4 Nations Ice Chips: Lankinen to start for Finland vs. Sweden
Published
Keep up to date with all the latest injury updates and news during the 4 Nations Face-Off.
Finland
Kevin Lankinen practiced with his own net with Finland on Friday, while Juuse Saros and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen shared a net on the other end of the ice on Friday.
Coach Antti Pennanen later confirmed to reporters that Lankinen, the Vancouver Canucks net minder who has taken on a significant role while regular starter Thatcher Demko dealt with injuries earlier in the year, would get the start vs. Sweden on Saturday.
Saros started for Finland in their tournament opener against the United States on Thursday, and while he was strong through the first two periods, his play crumbled quickly in the third period as USA unleashed a four-goal barrage en route to a 6-1 victory.
Saros stopped 26 of 32 shots in the losing effort.
“We had a good start to the game,” Finland coach Antti Pennanen said. “The first period was really even and, actually, the second period was the best part from us. We had a couple of good chances we didn’t score. Actually, I don’t know what happened after that. The start of the third was, I don’t know how to say that. But we [weren’t] ready for that.”
The United States scored three goals in the opening three minutes of the third period - including two in the first 26 seconds.
Lankinen has a 2.53 goals against average with a .905 save percentage in 34 games with the Canucks this year. He is already only three games behind his career high for a single season, which he set in 2020-21 with the Chicago Blackhawks.
Sweden
Filip Gustavsson is slated to get another start in net for Sweden at the 4 Nations Face-Off, according to head coach Sam Hallam.
Gustavsson started in Sweden's 4-3 overtime loss against Canada in the tournament opener on Wednesday.
Gustavsson turned away 24 of 28 shots - including six in the third period and seven in overtime before allowing the winning goal.
“It’s a lot of emotions there. Everyone wants to beat Canada. They’re supposed to be the best team in the world and everyone wants to go out there and beat them,” Gustavsson said. “After the first 10 minutes, I thought we were right with them the whole game.”
A win against Finland would go a long way to help keep Sweden is contention, as they trail second-place Canada by a point after one games, and leaders USA by two points. The top two teams after the round robin will play in a championship game next Thursday.
Sweden skated the following lines in practice on Friday:
Rakell-Zibanejad-Nylander
Kempe-Zibanejad-Forsberg
Bratt-Eriksson Ek-Raymond
Nyquist-Lindholm-Arvidsson
Hedman-Brodin
Ekholm-Karlsson
Forsling-Dahlin
Carlsson-Andersson
Gustavsson
Ullmark
Ersson
Canada
Defenceman Cale Makar was not on the ice for Canada's session Friday morning due to an illness.
The Colorado Avalanche defenceman played 28:06 in Wednesday's tournament-opening victory over Sweden on Wednesday, registering two shots on goal.
Later on Friday, TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun reported that Dallas Stars defenceman Thomas Harley will be allowed to come in and join Team Canada in case Makar is unable to play Saturday against the U.S.
Originally, Harley wasn't expected to join Canada before the 4 Nations shifted to Boston, but LeBrun reports NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly and the National Hockey League Players' Association spoke Friday and agreed Harley would be eligible to join Canada for Saturday's game given the circumstances.
Philadelphia Flyers defenceman Travis Sanheim will shift into the lineup in Theodore's place and spent Friday's skate beside Drew Doughty.
Meanwhile, Canada appears set to bring in Sam Bennett for their game against Team USA.
Bennett, a healthy scratch for Wednesday's 4-3 overtime win over Sweden, was wearing bottom-six white in practice Friday, while Travis Konecny was wearing a black jersey, indicating he could be exiting the lineup.
Canada appears to be sticking with a top six of Connor McDavid between Mitch Marner and Sam Reinhart, and Sidney Crosby with Nathan MacKinnon and Mark Stone.
Coach Jon Cooper was not ready to announce who would be in net for Canada for their game against Team USA, saying on Friday that he wants to talk to his goalies first.
St. Louis Blues net minder Jordan Binnington got the start in the opening game of the tournament, where he turned away 23 of 26 shots in the overtime win.
“When he [had to make] the big save in overtime, he made it,” Cooper said of Binnington after Wednesday's game. “And gave us a chance to win and we did.”
Here were Canada's lines at Friday's slate:
Reinhart-McDavid-Marner
Crosby-MacKinnon-Stone
Hagel-Cirelli-Point
Marchand-Bennett-Jarvis
Toews-*Konecny
Morrissey-Parayko
Sanheim-Doughty
Binnington
Hill
Absent: Makar
Extra: Montembeault