The best individual in the competition is probably on the Czech team now, thinks Anssi Karjalainen.
David Pastrnak (center) set up the show in Tampere. Jussi Saarinen
During the summer, when the real ball game series are on hiatus, league-level players suddenly appear in the halls to flaunt and have fun.
Alongside that, it turns out pretty quickly if your own gaming experience is mostly from sub-divers. The league star comes past left and right, even if not even playing at full power.
This is certainly not a bark for Latvia or an argument that a team that has put Finland in a tight spot would resemble a crowd. This is the way the Czech Republic, and one player in particular, is dominating on Thursday night.
A day earlier, David Pastrnak arrived at the Boston Bruins outfit on his shoulder. In the opening round, the trio, made up of him, David Krejc and Roman Cervenka, did what you had against Latvia.
Every time Pastrnak got on the puck above the red line, he was able to create a finish spot for the Czech Republic. The goal cannon was positioned correctly, slid past the Latvians and fed an unusual amount into the back posts.
Sweden has not gotten its toughest NHL stars in the Games, even though Rasmus Dahl is a good defender. Thomas Chabot of Canada fought seriously with Miro Heiskanen of Finland for the title of the best player in the World Cup.
Matt Barzal and Mikael Granlund are in the top group.
But Pastrnak’s arrival changed the situation – the best individual in the competition seems to be in the Czech team coached by Kari Jalonen. And it is not necessarily an exaggeration to anticipate that this will be the very field of the tournament.
At the end of the first set, Pastrnak circled the back of the Latvian goal in peace. Krejci fed the shoulder, and the numbers 5–0 were changed to jumbotrons.
Jalonen’s disc control and short supply chains seem to support Pastrnak’s strengths.
The remaining 40 minutes were taken lighter by Pastrnak and he was allowed to come to the exchange in complete peace, although Latvia was turned away from exploitation towards the Czech defense zone.
The Czech Republic is still a strong champion favorite. The losses in Sweden and Austria already raised emotions in a passionate puck country. After the crushing of Latvia, peace returned.
– I don’t really understand the question. All the while I’ve been telling the boys to go day in and day out.
This is how Jalonen answered the question of whether the win was a relief after two losses.
According to Jalonen, Pastrnak had already communicated his wishes for the World Cup in advance if Bruins’ season ended. The superstar’s comment on the Finnish pilot was a sign that there would now be an opportunity for gold after 12 years of waiting.
– I immediately got the impression that he is a really positive guy, and that kind of attitude carries a lot in the tournament, Pastrnak glowed.