The Finnish defender situation for the 4 Nations Face -off tournament starting next week begins to look thin.
- Two Lions defenders selected for the top tournament had already had to be left out.
- Rasmus Ristolainen was injured on Monday morning in the NHL match.
- The Finnish team will meet in Montreal on Sunday.
Miro Heiskanen outside.
Jani Hakanpää Outdoors.
Rasmus Ristolainen was injured on Monday morning in the NHL match. Playing a man in 4 Nations is uncertain.
The Lions leadership replaced Hakanpää and Heiskanen Rangers with Urho Vaakanainen and Sabers Henri Jokiharju.
If TPS breeder Ristolainen is unable to play in 4 Nations, Finland will be on a really thin thread. The Lion has only two options for patches.
They are 26-year-old Nikolas Matinpalo of Ottawa Senators and Winnipeg Jets 23-year-old Ville Heinola. Matinpalo has played 15 NHL matches this season, Heinola one match.
Not from Europe
Rasmus Ristolainen (middle) of Philadelphia Flyers (middle) was injured on Monday night in a match against Colorado Avalanche. There was no more detailed description of the quality of the injury in Turku. Archive picture. Aop
The player appointed to the top tournament must be subject to the NHL agreement. In addition, the player should have been in the NHL team as of December 2.
The latter of the rule is slightly open to interpretation. Matinpalo and Heinola have not played in the NHL continuously since the beginning of December, but the organizers of the tournament will qualify men in North America, if the situation so requires.
Instead, players under the NHL agreement who hockey in the European series will not be involved in 4 Nations.
Only 11 Finnish defenders have played an NHL match this season.
Pennanen does not panic
Antti Pennanen and other A -team management will see on Sunday who will be available in 4 Nations tournaments. Tomi Natri / AOP
Despite the difficulties, the Lions Management Team is calm.
– The team will meet in Montreal this coming Sunday. Then we look at who are there. And then we design configurations and other operating models. At this point, we are preparing for the tournament normally, says Antti Pennanen, head coach of the Lions to Iltalehti.
– We focus on the things we can influence. Injuries are unfortunate things and belong to the department that we cannot influence in any way, the main commander continues
Pennanen does not admit that he has lost his night’s sleep due to injuries in the kit.
If Ristolainen is unable to play, which one will rise to the lineup, Heinola or Matinpalo?
– It has two different types of defenders. But don’t go ahead and do not choose either when there is no exact information. So I have no exact information about Ristolainen’s injury, Pennanen said on Monday morning.
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Line -up
Goalkeepers:
Lankinen Kevin (Vancouver Canucks)
Luukkonen Ukko-Pekka (Buffalo Sabers)
Saros Juuse (Nashville Predators)
Defenders:
Jokiharju Henri (Buffalo Sabers)
Lindell Esa (Dallas Stars)
Mikkola Niko (Florida Panthers)
Määttä Olli (Utah Hockey Club)
Ristus Rasmus (Philadelphia Flyers)
Horizontal Urho (New York Rangers)
Välimäki Juuso (Utah Hockey Club)
Attackers:
Aho Sebastian (Carolina Hurricanes)
Armia Joel (Montréal Canadiens)
Barkov Alexander (Florida Panthers)
Granlund Mikael (Dallas Stars)
Haula Erik (New Jersey Devils)
Hintz Roope (Dallas Stars)
Kakko Kaapo (Seattle Kraken)
Laine Patrik (Montréal Canadiens)
Lehkonen Artturi (Colorado Avalanche)
Lundell Anton (Florida Panthers)
Luostarinen Eetu (Florida Panthers)
Rantanen Mikko (Carolina Hurricanes)
Sharp Teuvo (Chicago Blackhawks)
“Risto” good season
Ristolainen, 30, plays excellent through the demanding coach John Tortorella in Philadelphia. The Finn has been part of Flyers’ credit packs this season.
He has scored 15 (2+13) points in 54 games. The man’s power statistics show +3.
If a Turku resident has to get out, Heinola is the strongest team. The Jets man has a common history with Pennanen about the under-20 national team.
– We are preparing for the tournament as planned. All kinds of things can happen. Therefore, it is good that we do not have too many plans for stone -beaten things. We need to be able to adjust to changes, Pennanen says.
These are going to go
The Winnipeg Jets’ Ville Heinola (left) is probably close to the selection for a four -country tournament if Rasmus Ristolainen has to leave. Only 11 Finnish defenders have played in the NHL this season. Aop
Teams consist of 23 NHL players (20 field players and three goalkeepers).
Players must have a valid NHL agreement for the period 2024-25 and must be in the NHL team as of December 2, 2024.
The tournament matches are played by NHL rules.
The 4 Nations Face -off tournament features seven matches, played over nine days from 12 to 20th. February.
The competition is organized by the NHL and the NHLPa Player Association. The game cities are Boston and Montreal.