rasmus ristolainen earns chance with FIN 4NF with bug

Rasmus Ristolainen is hoping for more success representing Finland at the 4 Nations Face-Off next month.

The Philadelphia Flyers defenseman will have another opportunity to wear a Finland jersey after helping his country win the 2014 IIHF World Junior Championship in Malmo, Sweden, where he scored in overtime against Sweden in the gold-medal game, giving Finland its first tournament title since 1998.

"I mean, it's the only time I won something in my career, really," said Ristolainen, now in his 12th NHL season. "So, obviously you remember your first one, and obviously World Juniors is pretty big and just a fun time."

Ristolainen capped Finland's run to the gold medal at 9:42 of overtime when he pinched down the wall on the right side of the offensive zone. He played a puck off the wall, deked around defenseman Robert Hagg, drove to the net and slid a backhand under the pads of goalie Oscar Dansk.

"I just rimmed the puck, and he came and picked it up and just driving to the net," said Chicago Blackhawks forward Teuvo Teravainen, who had the primary assist. "I was just looking at the play at the time there and see what’s going on. I see that goal slide under the goalie's pad into the net, and just crazy celebrations after. Just a good time."

Ristolainen, 30, doesn't remember much about the joyful celebration. It's part of the reason why he doesn't know where the stick he used to score the goal is.

"I've lost a lot of stuff," he said. "I wish I had that stick. I don't think I have it, I'm not sure. I might have thrown it into the stands or something, like with half of my gear. So, I'm not sure."

Ristolainen hasn't gone back and watched the goal much over the years, but said he still gets chirped by teammates for his over-ebullient celebration.

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      Ristolainen slips backhand home in OT to win the 2014 World Junior Championship for Finland

      Juuse Saros of the Nashville Predators, who was Finland's No. 1 goalie for that tournament, wanted to be part of that celebration. It nearly passed him by.

      "I obviously remember him getting that puck and then crashing to the net," Saros said. "I actually never saw the puck go in the net; it was just a tight play and it kind of went right underneath the pad there. But obviously by his reaction, everything kind of goes blank.

      “I remember I started skating toward that end, but then he just blew past me so I had to make a U-turn at the red line to catch everybody. Obviously, a special moment."

      It was a special moment three years in the making for Ristolainen, who was part of Finland's fourth-place finish at the 2012 WJC and a seventh-place finish in 2013. It was unclear if he'd even play in the 2014 WJC after starting the 2013-14 season with the Buffalo Sabres, who selected him with the No. 8 pick of the 2013 NHL Draft.

      "Obviously a huge addition," Saros said. "He was able to come a few days before the tournament started. Most of us knew him and what kind of presence he had on that team already back then, the player profile he had. Always great to have players like that on your team. I feel like we gained some confidence as well with him able to come in that tournament."

      Ristolainen didn't feel the same level of confidence, in part because of an illness that kept him out of the final two games of the preliminary round.

      "I was sick. I missed a couple games there," he said. "And I think personally I [stunk] until the last couple games. Just a little roller-coaster ride, but the team was playing pretty solid. We didn't have really any stars but just played together as a team real well and it worked out."

      It especially worked in the championship game. Defeating Sweden in Sweden for the gold was big, and Finland got a bit of unintentional motivation from the host team.

      "I remember people talking about how they ordered some of the celebration stuff, the golden helmets," Ristolainen said. "And we heard they have some limos set up and stuff. That's what I heard, we heard, as a team before, and then we end up winning so we got their helmets. So, it was pretty cool."

      Ristolainen scored three goals in five games and was voted the tournament's best defenseman.

      But since his golden goal, the only time Ristolainen has worn a national team jersey was for three games at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.

      His play with the Flyers this season -- he has 15 points (two goals, 13 assists) and is averaging 20:40 of ice time in 51 games entering Philadelphia's game against the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday (7 p.m. ET; MAX, truTV, TNT) -- earned him a spot on Finland's roster for the 4 Nations Face-Off, which will be held at Bell Centre in Montreal and TD Garden in Boston from Feb. 12-20.

      "It means a lot," he said. "When I was a kid we didn't have the TV channels to watch the NHL, so you always watched the national team tournaments. So, obviously you grow up dreaming about that, so it's huge."

      When Finland plays its first game of the tournament, against the United States at Bell Centre on Feb. 13 (8 p.m. ET; ESPN+, ESPN, SN, TVAS), Ristolainen will be joined by four players from that 2014 WJC team: Saros, Teravainen, Colorado Avalanche forward Artturi Lehkonen and Dallas Stars defenseman Esa Lindell.

      "It's great. Very exciting," Ristolainen said. "Lot of friends in the team, guys I've played with or guys I train with. ... We have a really good team and really good players and some winners on the team, so obviously feel very confident."

      NHL.com staff writer Tracey Myers and independent correspondent Robby Stanley contributed to this report

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