Finland turns focus toward Olympics after 4 Nations loss to Canada

BOSTON -- With the exception of Finland and its fans, everyone else in the hockey world wanted to see a rematch between the United States and Canada in the final of the 4 Nations Face-Off.

Finland, however, wanted nothing more than to play the role of spoiler during this best-on-best tournament, but a 5-3 loss to Canada knocked them out and set up the much-anticipated rematch here at TD Garden on Thursday (8 p.m. ET; ESPN+, ESPN, SN, TVAS).

And though all of the focus will be on that game, especially after the United States defeated Canada 3-1 at Bell Centre in Montreal on Saturday, Finland leaves the tournament feeling good about itself.

“There were a lot of good things,” forward Patrik Laine said. “Overall, we played good hockey, played the way we wanted. We gave ourselves a chance to win, but at the end of the day it doesn’t matter, we didn’t win.”

Finland showcased why it shouldn’t be overlooked when the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics are played in Italy next February. Its roster is loaded with elite, world-class players, including goalie Kevin Lankinen, forwards Sebastian Aho, Aleksander Barkov, Laine, Mikko Rantanen and Teuvo Teravainen. It should have defenseman Miro Heiskanen back after he missed 4 Nations with an injury.

“A lot of guys from this room will be there,” said Barkov, Finland's captain. “It was a lot of fun to play with these guys, to share these moments and play together. That will help a lot and building from this will be great . . . There’s always something you can build on and obviously it will be a little different with an Olympic sheet, bigger ice. We’ll see.”

Many Finnish players believe this tournament gives them a solid foundation for the Olympics.

“We came into this tourney and many said we weren’t going to win any games, and we’ve seen that even from the Finnish media,” Laine said. “It was a tournament for us where we’re going to prove we can compete against anybody, which most times than not we showed we can play against these guys. It’s a good stepping point toward the Olympics to see where we’re at as a country and as individuals.”

Finland coach Antti Pennanen concurs.

“Of course this is going to help us,” he said. “We understand more about the tournament game and how to prepare. I have coached many of these tournaments and I understand how difficult it is to change some tactical things, or players’ habits, so I think this is going to help us a lot. Olympics are one year [away], so a lot of things happen before that.”

Even though the United States defeated Finland 6-1 in Montreal, it was a 2-1 game entering the third period. Finland then had an impressive 4-3 overtime win against Sweden on Saturday before losing to Canada.

From start to finish of the 4 Nations Face-Off, Finland played with pride. It played with purpose. It played with passion. The game against Canada was a perfect example. Despite trailing 4-0 midway through the third period, Finland finished strong with relentless play and three late goals, including two with the goalie pulled, to make it a 4-3 game with 1:17 left.

Sidney Crosby’s empty-net goal with 56 seconds left put the game out of reach.

“I’m really proud how we played, how we battled,” Barkov said. “Overall, every single day here, wearing the national team jersey, national team clothes, and just being around these guys was a lot of fun. It’s one of those tournaments I’ll remember the rest of my life.”

Canada coach Jon Cooper described Finland in a simple way.

“You can go to any tournament, and they always seem to be a team that probably never gets the respect they deserve until they’re in the final,” Cooper said.

Finland is always hanging around. Finland is known for its discipline style of play, and it has become its identity. It also helps that Finland always has sneaky goaltending over the years.

“They can frustrate you,” Cooper said. “You have to fight through your frustration because of how disciplined they play. They always have the middle clogged, so you have to stay patient because the games are always close.

“If the game is down to five minutes and you're tied, it’s a coin flip who is going to win the game and they’re really good at that. And they have some players with offensive pop, so you have to keep them off the power play.”

As Finland exits the 4 Nations Face-Off, it will focus on a better result in Italy next winter.

“They’re really impressive, especially for a country that small in population to be able to produce the hockey players they do, and to have that specific identity to find a way to get it done during tournaments,” Cooper said.