World Cup opening day still lifes – did “Härkä” Hartikainen sell?

16.20: France-Slovakia

The opening match of the Helsinki block, which will be played in the legendary Nordenskiöldinkatu hall, is clear.

Slovakia, which has reached the sensational Olympic bronze in Beijing, is a favorite against France, which was raised in the Games after the exclusion of Russia and Belarus. In the practice match last Saturday, Slovakia beat France 2-0.

At the World Championships, Slovakia last won medals in Helsinki in 2012, when the catch was silver. The level is again rising for an experienced Canadian coach Craig Ramsayn under.

The team is the youngest in the race (average age 24.4 years) and plays a fresh open-minded pitch.

A winger who played in the 30-point season in New Jersey Tomas Tatar is the only NHL confirmation in Slovakia.

There is also interest in the youth department. It is starred by a TPS attacker Juraj Slafkovskywho was selected as the MVP of the Beijing Olympics with the reign of goals and points, and the defender Simon Nemec. Both are 18 years old and are expected to finish 2-8 in this summer’s NHL draft.

HPK kit Mario Grman is the team’s second SM league player, and the goalkeeper is also familiar from the league Patrik Rybar as well as attackers Michal Kristof and Kristian Pospisil.

At the individual level, France is not doing well in Slovakia. Struggled for the NHL via Kuopio Alexandre Texier is the team’s only NHL reinforcement, but he has been injured for a long time since January.

There are three players from the SM League involved: the defenders Yohann Auvitu (HIFK) and Hugo Gallet (KalPa) and the attacker Charles Bertrand (Poleaxe).

French-Finnish Sebastian Ylösen father Petri Ylönen also remembered as the goalkeeper of the French national team.

Estimate: Slovakia wins 3-1.

16.20: USA – Latvia

The USA is a clear favorite at the opening of the Nokia Arena in Tampere, but Latvia is always ready for a surprise. In its last two practice matches, it knocked out Kazakhstan 5-0 and 5-1.

The Latvian team is strengthened by two NHL players. Columbus goalkeeper Elvis Merzlinkins is the brightest puck star in the country, and a San Jose striker Rudolf Balcersin 23 points were collected for the second place in the regular season of the Latvian Stock Exchange in Pittsburgh Teddy Bluegerin after.

There are also two SM league players, a Pelicans defender Karlis Cukste and the Colossal Striker of Jukuri Oscar Batna (195 cm, 106 kg).

The USA, which reached bronze in Riga a year ago, has been able to do better on the World Cup ice 62 years ago, when it won the championship in 1960.

Served as head coach of the New York Rangers for the past three seasons David Quinnin led by a young team made up of players hockey in North America.

Only the Skellefteå goalkeeper will be in the European series Strauss Mannand six have the status of a university league NCAA.

So most are NHL players, but not involved JTMiller, Kyle Connoria, Patrick Kanea and not Jack or Quinn Hughesia but the little brother of the latter, an 18-year-old defender Luke Hughes. Last summer’s NHL draft quadruple game played this season at the University of Michigan, and the debut in the New Jersey shirt is ahead next season.

Defender who played in the 51-point season in Chicago Seth Jones is the team captain and brightest star player.

Between the poles, Detroit’s number one guard will be the main responsibility Axel Nedeljkovic.

Estimate: The US wins 4-2.

8.20 pm: Germany-Canada

Helsinki’s evening match is basically a very struggle on the opening day, when Germany, which reached the semi-finals last year, and the reigning world champion Canada will come together.

The Beijing Olympics was a bad disappointment for Germany, and head coach Toni Söderholm took mistakes in preparation for its own spike.

“Of course it wasn’t the place where you want to learn these, but somewhere they have to be learned,” he said last week.

Germany, wise from injury, will certainly improve in these races. The game is based on good defense. A great example was the Canada match at the last World Cup, where the Germans blocked 30 shots.

– The kundas fought for the motherland, Söderholm described the 3-1 victory.

He has also brought the lessons of the Finnish puck to the German game, which can be seen, among other things, in the quest for better puck control when there is a place for it.

NHL confirmations Philipp Grubauer, Moritz Seider and Tim Stützle are by far the brightest stars in Germany.

The experienced Grubauer took responsibility for the Seattle finish, but the season was weaker than in the best years in Colorado and Washington. Of course, the defense that played in front also played a part in the matter.

Seider, who scored a tough 50 points for the defender in the regular season, is a strong candidate for the Newcomer of the Year Calder Award. Detroit’s most powerful kit is hard bone even in duel.

Winger Stützle, the NHL’s third reserve from 2020, was Ottawa’s second-best scorer with 58 points.

Claude Julienin coached by reigning champion Canada is literally one of the tournament’s biggest pre-favorites. The line-up consists of 12 players over 190 centimeters.

The young team (average age 24.9 years) is made up entirely of the NHL, but at this point only two of the 30 most powerful Canadian players in the regular season are involved.

They are the 28th-ranked Winnipeg Center Pierre-Luc Dubois (28 + 32 = 60) and the New York Islanders Mathew Barzal (15 + 44 = 59).

Columbus Center Cole Sillinger, 18, is perhaps the most interesting case for the team. The youngest player in the NHL this season hit with a qualifying score of 16 + 15 = 31.

The defense is starred in New Jersey’s No. 1 kit Damon Severson and in Ottawa in the same position Thomas Chabot.

The experience is brought by a striker over 100 kilograms from Montreal Josh Anderson and Ottawa’s 34-year-old defender Nick Holden.

Molar on paper does not actually convince. Played 27 games in Seattle Chris Drieger is basically number one.

Last year, Canada lost their first three matches and only made it to the playoffs, which culminated in a final time win from Finland.

If the doctrine got through, Canada will be better awake right now.

Estimate: Canada wins 4-1.

20.20: Finland-Norway

The expected race opening of the host country in the evening of the Nokia arena is one of those games in which the Lion has basically nothing to lose – that’s why it’s going to be a clear favorite.

Finland have won the last 13 national matches against Norway with a goal difference of 62–12.

However, the Lion should not have an attitude problem.

Although the training games are only training games, the four consecutive losses on the EHT are so significant that Norway can get a good ride – or at least the match may be resolved quickly.

Jukka Jalosen the principles of tournament coaching include developing the game match by match, but now it would be desirable for the team’s peace of mind not to make the evening a painfully sluggish one – not to mention a loss.

In addition to the result, it will be interesting to see whether Finland makes the principles of its way of working work: the center is defensively defended and attacks are launched with a delay and a front if necessary.

Finland’s finish begins Jussi Olkinuora. NHL confirmations Mikael Granlund is not yet involved, so the number one place in the chain planned for him Sakari Mannisen and Teemu Hartikainen alongside having Jere Innala.

It’s fun to see Hartikainen, who uses mass and power, riot at the end of Norway – or is he rioting?

A quadruple chain already familiar from the last World Championships and Olympics Saku Mäenalanen – Hannes Björninen – Marko Anttila may rise to number one, as has often happened.

Norway took victories from Denmark and Slovakia in their last three practice matches, but then suffered a 1-2 extra time loss against France.

Locked in the sluggish season played Michael Haga is the only league player in the team.

SHL will be the goalkeeper Jonas Arntzendefender Emil Lilleberg and the attacker Mats Olsen. Familiar goalkeeper from the league Henrik Haukeland played half-season in the SHL and the German DEL League. In the latter, his rebound percentage in 19 matches was a whopping 94.5.

Estimate: Finland wins 4–0.