this game going to overtime.

 

[Dominus]

Oh, I also predict that:
1. This is the most boring hockey game you have ever seen. How can this be Olympic quarter finals!?!? DO NOT WATCH!
2. All fans are whiners and you will lose all respect for everybody. DO NOT READ THESE THREADS!

 

[Dominus]

Vinneborg is the referee.. We are doomed. He is the most easily bribed, Finland hating referee ever walked on earth.

We will suffer from bad power play calls and are very likely to lose the game. It has always been this way when Vinneborg is the referee, and I don't see it changing.

Is there some kind of evidence supporting this claim or is it just the same kind of exaggeration than "Lasse Kukkonen is the most unreliable d-man ever"? What is Finland's record with Vinnerborg as a ref?

 

[mattihp]

To better our chances I made a big bet against Finland. I never win when gambling. Tremble Russia!

Great minds think alike

I want to lose the money though... So who knows how lady luck will play this out...

 

[FiLe]

I just noticed that they still haven't announced who starts in net. They never take this long.

Guys... they're going to hit us with a curve ball. Lehtonen goes. I'm calling it.

 

[mattihp]

I just noticed that they still haven't announced who starts in net. They never take this long.

Guys... they're going to hit us with a curve ball. Lehtonen goes. I'm calling it.

My guess is Pasi has told the IOC that all three goalers are injured and has emergency registered himself to go between the pipes.

 

[Brun0]

YEAH FINLAND BABY!

 

[saintflannel]

Russians will win handedly.

 

[f1nn]

My guess is Pasi has told the IOC that all three goalers are injured and has emergency registered himself to go between the pipes.

great mind think alike indeed. I was just about to post this

 

[Pip]

Let's go Finland!

 

[Dosing]

I don't really know who to cheer for, finland is more trouble for sweden then russia with their workethic. But then again we always find a way to beat finland...

 

[McCullogh]

Predicting 4-2 to Russia.

Should be a real exciting game.

 

[LeftBackLegend]

If the Russians get the crowd going and find an early goal, it could turn ugly for the Finns. On the other hand, frustrate the Russians long enough and perhaps have the crowd turn on them a bit, and they have a good chance. Discipline will play a big part.