Comment: The beast of the Lions awakened at the right time - the path to the championship is open

The Lions suffered their first defeat in the World Championship in the final match of Group A against Switzerland with a score of 2-4.

The Lions’ start was terrible. Finland was slow and weak in battles at the beginning of the first period. The slick-moving Switzerland delivered a shock treatment to Finland and scored two goals.

Finland’s game improved after the halfway point of the first period. However, goals had to be waited for until the middle of the second period.

First, Aleksander Barkov scored from the corner of the goal from a brilliant pass by Henri Jokiharju. A few minutes later, Konsta Helenius set up Barkov for a breakaway, and the captain quickly tapped the puck into the near corner.

The goals were Barkov’s first of the tournament. In previous games, the captain’s play showed a bit of a struggle to score, so these successes came at an excellent time, as only big games are left ahead.

The discovery of superstar Barkov’s scoring touch means that the Lions can now play to their full potential. Finland has not a single line that does not bring scoring power to the ice. Nothing could be inferred from previous easy matches, but the Switzerland game proved that the Lions are indeed a championship-caliber team.

The Lions were on top in the last two periods, but referee errors favoring Switzerland ultimately turned the game in favor of the Swiss. Ken Jäger was able to score the winning goal on the power play from the center of the Lions’ penalty kill unit.

Although the defeat came, the match was overall a positive display from the Lions. For 50 minutes of the game, Finland was the dominant side against one of the best teams in the tournament.

With the defeat, the Lions will face the Czech Republic in the World Championship quarterfinals. Switzerland, on the other hand, will play against Sweden.