Finland and Slovakia face off Friday morning for a chance to claim the top spot in the relegation group.
Finland's tournament has been filled with pure disappointment. The team got off to a solid start with a 5-1 win over Latvia, but an ensuing 3-1 loss to the Czech Republic was followed by a 5-4 overtime win over Switzerland that ultimately came back to haunt them. Finland then lost to Sweden in the final match of the group stage. They vented their frustration in the first relegation match by unleashing eight goals against a weak German side. Despite the poor showing, there have been two major positives in this tournament for Finland: the play of Teuvo Teravainen and Markus Granlund. Granlund has nine points in the five games, including five goals and four assists while Teravainen has seven points with three goals and three assists. Both of these players were instrumental in helping the Finnish win over Switzerland, but poor defense and goaltending have ultimately sunk the team.
Their opponents are a Slovakian side that initially looked good, but then proved they were simply a mirage. Their 3-2 overtime loss to Russia turned out to be a reflection of the home team's deficiencies rather than Slovakia's strength. Their 6-3 loss to Canada saw the Eastern Europeans hold a 3-1 lead, but it was also a reflection of North American side's poor play. The team finally revealed itself in a 2-1 overtime win over Germany which displayed offensive inefficiencies. The United States scored nine goals on them to eliminate them from contention and force them into the relegation round. Slovakia's 5-3 win over Latvia was interesting, but hardly convincing.
Prediction: Finland will win this easily. 6-1 Finland.
Start Time: 8 AM EST
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