Finland Bounces Back with Convincing Win over Slovakia

Coming off a brutal overtime defeat to Switzerland on Monday, Team Finland entered Tuesday's action with no room for error and much to prove. Dropping a preliminary round matchup to an objectively lesser opponent is never easy, but the Finns have a reputation of resilience.

The Slovakians, on the other hand, began their tournament against a bitter Finland squad with a chip on their shoulder. Hardly an ideal first opponent.

1st Period

The Finns came out strong, controlling the first 8 shots of the game and its first goal, courtesy of 2023 draft-eligible Sami Päivärinta:

Slovakia showed that this wouldn't be an easy win for the Finns, though. They answered back with strong back-half of the first period, tying the game on the powerplay with just ten seconds left in the opening frame.

2nd Period

The Finns brought their A-game in the middle frame, and it wouldn't take long for them to re-gain the lead. It took less than four minutes of play for Nashville Predators first-rounder Joakim Kemell to find the twine with a rocket from the high-slot.

Shortly after, Finnish captain and Montréal Canadiens' prospect Oliver Kapanen scored a nifty wrap-around to secure the team's first 2-goal lead of the tournament:

A Slovakian penalty would see the Finns to the powerplay, on which Jani Nyman would power home a one-timer right off the face-off, furthering Finland's lead to 4-1 in the 2nd period.

3rd Period

Slovakia came out strong in the third, dominating the play for the opening five minutes or so. They regained the shot-advantage and mustered a powerplay goal to breathe life into their team, courtesy of Peter Repčík's second of the game:

Slovakia's will was apparent, but Finland's skill was simply too much. Winnipeg Jets prospect Brad Lambert scored the Finns' fifth of the game, putting the game out of reach for their opponent.

Team Finland took this one by a final score of 5-2.

Players of the Match

Finland: Oliver Kapanen
Slovakia: Peter Repčík

Slovakia is back in action tomorrow (Wednesday) against Team USA, which will be another tough test to start the tournament. Meanwhile, Finland takes on Latvia next on Thursday after getting a day's rest after playing on back-to-back days.

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