Honours almost even as NHL gets under way with two matches in Helsinki

Experiment worthy of a repeat, but team selections are paramount

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Honours were almost even in the two NHL season-opening matches played between the Florida Panthers and the Chicago Blackhawks in Helsinki at the weekend, despite the fact that the Blackhawks were regarded by the pundits as the more likely of the two sides to be involved in the play-offs for the Stanley Cup next spring.
      On Friday evening the Panthers sprang a surprise and took a 4-3 victory after a penalty shoot-out, when normal time and overtime left the teams locked at 3-3.
      Florida came back three times from a one-goal deficit to force the match into overtime.
      On Saturday, order was restored in the shape of a comprehensive 4-0 win for Chicago.
     
Although neither of the two teams' rosters was exactly bulging with Finnish players, the Helsinki audience were able to cheer some home-grown talent.
      On Friday the Panthers defenseman Ville Koistinen took the eye, scoring the winning goal (and one more in normal time), while on Saturday the Chicago coach decided to put in goaltender Antti Niemi for only his fourth NHL appearance.
      Niemi's inclusion paid dividends, as he collected the first shut-out of his NHL career, stopping all 23 shots the opposition fired at him.
     
As an exercise, this first Helsinki display of the NHL in action was a qualified success: there were just over 12,000 paying spectators in the Hartwall Arena on Friday and 11,500 on Saturday.
      This was a reasonable showing, even though there were a few empty seats, since the teams involved were not exactly out of the very top drawer in terms of attractiveness for the Finnish crowds.
      The home organisers Helsinki Jokerit will come out in the black, so the experiment could be continued next autumn, but most feel that for it to be a complete success the ante will have to be upped, with more "interesting" - and correspondingly more expensive - teams being persuaded to come across the Atlantic to open up their season on foreign ice.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  NHL opens in Helsinki: 8,400 kilometre trip to watch a hockey game (2.10.2009)

Links:
  NHL: Florida Panthers
  NHL: Chicago Blackhawks

Helsingin Sanomat