It was all Finland in their matchup against Latvia. A 4-0 statement win to secure their first victory of the 2024 World Junior Championship (WJC). Finland went in the favourites to beat Latvia, and they did just that. They dominated all three zones and controlled possession of the puck for the majority of the game. The Finnish squad ran into Latvian goaltender Deivs Rolovs, who stopped 40 of the 44 shots that he faced. If it wasn’t for Latvia’s goaltender, Finland would’ve run away with the game in double digits.
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Noa Vali stayed perfect in the net as he stopped all 23 shots he faced, earning him a shutout. Niklas Kokko, Finland’s started heading into the WJC, will have likely lost the net to Vali after the game versus Latvia. Finnish Captain Jere Lassila had a similarly dominant performance, as he recorded one goal and four points. His goal came 14:15 into the first period with a power-play goal after Latvian forward Toms Mots received a double minor for high-sticking.
The back-and-forth action between both teams created an interesting third period, especially near the end of the period when Jesse Pulkkinen and Aleksanteri Kaskimaki both got called for penalties. Two players rarely get called for different penalties and go off at the same time. Latvia had a 5-on-3 power play for an entire two minutes, they scored with eight seconds left, but the goal was overturned for high-sticking. Latvia has been shut out across three games in this year’s tournament. They will look to change this when they play Germany on Saturday, Dec. 30.
Rolovs Kept Latvia’s Goals Against Low
Rolovs made some big saves at critical points in the game. He played a big part in keeping the score so low against Finland. Latvia finished the first period being outshot 20-3, as they were only losing 2-0 at that point. While the team put together some awful play in front of him, he was Latvia’s story of the game.
Finland pelted Rolovs with 19 high-danger scoring chances throughout the game, they poured on the offence but were ultimately denied by a red-hot goaltender. His .900 save percentage (SV%) was far above expectations going into the game. Finland is coming off two disappointing losses to Canada and Germany, it was certain that they would bounce back against Latvia, but the score was expected to be closer to double digits.
Related: 2024 Guide to the World Junior Championship
The play that solidified Rolovs’ confidence and strong play in the net was Nyman’s breakaway early in the second period. Nyman was robbed glove side by Rolovs, and the immediate calmness after an expected goal gave the Latvian team the necessary confidence they needed. Although they lost, Latvia kept the goals they faced to a minimum.
Lassila Dominated On The Scoresheet
Finland’s captain led the way as they secured their first victory of the tournament. A four-point performance that the team desperately needed as they were lacking confidence and guidance in their previous two games. Lassila’s first big play came 58 seconds after his goal when Pulkkinen was in front of the next. Lenni Hameenaho received a pass from Lassila and fired a shot on the net, Pulkkinen found the rebound and scored.
On Finland’s second power play of the game, Lassila was deployed along the wall, which proved to be highly effective. He found Kasper Halttunen at the point, who scored on the one-timer. A scrum ensued after the goal, and both teams would have offsetting minors for roughing be called on the play.
Lassila’s final play came 47 seconds into the third period. He lined up in the high point of the slot, took his shot, and Oiva Keskinen tipped the goal. Finland’s successful power-play unit went 3/5 against Latvia. Similarly, their penalty-kill unit was just as effective, killing all five penalties called against them.
Finland’s captain played on the penalty-kill unit, as well as the power-play unit throughout the game. Lassila was a big reason for Finland’s strong bounce-back victory over Latvia. Finland likely has hopes to compete with countries like Canada, the USA, and Sweden, but they aren’t holding the top players accountable in these games. For that very reason, they must continue to expect big performances from their leaders and star players like Nyman and Halttunen.
Destined For Relegation?
With Latvia losing their third straight game in shutout fashion, Latvia is most certainly headed for the relegation game on Thursday, Jan. 4. This year will mark the second straight year where Latvia is destined to be in the relegation round. Latvia beat Austria in the 2023 relegation round, this year seems like it will be their turn to go down to Division 1A.
Latvia is now two years removed from their seventh-place finish, which happens to be their highest finish at the WJC. If Latvia can beat Germany on Saturday, Dec. 30, they will be better off entering the relegation game. The change made from the 2023 tournament is that there is only one relegation game instead of a best-of-three series.
The relegation game will be between the two teams to finish ninth and tenth place in this year’s tournament. The game is scheduled to take place on Thursday, Jan. 4, at 5:00 am EST.