Drowsy Lions overcome Denmark after early wake-up call

Result more satisfying than overall performance

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Finland's ice hockey team booked their safe passage into the next stage of the World Championships in Switzerland on Monday night with a 5-1 victory (1-1, 2-0, 2-0) over Denmark.
      Coach Jukka Jalonen seems to know his squad pretty well, as it was reported that he was unhappy with the players' attitude during morning training on the ice on Monday - passing was careless, and the overall sense was one of lack of focus.
      The same phenomenon was in evidence in the first period of last night's match, as an eager Danish side made the sluggish Finns labour and belied the ostensible difference in class between the two teams.
     
One of the TV studio pundits had almost hoped for a "wake-up call" to shake the Finnish Lions out of their torpor, and it came after 10 minutes, when Julian Jakobsen capitalised on a gross error by Finnish defenseman Janne Niinimaa to shoot Denmark into the lead.
      This shock brought a measure of concentration back to the Finns' game, and two minutes from the end of the period Antti Miettinen equalised, with Niinimaa making some amends by setting up the goal.
     
Even though the next two periods were rather more straightforward, with Danish goalie Sebastian Dahm seeing considerably more action than his opposite number Karri Rämö, the lack of speed with which the Finns moved from defence into attack does not bode well for the later matches in this tournament, where the opposition will be stronger and more capable of inflicting punishment.
      Tuomas Pihlman scored a second goal for the Finns shortly after the restart, and Miettinen got his second of the night on 34 minutes to make the game relatively safe.
      A brace of goals by center Niko Kapanen in the third period - the second of them just 18 seconds before the final buzzer - prettified the scoreline and did just enough to put Finland at the top of their group on goal difference before the last match against the Czech Republic.
      On the positive side, three of Finland's five goals came on the powerplay, adding to four scored in this way against Norway and suggesting that it is not wise to take penalties against the Lions.
     
In other games on Monday, the Czechs looked to have a similar "second match" lethargy about them when taking out Norway 5-2.
      Just as the Finns had on Saturday, the Czechs raced into an early 3-0 lead, but the tempo then fell away and they allowed Norway to claw their way back to 4-2 at one stage.
      The Swedes were not so lucky in their second game. Skating out against Latvia on the back of a 7-1 thumping of Austria, they paid the penalty for a limp performance, going down 3-2 after overtime and penalties.
      Team USA had no such problems against Austria, and won comfortably 6-1 to head the group. Sweden and the USA play for the points and bragging rights of winning the group on Wednesday, and now the Swedes will have to win the match in normal time to overhaul the Americans.
      Wednesday's other games in Groups C and D pit Norway against Denmark, and Latvia against Austria, to determine which of the teams go forward to the Qualification Round stage and which drop towards the relegation zone.
     
Today sees the closing Preliminary Round matches in Groups A and B. Russia play Switzerland and Germany meet France in Group B in Bern, while Canada face Slovakia and Hungary play Belarus in Zürich-Kloten.
      On the face of it, the Finns are likely to have to play Canada, Slovakia, and Belarus in the next stage of the tournament.
      Points from matches played against members of one's own Preliminary Round group who also progress can be carried forward, so Jukka Jalonen will be wanting an altogether sharper performance from his charges when they skate out against the Czechs.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Lions begin World Championships with comprehensive win over Norway (27.4.2009)

Links:
  2009 IIHF World Championship (Wikipedia)
  World Championships official site

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