Wild scenes at Winter Olympics as Canada seals stunning win over Finland to set up potential gold medal hockey showdown with USA
It took more effort than expected, but the Canadian men’s hockey team will play for the gold medal at the Winter Olympics in Milan.
After falling behind 2-0 to Finland, Canada came back to win the game 3-2, setting the stage for a potential renewal of its rivalry with the United States.
Canada won the gold medal at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi; This was the last time the NHL allowed its players to compete in games.
In these Olympics, Canada once again relied on its NHL superstars to guide them to victory.
After tying the game, a frantic scramble for shots late in the contest saw Nathan MacKinnon sneak the game-winner past goalkeeper Jusse Saros with just 35 seconds left to secure his place in the final.
They will play for the gold medal with the winner of the match between the USA and Slovakia on Friday evening.
Nathan MacKinnon was heroic for Canada with his goal to beat Finland and advance to the final
MacKinnon’s shot went over the near post of Finland’s Jusse Saros with 35 seconds left
Finland took a 2-0 lead early in the match with goals from Mikko Rantanen (L) and Erik Haula (R).
Finland opened the scoring a few seconds after winning by taking advantage of the power play.
After Canada’s Sam Bennett was sent to the penalty box for goaltender interference, Finland’s Mikko Rantanen scored with just three seconds remaining on the man advantage.
The second period did not start well for Canada. Finland’s Erik Haula, despite being short-handed, seized the breakaway chance, fooling Canada’s struggling netminder Jordan Binnington, putting the puck on his backhand and beating the goalie’s glove for a 2-0 lead in just nine shots.
Needing an answer, Canada came out on its second power play of the game and found its way on the board.
Defenseman Cale Makar shot before allowing Sam Reinhart to pass Saros to make it 2-1.
While a two-goal lead remains the most dangerous advantage in hockey, it took Canada a long time to find the shot that would tie the game.
Finland seemed content to sit back and let the game and the shots come to them. Traffic in front of the net blinded Saros, while defenseman Shea Theodore invited a laser beam that sailed through the right circle.
After the netminder fell to the ground, he immediately contacted one of the two Canadian referees and requested intervention, but this did not work either.
A shot by defenseman Shea Theodore tied the game midway through the third quarter
The puck enters the net after MacKinnon’s game-winning goal for Canada
The Canadians will now potentially advance to the gold medal game against the rival Americans
Despite the tie, Finland looked unprepared to win the game as Canada dominated the puck. By the end of the games, they had only managed 17 shots compared to Canada’s 39 shots.
The dam finally broke in the final moments of the game. It started with Finland’s Niko Mikkola receiving a penalty for sticking high on MacKinnon.
The next two minutes became a shooting gallery, with Finland trying to force overtime amid shots from an angry and hungry Canadian team.
Shot after shot came at Saros at an unrelenting pace and frequency that the netminder could barely manage.
And then the killing blow. With the Finns unfortunately out of position, Connor McDavid fired a perfectly executed cross-ice pass to MacKinnon.
The Colorado Avalanche star one-timed the puck as Saros tried to defend his position. As MacKinnon’s shot went over his arm and headed toward the goal, Saros couldn’t get there in time, securing the win for Canada.
