World Juniors 2021

[Mickey107]

And it’s tied.

Well you knew it was going to come down to the wire. That happens a lot. It's a decent game, lots of end to end action. Ton of blocked shots.
They don't like each other...

[Per]

Sweden was the better team in the first period and took a 2-0 lead, but after that the Finns looked better throughout.
I don’t know. Could be a coaching issue. Four members of the coaching staff were left at home after testing positive. A 30-yo assistant coach ended up being promoted to head coach. And then we borrowed the Oilers’ video coach.

But no excuses. Finland played better tonight. They deserved the win.

[Per]

Well you knew it was going to come down to the wire. That happens a lot. It's a decent game, lots of end to end action. Ton of blocked shots.
They don't like each other...

Of course not. And the Finnish and Swedish juniors have played eachother a lot. From age 16 up till 20.
They know eachother inside and out and it’s a pretty intense rivalry.

[Cousin Strawberry]

Not alot of confidence on that defense. They were really struggling moving pucks up the ice and out of their end. They took a page out the canucks playbook but forgot to play the better goalie

[Per]

Not alot of confidence on that defense. They were really struggling moving pucks up the ice and out of their end. They took a page out the canucks playbook but forgot to play the better goalie

No, Alnefelt is the better goalie imho. He didn’t look good against the US, but tonight I cannot fault him for any of the goals. The defence hung him out to dry.

The first Finnish goal, there are only four Swedish players on the ice! WtF?
And the Finns have four players passing the blue line simultanously, and Alnefelt has to slide from one post to the other and almost manages. Real good play by the Finns. No idea what the Swedish team was doing. I can understand when you get excited and end up with too many men, but how the •••• do you end up with too few?

The second, the box on the penalty kill is too passive and the player closest to Lundell, the Finnish captain and their best player, does not challenge him but gives him time and space to target shoot the puck past Alnefelt.

The third goal, all Swedish players have parked right in front of Alnefelt ignoring the two Finnish players that go down behind the goal. Alnefelt has to move back and forth and eventually the puck goes in.

It’s weird, because on paper the defence should be our strong suit.

Yeah, I blame the lack of experienced coaches. Rönnmark, who ended up coaching this team when everyone else tested positive and weren’t allowed to travel to Canada is normally the J18 coach for Växjö. So, he is employed by an SHL team, but he is not coaching in the SHL. He is not even coaching their J20 team, but their J18 team. He was in way over his head. Like a WHL coach becoming responsible for an NHL team in the playoffs.

Sweden was the better team in the first period. Then the Finnish coach made some changes and Sweden could not respond.
A more experienced coach might have been able to.

And the goalie coaching was weird too. Alnefelt was the starter. So you play him aga8nst the two soft teams, then throw in the backup against Russia?! Then despite him doing a good job, you move back to your starter against the US. Then he gets yanked and the backup does a great job, only to be replaced in the QF... it’s confusing for everyone.

Normally you would use your starter in the first game, then let him rest vs Austria, then play the first game in the tough back to back, ie vs Russia, then probably the backup in the second of the back to back. They made it all in reverse somehow, which could mess with the heads of not just the goalies but also the rest of the team.

And other stuff... Holtz did not play well today, yet he kept getting ice time, even right at the end of the game... ffs, shorten the bench! Play those who look good tonight! Yeah... plenty of poor coaching.

But nevertheless, Finland was the better team and deserved to win.

Alnefelt and Söderblom were the only Swedes looking good throughout the game. The others seemed to quit after the first period.

[Cousin Strawberry]

The gwg which had no business going in. He was inexplicably doing the splits post to post but left a foot behind his left leg to the post...bizarre

[rats19]

Can 3-zip over the checks

[Blob Mckenzie]

Elmer Soderblom > Quinton Byfield

Change my mind

202 cm, 104 kg, his second between the legs goal of this tournament.
He is going to have a great career in hockey.

An enraged Doyle will be by shortly to argue this point but the reality is that QB is a good not great prospect just like ES.

Theyre both big kids who go to the net. Either one will be good pro's one day but the Canadian kid will have all these unrealistic expectations placed on him that will be hard to live up to.

Yes I will be enraged, livid, bitter, losing my shit, just because.

[Chef Boi RD]

Ottawa has a beauty in Stutzle. What a player. The Kings may one day regret not drafting him. I’m not seeing any of these so called Malkin like similarities in Byfields game, at least not yet.

[Per]

Btw... Costmar was named one of the three best Swedish players in this tournament.

Not that that says much...

[Cousin Strawberry]

Elmer Soderblom > Quinton Byfield

Change my mind

202 cm, 104 kg, his second between the legs goal of this tournament.
He is going to have a great career in hockey.

An enraged Doyle will be by shortly to argue this point but the reality is that QB is a good not great prospect just like ES.

Theyre both big kids who go to the net. Either one will be good pro's one day but the Canadian kid will have all these unrealistic expectations placed on him that will be hard to live up to.

Yes I will be enraged, livid, bitter, losing my shit, just because.

Whoa whoa easy there big fella...no need to get loud