WC: May 2 GDT - Finland vs. Ukraine

My prediction:

Finland 4 - Ukraine 1

Olli Jokinen possibly out of this one with a shoulder injury suffered at a practice. He will be replaced by namesake Jussi Jokinen. Also, coach Westerlund has confirmed that Niklas Backstrom will be starting in net in favour of Fredrik Norrena.

:handclap:

Ukraine can't seem to react quickly to a passing game and the Finns are tick, tack, toeing.

6-0 Finland.

You think Danemark are better than Ukraine?

You think Danemark are better than Ukraine?

Yes I do!

You think Danemark are better than Ukraine?

Easily.

5-0 for Finland. A shutout for Bäckström and a guaranteed starting goalie status ;)

The Ukrainians or what you call them are pretty good when they get their chances. Finland needs to have a better defence than Sweden had. I say 5-1

Easily.


And you base that on what?

6-0 finland


backstrom with the SO and Jussi with the hattrick :yo:

Finland is passing very effectively in this tourney, especially to defensemen at the point, keeping the play deep on good forechecking, actualy cycling the puck sometimes, passing to the slot, using behind the net, etc.

Prediction: 8-1

And Jussi Jokinen does get two points, but only after the game is out of reach and the coach decides to increase his ice time.

I've heard that O. Jokinen was injured at training ? Anyone knows more ?

Finland is passing very effectively in this tourney, especially to defensemen at the point, keeping the play deep on good forechecking, actualy cycling the puck sometimes, passing to the slot, using behind the net, etc.

Prediction: 8-1

And Jussi Jokinen does get two points, but only after the game is out of reach and the coach decides to increase his ice time.

8-1???

I'm willing to bet that Finland doesn't score more than 4 goals, Ukraine is a much better team than Denmark and played their usual semi-dirty clutch & grab against the Swedes very effectively.

If you guys really believe that Finland will score 5+ goals against this super defensive team you are out of your minds.

And you base that on what?

You look pretty stupid with those comments.Clearly you havent follow internatonal hockey very much.

If you guys really believe that Finland will score 5+ goals against this super defensive team you are out of your minds.

LOL.This is your comment in Sweden vs. Ukraine thread"This game is ridiculous...I think the score will be 8-0"

I've heard that O. Jokinen was injured at training ? Anyone knows more ?

O. Jokinen is playing tonight. He had small shoulder injury at practice, but is playing tonight.

And for the result.

3-1 Finland.

Our 1st line will make some great plays. V. Peltonen 2+1 and Tomi Kallio 1+2.

I think Finland will easily take this one 5-1

LOL.This is your comment in Sweden vs. Ukraine thread"This game is ridiculous...I think the score will be 8-0"

Did you watch the game? at that time Ukraine had not even touched the puck, Sweden had 2-0 and Ukraine had got away with about 15 penalty-situations...I thought the referee whould get sober eventually but he didn't...so Sweden lost their patience.

Before the tournament I would have been said tha Team Denmark is better than Team Ukraine. After last night, I am not so sure. Team Ukraine plays ultra defensive game and still manage to score couple of goals against a team like Sweden has. Though both Team Finland and Team Sweden had slow starts but that doesn't make Team Denmarks nor Team Ukraines performance.

If Team Finland doesn't learn from it's own and Team Sweden's mistakes I'd say the result could definetly be something like 2-2 for tie. If they do learn, it's 5-2 for Team Finland.

Finland is already getting used to their system and practising for the big opponents. Naturally that style will not be as effective against a weaker team, but I am confident they will score the required goals. Finland wins 4-1.

Ukraine will be up for it, after taking Sweden so close....
But if Finland gets into a lead, i think their heads will drop...
Finland 4-1 Ukraine

I'd say that 4-1 is pretty close.

It's pretty important to keep the Ukrainians in max. 1 goal, that our hot goalie, Bäckas, won't lose his confidence. I'm pretty sure he's going to take the starters job, as he should.

3-0

Goals by:

J.J

Pikku-Hakke

and Niksu

...Raipe ^^ check out my latest pic in the post a pic of yourself thread in the lounge ^^ it's a mattihp adaption of your avatar ^^

Hey if you plan to keep using those ridiculous nicknames, atleast get them right.

it's Hakki, not Hakke.

I don't even know who Niksu is...

Hey if you plan to keep using those ridiculous nicknames, atleast get them right.

it's Hakki, not Hakke.

I don't even know who Niksu is...
weird... My grandpa has a poster with the big one... and it says Hakke with capital letters on it...

Ukraine is a though team to face, but with Finlands speed and great passing it shouldn't be much of a problem. 3-1 to Finland. The game against Denmark was just a warm up. :)

Ukraine is a though team to face, but with Finlands speed and great passing it shouldn't be much of a problem. 3-1 to Finland. The game against Denmark was just a warm up. :)
Of the lesser nations only those who also base their game on hustling and working hard, Austria, Denmark etc. stand a chance at humiliating Finland ;) Ukraine is a finesse team with some good grinders, could be an interesting game.

Team Ukraine must be a bit tired after yesterdays game so im guessing 5-1.

I'm also going with a 3 -1 Finnish win.

5-2 Finland. Las one an empty-netter.

Is it true with O. Jokinen injury? Can you say that he will be rest for 100% ???

Is it true with O. Jokinen injury? Can you say that he will be rest for 100% ???
OJ was going more or less full speed to the net. His skate went to a gap in the ice and he hit the side of the rink with his shoulder and back first. He was out of it for a while but soon was up again. He said his shoulder was a bit sore but he will play today against Ukraine.

6-0 for Finland. Ukraine had a game yesterday and they´re not fully recovered at it, yet.

There seem to be many people that trust the offensive capabilities of this team! 8-1, 6-0??? I think they'll be playing a pretty defensive game again today, so I'll say 3-1 Then they'll have to rest up for the Sweden game on Wednesday. :yo:

1-0 FIN Antti-Jussi Niemi PP1

the Ukrainians had a huge chance on a shorthanded breakaway, but Varlamov couldn't score

It's now 3-0 for Finland.

Peltonen and Timonen have scored, Peltonen moved up to top Finnish scorer in World Championships.

Congratulations Ville

:bow:

An awesome player who became rejuvenated when he moved to play in Switzerland!

Seems Finland has got this one in the bag.

3-1 Varlamov PP

4-1 Hentunen, deflected Karalahti's slapshot.

4-1 final result. :clap:

Better game than against Denmark.

The start was slow in the game too but later on Team Finland started to show like it's own self again. Hard work, nice plays and a victory. Bäcks played an ok game too but Team Finland overall was better than in the Denmark game. It should a difficult decision to our coaching staff which goalie will be put between the pipes against Team Sweden.

I think it's not fair that Ukraine is asked to play 2 games in less than 24 hours ... less than 18 actually!

Ok result but with this kind of play Team Finland will be out before semifinals, all lines have to improve a lot and Westerlund really needs to stop putting Nummelin to SH situations, he's brutal in those.

My prediction:

Finland 4 - Ukraine 1

Olli Jokinen possibly out of this one with a shoulder injury suffered at a practice. He will be replaced by namesake Jussi Jokinen. Also, coach Westerlund has confirmed that Niklas Backstrom will be starting in net in favour of Fredrik Norrena.

:handclap:

Wow... good call!

I think it's not fair that Ukraine is asked to play 2 games in less than 24 hours ... less than 18 actually!

I think its not fair to another teams to play against these lumberjacks/trapmasters.Ukraine dont belong this level .Someday someone will seriously injured .

After all, easy game.

Only 2-3 changes for Ukraine to score and they made one. Ukraine had good goaltending and they were protecting their net well. Luckily our 1st line had alot more better game than against Denmark.

Now, I'll take a shower, eat something and then I will have my chips and coke waiting for Sweden-Denmark. :jump:

I think its not fair to another teams to play against these lumberjacks/trapmasters.Ukraine dont belong this level .Someday someone will seriously injured .

Yeah that kinda sucked. I'm sure their stickwork could be better used in those lumberjack competitions. Maybe they belong to this level, but the refs don't.

Wow... good call!

Thanks. Too bad I wasn't betting on this game in Vegas. :cry:

To the person who was wondering which goalie to place in the next game... I would have to beg that they stick with Backstrom. I just feel that he is the more solid goalie in this situation. He is fresh off of winning the Finnish elite league championship and can handle the pressure. I believe Norrena will choke in the more important games coming up.

What players stood out in the game?

Ukraine will be up for it, after taking Sweden so close....
But if Finland gets into a lead, i think their heads will drop...
Finland 4-1 Ukraine
Nice prediction :handclap:

Comfortable win for finland, Simchuck made a few decent saves, and loads that just seem to hit him...without him knowing where its at. Ukraine did create 3 or 4 good chances themselves.

Backstrom was good, should stick that Swede in net for the Sweden game on Weds :sarcasm:

Ukraine...very dirty tactics...shame, they were ok when they tried, and decent on the PP.

What players stood out in the game?

Timonen improved a lot from the first game and the pre games. Pärssinen, Kapanen, Hentunen played well. They kept the pressure on all game long. Jokinen kept missing wide open nets. Peltonen missed one or two open nets as well.

And yeah, I also picked the right score. I also picked what Peltonen said after the game about trying to play the style that does not necessarily fit against worse opponents like Ukraine, to get real practise for bigger games.

Bäckström struggled a bit, but he had no chance on the goal. He was horribly out of form in that one cross pass where ukraine managed to hit the post. Bäcks went down way too fast, and did not move sideways but dove on his nose. He was probably nervous, I saw nothing like that in the playoffs.

Our PP really does suck, when we can't score against Denmark or Ukraine how in hell can we score against the better teams? Not to mention that our SH isn't up to par either, Nummelin and SH doesn't belong together...

Tamminen made me really laugh out loud, "Hagman couldn't show his genious with puck..." yeah right, one "lack" word is missing from that sentence. And he also managed to show THAT - again. Why in hell is he always on team, anyone remember him having a good tournament - ever?

Practice games continue on Wednesday.

Tamminen made me really laugh out loud, "Hagman couldn't show his genious with puck..." yeah right, one "lack" word is missing from that sentence. And he also managed to show THAT - again. Why in hell is he always on team, anyone remember him having a good tournament - ever?

How about when he was the best forward of the tournament in 2002 :dunno:

When everything he did went his way, he didn't get hit a single time, he hit and hustled and showed the way for team Finland and tantalized almost an entire nation with mind-dazzling moves and strong overall play? :dunno:

What players stood out in the game?

Anyone special in Ukraine?

Anyone special in Ukraine?
My grandpa who watched the game kept swearing and mumbling and the only hearable thing except for lots of curse words was Varlamov ^^ He is an amazing skater with very good stick handler, and not a bad hustler either...

Our PP really does suck, when we can't score against Denmark or Ukraine .........

:dunno:
And I thought today they scored 2 PP goals, and a third one was practically a PP goal also.

Of course I still don't understand AJ Niemi in the first PP unit, but he scored a goal...

Anyone who thinks Hagman had a good game needs to get his head and/or eyes checked...Inefficent scrapping & grinding in the corners, didn't do anything with the puck.

Anyone who thinks Hagman had a good game needs to get his head and/or eyes checked...Inefficent scrapping & grinding in the corners, didn't do anything with the puck.
I didn't claim he had a good game today...

I was just answering the question

anyone remember him having a good tournament - ever?

So there.

I was just answering the question

So there.

I never said that, you're quoting the wrong person!

Btw, a good tournament 3 years ago is not enough in my books. Since then he has done absolutely nothing.

So which goalie are you guys more comfortable with??

Norrena or Backstrom?

I want to hear from you guys in this one!!

As I stated earlier, I want Backstrom as #1. :teach:

So which goalie are you guys more comfortable with??

Norrena or Backstrom?

I want to hear from you guys in this one!!

As I stated earlier, I want Backstrom as #1. :teach:

Despite of few shaky decisions by Bäckas, I would be more comfortable with him in the net..

So which goalie are you guys more comfortable with??

Norrena or Backstrom?

I want to hear from you guys in this one!!

As I stated earlier, I want Backstrom as #1. :teach:

Bäckström.

So which goalie are you guys more comfortable with??

Norrena or Backstrom?

I want to hear from you guys in this one!!

As I stated earlier, I want Backstrom as #1. :teach:
Although Bäcks played an ok game as his World Championship games debut, I'd still choose Norrena to be the starter mainly because he has more experience and played, imo, slightly better game. Though difficult to compare since they played against different opponents.

So which goalie are you guys more comfortable with??

Norrena or Backstrom?

I want to hear from you guys in this one!!

As I stated earlier, I want Backstrom as #1. :teach:

I would say Bäckström because he has come off from a solid FEL championship. Confidence is absolutely crucial for goalies; being assigned the number 1 goalie position and having the coach believe in you is so important. I remember watching the last regular season game with HIFK-Lukko where Vokoun allowed more goals than he normally did before that and then it went downhill from there. He hasn't been solid since that game...

Westerlund will have a tough decision for Wednesday's game. Sweden has played quite solidly tonight, so they will be fired up for the game. Erkka seem to have a tendency to choose players with more national experience, so he might go for Norrena. :dunno:

So which goalie are you guys more comfortable with??

Norrena or Backstrom?

I want to hear from you guys in this one!!

As I stated earlier, I want Backstrom as #1. :teach:

Hi Erkka!

Yeah Bäcks is my choise too, Swedes know Norrena better. I'd also suggest you give another thought to Antti Miettinen....

heheh

I am glad that most of you seem to concur that Backstrom is the better choice for #1. I am a little worried though that Westerlund may still do some experimenting and give Norrena another chance.. I honestly think that we will lose against the Swedes if Norrena gets the nod. We shall see.
:banghead:

I go for Norrena, better stickhandler, we need to start emphasizing stickhandling to our goalies. See Roloson, he was head and shoulders and waist better than anyone else in SM-Liiga.

Based on their first games it's a matter of utter indifference to me. However, I've always liked Norrena more so I'd go with him.

:dunno:
And I thought today they scored 2 PP goals, and a third one was practically a PP goal also.

Yes, they scored, but it doesn't change the fact that PP looked horrible. Against the better teams, it HAS TO improve. 1st PP unit seems to have one solution (Nummelin on point) and 2nd unit doesn't have even that. Also getting the puck in Ukrainian zone seemed overwhelming at times and Ukranians were pretty tired.


How about when he was the best forward of the tournament in 2002

Ok, he was good in those games, but after that it's been pretty damn quiet. What the hell happened to him? Too much 3rd/4th line duties in NHL? Nowadays he is just speeding around the rink, and nothing else happens.

Anyway, there's still 4 practice games left, before the games really begins.

Definetly Bäckström, apart from that one incident he was solid in goal.

Definetly Bäckström, apart from that one incident he was solid in goal.
...and Norrena was not solid when he played against Team Denmark?

To me both goalies are so close to each other that I don't complain if Erkka chooses Bäcks instead of Norrena. We can put either one between the pipes since they are so close to each other. In my book Norrena has a slight edge just because of his experience. Someone said Norrena is known by swedish but so does Norrena know the swedish players. Either way, I won't complain.

Norrena will play against Sweden according to YLE txt-tv.

Norrena will play against Sweden according to YLE txt-tv.

That's what I thought would happen. I think we will lose this game, and then Backstrom will be placed as the #1.

I hope I am wrong though. :shakehead