The first upset victory of the 2024 World Junior Championship (WJC) tournament has taken place as Team Germany defied the odds to defeat the heavily-favoured Team Finland 4-3. The victory is a picture-perfect example of hard work and practice, something the Germans have begun to work on in recent years. This was Germany’s first game of the tournament, and they went in as the clear underdogs. Finland has had a rough start to the WJC as in their opener, they lost 5-2 to Team Canada. Against Germany, they were surely going to win, right? Not as such. Germany played up to Finland and showed they were able to compete with a powerhouse team.
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Finland had a 3-2 lead, but then everything went sideways for them. Germany tied the game, and just when you think you’re going to see another flash of Finnish offence, Germany managed to steal the puck on a missed call. Finnish defenseman Jesse Pulkkinen was tripped while carrying the puck out of the defensive zone. Shortly afterward, German forward Veit Oswald rushed at Finland’s goaltender on a 2-on-0 and scored to secure the win.
Every time Germany scored, Finland answered back with their own goal. Oswald scored the opening goal and the game-winning goal, but his early marker didn’t last too long as Tommi Mannisto scored the equalizer. Finland, who were dominating possession metrics in the first 20 minutes, had to play up to Germany’s defence if they wanted to have a fighting chance at winning.
Germany Shutdown Finland Defensively
Throughout the game, Finland was persistent in attempting to breach Germany’s defence. Despite their relentless efforts, it wasn’t until late in the game Finland finally opted for a perimeter strategy, allowing them to generate significantly more offence. German goaltender Philipp Dietl, who originally entered the tournament as Germany’s backup, found himself thrust into action. He found himself replacing their starting goaltender, Simon Wolf, who exited the tournament due to health reasons.
Oswald came close in the second period to restoring Germany’s lead, nailing the crossbar as the game kept intensifying. After some back-and-forth action, Finland’s Kasper Halttunen beat Dietl to put Finland up 2-1. Just 45 seconds later, Germany’s Niklas Hubner tied the game back up, making Finland’s lead short-lived. The intensity of the game kept increasing as each rush provided more opportunities. While some opportunities were better than others, Finland’s Samu Bau batted down the puck that bounced through Dietl’s pads.
Finland had restored their lead, for all of 10 minutes. When it seemed like Finland was going to shake off Germany’s strong defence, a turnover by Halttunen led to Roman Ketcher scoring the tying goal. Germany kept battling through Finland’s onslaught and one missed play led to the game-winning goal. Finland was cycling out of their zone when Pulkkinen was tripped up, followed by no call on the play. Oswald was at the right place at the right time and scored the goal to put his side up 4-3.
Related: 2024 Guide to the World Junior Championship
Dietl’s unexpected entry proved to be a rallying point for Germany, and his outstanding performance showcased the unpredictability and transformative nature of the WJC and underscored its significance in the development of any player. Around the seven-minute mark of the third period, Finland recognized their need for a strategic shift. This proved to be a tactical decision that arguably should have been made 10 minutes earlier in the period.
Finland’s new approach challenged Germany’s defence to great lengths. Germany went from cutting passing lanes and positioning themselves in front of shooting lanes to the opposite. This shift in Finland’s strategy allowed them to get 12 shots on goal, but none of them were enough to tie the game at four goals apiece. They were unable to create any high-danger changes or threats Dietl couldn’t handle.
Finland Placed Weak Shots On Goal & Created No Dangerous Opportunities
A significant challenge plaguing Finland in the 2024 WJC revolves around a strategic flaw embedded in their mindset: prioritizing quantity over quality. The obsession the team has with shooting as much as possible did not allow them to create any significant chances that posed a threat to Germany’s goaltender. When Finland has the puck, they often tend to focus on generating a sheer volume of shots rather than orchestrating careful plays that present quality opportunities.
On the offensive rush, Finland often haphazardly directs the puck toward the net without deliberate consideration for the ensuing actions. When they got a shot on goal, they allowed Dietl to cover the puck with ease and manage nearly every rebound. This lack of follow-through underscores a crucial shortcoming in their offensive strategy, where they failed to translate anything into scoring opportunities.
This intensifies during power play situations when Finland is swarmed and pressured by Germany’s penalty-kill unit. Germany played with aggressiveness and proficiency, while Finland appeared to cave into, at times, outright panic. The pressure applied by Germany’s penalty killers prompted a reactive response from the Finnish players. It resulted in hurried attempts to rid themselves of the puck and they could not compose themselves or strategize their power play sequences more responsibly.
Finland Could’ve Tied It Late But Came Up Short
The failure to capitalize on rebounds and the tendency to give up possession — or panic and be forced out of the offensive zone — were issues for Finland against Germany and have been in both of their games thus far. Germany took advantage of every fault presented by Finland. Germany’s penalty killers were their best asset in this game, and that could provide the confidence they needed to face other big teams throughout the tournament.
The biggest example of Germany’s strong penalty killing was at the end of the game when forward Julian Lutz took a penalty for slashing. Finland pulled their goaltender to make it 6-on-4 with 1:58 left in the third period. Their passing was patient, they kept shooting at the net, but Dietl ultimately kept the game in Germany’s favour. After the final horn, Germany celebrated at the history that they’ve made, beating Finland for the first time in 26 all-time matches.
Germany’s next game is against Sweden on Thursday, Dec. 28. Finland faces Latvia and Sweden during the remainder of their preliminary games and cannot afford to lose another one if they’re looking to be in the medal conversation this year.
