Match-up - Austria (0-0-0-0) vs Finland (0-0-0-0) TV - NBCSN, Sportsnet Puck drop - 3:00 a.m. ET Projected starting goalies - Bernhard Starkbaum vs Tuukka Rask
Projected lines for the Austrians:
Thomas Vanek - Thomas Hundertpfund - Michael Grabner Michael Raffl - Raphael Herburger - Thomas Raffl Daniel Oberkofler - Thomas Koch - Manuel Latusa Oliver Setzinger - Matthias Iberer - Brian Lebler
Florian Iberer - Mario Altmann Thomas Pock - Robert Lukas Andre Lakos - Stefan Ulmer
Projected lines for the Finns:
Mikael Granlund - Aleksander Barkov - Teemu Selanne Lauri Korpikoski - Olli Jokinen - Tuomo Ruutu Jussi Jokinen - Petri Kontiola - Juhamatti Aaltonen Leo Komarov - Jarkko Immonen - Jori Lehtera
Olli Maatta - Kimmo Timonen Sami Vatanen - Sami Salo Sami Lepisto - Juuso Hietanen
Game notes:
- Led by Thomas Vanek, the Austrians have some wingers who have shown the ability to score goals at the NHL level. Austria isn't a deep team and they'd have to play above their heads to beat a Finland team that's pretty battered due to injuries, but they have enough finishers to make things interesting. Finland is by no means an offensive powerhouse so if Austria can get some contributions from their top guys this could be a close game. I think this will be a more interesting contest than people think.
- Teemu Selanne is a player that interests me for a few reasons. I have some questions about how much of an impact he can make and this game should be able to provide some answers. He's not the player he once was, we all know that, but he can still get around and finish chances when given the opportunity. That said, he'll be playing big minutes here which is something he hasn't done in Anaheim for years. I'm interested to see if a) he can handle the big workload and; b) if he can serve as a gamebreaker for this Finnish team.
Finland doesn't have much in terms of pure goal scorers, so they need Selanne to be just that if they want to do well in this tournament.
- In large part due to injuries Mikko Koivu and Valtteri Filppula suffered that will keep them out of the tournament, Finland is putting a lot on their younger players. Aleksander Barkov, who's played a little more than a half season in the NHL, will be centering the top line for a medal hopeful in the toughest tournament in the world. Meanwhile, 21-year-old Mikael Granlund who is also playing his first full season in the NHL, is expected to play on the top line and will be relied upon to consistently produce offense for the Finns. These guys have the talent to do great things, but at this stage in their careers expecting them to carry the load might be a bit much to ask.
- Meanwhile, on defense the Finns will be relying heavily on Olli Maatta, who's been exceptional for Pittsburgh this season, and flashy Ducks defenseman Sami Vatanen to eat up big minutes. These two are both extremely talented, as well, but you might want to tamper your expectations in this tournament. Asking them to shut down Thomas Vanek, Sidney Crosby, etc. every night is a lot from kids playing on the biggest stage in the world. The future of the Finnish program looks bright with all these young stars coming along, but I don't know that they're ready to lead their country to a medal just yet.
- Speaking of Maatta, I'm really looking forward to watching him play with Kimmo Timonen. These are two players who, despite a massive difference in age, are similar in that they don't get near enough credit for how good they really are. They'll have a tough task in handling two pretty good goal scorers in Vanek and Michael Grabner on the top line, but I think they'll be up to task. It'll be fun to watch.
- The Finnish power play is intriguing to me and will be very important in this tournament. Their top defensemen can all move the puck and a few of them possess booming shots, so I think they may be able to do some damage there. When they're going up against top teams like Canada, Russia, etc. a good power play might be enough to keep them in games. I mean, Tuukka Rask probably won't need too much goal support to win games.
- I expect Finland to have a good penalty kill, but I think it's key for them to stay out of the box in this game. Austria has some quality goal scorers and giving them a man advantage will just give Vanek and co. more time and space to work with. That's a recipe for disaster.
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