Canada advances to gold medal game with win over Czechia, face a tall task against Finland
Canada has defeated Czechia 6 - 1 on Saturday, clinching a spot in Sunday's gold medal game. Canada had a huge performance from Buffalo Sabres forward Dylan Cozens, who scored twice and added an assist. Seattle Kraken Goaltender Chris Driedger stopped 17 of the 18 shots he faced to earn the win for Canada.
Canada's first line of Pierre-Luc Dubois, Dylan Cozens and Drake Batherson have been dominant all tournament long. The trio has combined for 38 points in 27 games. The trio also currently sits second, third and fourth in overall tournament scoring.
Team Canada will play Finland tomorrow, who beat the United States this morning by a score of 4 - 3. Finland is currently led in scoring by a former Leafs defensemen, Mikko Lehtonen. Lehtonen, now 28, played 9 games for the Maple Leafs in the 2020-21 season. Unable to earn a regular spot with the team, the Buds traded him to the Columbus Blue Jackets, allowing him a better opportunity to earn more playing time. Lehtonen returned to the KHL at the end of the season, where he now plays for St. Petersburg SKA.
In order to win tomorrow, Canada will have to solve Finnish goaltender Jussi Olkinuora, who is having a sensational tournament. In nine games, Olkinuora has seven wins, four shutouts, and has posted a save percentage of .961. This is nothing new for Olkinuora, who has been putting up impressive numbers playing in the KHL. He has posted an overall save percentage of .927 over the past three years, most recently playing for the Magnitogorsk Metallurg.
Canada will go for the country's 28th gold medal in the tournament tomorrow at 2:20 p.m., Eastern Time.
| POLL | ||
MAI 28 | 242 ANSWERS Canada advances to gold medal game with win over Czechia, face a tall task against Finland Will Canada win gold tomorrow? | ||
| Yes | 190 | 78.5 % |
| No | 52 | 21.5 % |
| List of polls | ||
