Konecny rounding his game -- Forward Travis Konecny's dynamic offensive ability got the Philadelphia Flyers to select him with the 24th pick of the 2015 draft, but he knows it won't be enough to get him to the NHL.
That's why Konecny took as much pride in killing penalties for Canada in a 2-1 overtime loss to Finland on Wednesday as he did in scoring its goal.
"I really enjoy it," he said. "Guys get excited when you block shots. It's a big part of winning. If you look at teams that win, the penalty kill and the power play is probably No. 1 or No. 2 in the tournament. Always important to have those two near the top."
It's also important to score goals, and Konecny's was a nice one at 14:53 of the first period.
"It came over from [Lawson] Crouse (Florida Panthers)," Konecny said. "He chipped it up, and I whacked it down with my glove. I looked up and was shooting far pad for a rebound. I guess I fooled him, and it went in low blocker."
Sitting behind the goal was Flyers general manager Ron Hextall, who appreciated it but has liked the continued maturation of Konecny's all-around game just as much.
"It's taking the high-risk out of the game," Hextall said. "To me, it's always the risk/reward. If you're going to make a play through a guy's stick or a dangerous play that might go the other way, you better have a high chance of a scoring chance going for you rather than it's an 80 percent chance of going back the other way in a 2-on-1. … He's clearly gotten better. I've seen him play myself, talked to our scouts, talked to his coaches, and there's no question he's done a better job of it."
Tolvanen continues to excel -- Finland forward Eeli Tolvanen is expected to be a high pick at the 2017 draft, in part because of goals like the one he scored in the third period against Canada.
Tolvanen got a breakaway at 12:41 of the third period and beat goalie Evan Cormier (New Jersey Devils) to tie it 1-1.
"I just closed my eyes and shot," Tolvanen said.
Tolvanen will play a second season with Sioux City in the United States Hockey League this season, and that familiarity with playing on North American ice has given him an advantage on some of his teammates.
"He's a very talented player," Finland coach Jukka Rautakorpi said. "Everyone has seen that day by day he's playing better and better with how he has to play here. Today, he was a good player."
Tolvanen was on NHL Central Scouting's Futures List, and Sioux City likely will be a popular destination this season.
"He's a skilled little player," an NHL scout said. "He's already showed some good ability. He's gotten used to the pace and his size (5-11, 181) isn't an issue because of his skill."
Arrtu Ruotsalainen (2017 draft eligible) scored at 1:22 of overtime to win it for Finland.