Ice Hockey World Championships | Leijonat fell from the next place – this is how Finland can be saved from a historic collapse

Austria and Denmark were definitely not the countries with which Finland was expected to compete in the A group of the World Cup.

However, this has happened. The aforementioned trio will decide the fate of the fourth place in the group and the last place in the playoffs.

Finland’s situation was further complicated by the fact that Austria beat Norway 4–1 at the World Cup on Sunday. The result dropped Finland to fifth place, i.e. out of the places that qualify for a place in the quarterfinals.

The Lions have never been out of the quarter-finals in the playoff-style World Cup.

The last time Finland was out of the top eight was in 1955, when it ranked ninth.

This is how Denmark would continue

Of the trio, Denmark is clearly the weakest. It only has Monday’s match against Leijon left.

Denmark must beat Finland, preferably in regular time, if they still want to advance.

With a win, Denmark would reach eight or nine points, and in addition, it would be ahead of Finland in a tie based on mutual games. In addition to their victory, Denmark would also need suitable results from the matches Austria-Great Britain and Finland-Switzerland.

A draw with Austria would also be favorable for Denmark, but a three-point victory for Austria would automatically mean Denmark’s elimination from the next round.

If Denmark, Austria and Finland all ended up with the same number of points, then Denmark would continue.

This is how Austria would continue

Austria has become the booster and the big surprise of these games, even though they started the tournament with an ugly 1-5 loss to Denmark.

Austria’s last-second goal against Finland can decide the fate of the next place. Thanks to their victory, Austria is ahead of Finland, if the two teams end up with equal points.

Austria has only one game left against the group’s kicking bag, Great Britain. If Austria wins in regular time as expected and rises to ten points, Finland can pass it.

In this case, if the Lions get three points or less from their remaining matches from Denmark and Switzerland, Austria would advance.

This is how Leijonat would continue

Finland still has the best buns in the oven already because it doesn’t have to rely on the performances of other teams. A total of four points from Denmark and Switzerland would make all speculations pointless.

However, at least four points are easier said than done.

Especially in the last round, against Switzerland, has been more convincing than Finland, and even on paper, the country of cuckoo clocks has a better quality crew.

Regardless of the results of the other games, Finland still needs at least two more points. If it remained one or zero, the Lions would definitely be overtaken by at least Denmark.

Taking into account the performances of Austria and Great Britain, it is likely that even 2–3 points will not be enough for the quarterfinals.

…and more

It is also worth keeping in mind what happens after the initial block.

Although for Denmark and Austria just a place in the quarter-finals would be a wonderful achievement, it is not for Finland. The Lions are used to playing for medals.

Even if the next place is eventually released, the next opponent would very likely be one of the worst, if not even the worst possible.

Namely Sweden.

Three points from France is enough for Tre Kronor to win Group B on Monday, and even after the sensational loss, it would have a spare bullet in the form of Slovakia. In the first five matches, Sweden has not lost a single point.

Sweden has almost twenty NHL players in its team. You can fit in the group Erik Karlsson and by Victor Hedman superstars like Even the fourth place in the group would thus be a minor disaster for Leijon.