Finland straight-up owned Canada last night at Avicii Arena, snatching a 2-1 dub in regulation and a 2-1 shootout thriller to creep closer to Group A’s second spot. Patrik Puistola and Eeli Tolvanen were ice-cold in the shootout, lighting up the net, while Canada’s Kent Johnson was the only one to sneak a puck past Finland’s brick wall, Juuse Saros. Canada’s five-game win streak got smoked, and Finland’s now sitting pretty at 4-1-0-1. The place was packed with a roaring, mostly pro-Finland crowd, maybe a few hundred Canadian fans rocking red in the mix.
Shots in the scoreless first period were 11-10 for Canada
Ryan O’Reilly got Canada on the board at 17:57 of the second period while short handed. The assist on the goal went to Noah Dobson.–The game’s opening goal came shorthanded. At the point, Harri Pesonen misplayed a bouncing puck, allowing Noah Dobson to seize it and charge forward on a two-on-one alongside Ryan O’Reilly. Dobson deftly passed to O’Reilly, who fired it past Saros on the stick side with precision.
Shots on goal in the second period were 14-6 for Canada
Patrik Puistola ( a 2019 Carolina Hurricanes 3rd round draft pick) tied the game up for Finland at 7:01 of the third period. The assists on the goal went to Ottawa Senator Nikolas Matinpalo and assistant captain Hannes Bjorninen.–Nikolas Matinpalo’s point shot was tipped by Patrik Puistola in front. The puck fell to his feet, and he whacked in the loose puck at 7:01.
Shots on goal in the third period were 11-4 for Canada.
Shots on goal in the 5 minute overtime were 2-1 for Canada. Shots on goal in the game were 38-21 for Canada.
| Finland | Patrik Puistola | ✔️ | Canada | Ryan O’Reilly | ✖️ |
| Finland | Teuvo Teräväinen | ✖️ | Canada | Kent Johnson | ✔️ |
| Finland | Eeli Tolvanen | ✔️ | Canada | Sidney Crosby | ✖️ |
| Finland | Mikael Pyyhtiä | ✖️ | Canada | Nathan MacKinnon | ✖️ |
| Finland | Lenni Hämeenaho | ✖️ | Canada | Adam Fantilli | ✖️ |
For Finland Juuse Soros made 35 saves on the 36 shots that he faced in the win with Finland. For Canada Marc Andre Fleury made 19 saves on the 20 shots he faced.
Player of the game for Canada was Ryan O’Reilly. For Finland it was Nashville Predators goalie Juuse Soros and there really was no doubt. The guy played amazing.
Attendance in Stockholm was 12,530
Canada’s next game is Tuesday May 20th against Sweden
Connor Bedard, a top-tier NHL player with the Chicago Blackhawks, was invited to play for Team Canada at the 2025 IIHF World Championships but declined. His stated reasons for not attending were to focus on rest and offseason training to improve his burst and overall speed for the next NHL season. Specifically, after playing every game in the 2024-25 NHL campaign, Bedard chose to prioritize a head start on his personal training goals over participating in the tournament. Some sources note his decision was seen as mature by Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson, though it drew criticism from fans on X who felt he missed a chance to gain leadership experience alongside veterans like Sidney Crosby.
