A clear message from Finland's giants: this is how Canada is stopped

MILANO.

Finland plays today, Friday, in the Olympics against Canada in the highly anticipated semi-final match.

Canada is the clear favorite for the match and the biggest contender for the entire tournament.

The best defensive pair for the Lions in the tournament has been the second pair formed by Rasmus Ristolainen and Niko Mikkola. The pair is big. Florida Panthers’ Mikkola stands at 201 centimeters and weighs 92 kilograms. Philadelphia Flyers’ Ristolainen is 195 centimeters tall and weighs 94 kilograms.

Ristolainen and Mikkola have been doing solid work since the start of the tournament. Both have a plus-minus rating of +6 from the first four games. This ranks them fifth in the entire tournament. Only the Canadian quartet is ahead.

Ristolainen and Mikkola are likely to have a lot of responsibility against Canada as well. The duo was asked after the Lions’ final practices how to stop Canada.

– A tight five-man defense. We also need to attack and keep the puck, which is not their strength [when they have to defend]. Take away space and time, Ristolainen said.

– You need help there, you can’t leave it alone. So, we shouldn’t play too much man-to-man, as there is the world’s best player [Connor McDavid] against us. It will come if too much space is given. We need to stop and slow him down from the whole ice, Mikkola reflected.

The Czech Republic targeted captain Sidney Crosby particularly in the quarter-final against Canada. The Czech players hit Crosby so hard that he had to leave the game and may not be able to play against Finland.

We asked Ristolainen if Finland intends to give special attention to Canada’s stars as well.

– Of course, you have to be aware of who you are playing against. You don’t need to give them anything for free. You have to be ready and have a good five-man defense.

However, Mikkola sent a message directly to his club teammate Brad Marchand, who has also become known for his dirty plays during his career.

– I will definitely give him a couple of cross-checks if he comes in front of the goal.

Jaakko Perttilä
X: @JaakkoPerttila