Quote:
Originally Posted by Textcritic
Not from my perspective. Finland had better zone time against Russia than they did against Canada, and they carried and completed plays better. Rask was great, but didn't steal a win by any stretch of the imagination. Much like in the Canada v. Finland game, Russia either had difficulty penetrating the Finnish zone, or they had difficulty finishing their plays in the zone primarily because of the very good Finnish checking.
Yes. Finland has been MUCH better than Russia in the tournament, and it has to do with more than just Rask's excellent play.
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Finland plays a tight game, like grinding their way, but Russia has some serious offensive power, even though they underperformed badly on that area, and if I heard it correctly last night: Weber & Doughty combined have scored more than any forwards in the Team Canada combined. I know it will be a great game, and I'm not saying that USA will win, but I won't be surprised if they do. I don't think Finland would have been in this tournament anymore without Rask, so it's a big chunk of Rask's excellent play.