Team Canada vs. Finland: Canada a Big Favorite in IIHF Quarterfinals

If you ask Team Canada, the squad would say a berth in the IIHF World Championships knockout round was never in doubt – even after Dave Tippett’s squad lost the tournament opener against France.

Since then, Team Canada has reeled off six straight wins to set up Thursday’s game against Finland. Sports Interaction has Team Canada listed as a big -282 favorite in its quarterfinal game in this IIHF tournament.

Check out all of Sports Interaction’s IIHF World Championship odds

By finishing first in its group, Team Canada avoided an early date with either Team USA or Russia, but Finland is no cupcake either. While the Fins are a young team in this tournament and have showed their inexperience at times, this team always has a fighting chance with standout goaltender Pekke Rinne between the pipes. He owns a 1.65 goals-against average and a .929 save percentage to go along with a pair of shutouts.

“Pekka is our most important player — absolutely,” coach Erkka Westerlund told reporters. “We built our whole system so that goalkeeping is No. 1, and then we try to build the strength (of) defence in front of him. That’s how it is, (how) hockey works.”

It’s a system Team Canada has been forced to become very familiar with over the last few years. On international ice, less skilled teams often collapse in the defensive zone to protect the net, waiting patiently for clear-cut chances to break out before leaving the zone.

While it may not be the most entertaining hockey, it’s the best way for opposing teams to hang around with Team Canada. They sit back to block shots and clear rebounds, hoping the Canadians get frustrated and take bad penalties or give up bad turnovers. That’s when teams like Finland hope to strike.

The good news for Canada is that this team is getting production from throughout the lineup and is the second-highest scoring team in the tournament next to Russia. Joel Ward leads the team with nine points in seven games with Cody Hodgson just behind him with eight. Ryan Ellis, Kyle Turris and Jonathan Huberdeau each have five points.

Heading into the knockout round, Team Canada has outscored its opposition 28-13. As of Wednesday afternoon, coach Dave Tippett had yet to announce whether Ben Scrivens or James Reimer would start Thursday.