Justus Annunen revealed the Lions' plan for the World Championship final – this mistake will not happen again

ZÜRICH. The Lions’ goalkeeper Justus Annunen was confident in Saturday night’s World Championship semi-final against Canada. The Nashville Predators player saved 27 shots and led Finland to the World Championship final for the first time since the gold medal celebrations of the spring 2022 home tournament.

– Everyone’s dream is to play in the World Championship final. It’s going to be an amazing place tomorrow, Annunen reflected on the upcoming Sunday final in front of a sold-out Swiss crowd.

Annunen has a good memory of what kind of team will skate against them on Sunday.

– A great team. They play really well as a unit and have an excellent goalkeeper behind them. They have been playing together for a long time. We need to try to win with effort and play smarter than the opponent.

The first line led by Aleksander Barkov took the team on their backs against Canada, while also shutting down the feared NHL superstars in the maple leaf jerseys. The cherry on top was Barkov’s equalizer at 2-2 in the opening minute of the second period, as well as the stunning 3-2 lead goal scored by just 20-year-old Konsta Helenius, who skillfully slipped the puck past Canada’s goalkeeper Jet Greaves midway through the period.

– Absolutely incredible players. Helenius also showed what kind of player he is. Barkov, on the other hand, is one of the best players in the world, if not the best, Annunen praised the first line players.

Annunen has a clear vision of what the Lions need to improve in the World Championship final against Switzerland compared to Tuesday’s group stage meeting, where Switzerland was better in front of their home crowd with a score of 4-2.

– We now know that the opponent will come at us really hard as a unit right from the start. A lot of skill. We need to be ready and able to respond to that workload from the very beginning, Annunen summarized the golden recipe for success for Sunday night.

The World Championship final between Finland and Switzerland will be played on Sunday starting at 21:20. Switzerland, which has been left with silver in the last two tournaments, is seeking its first World Championship gold in the match.

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