Finns Favourite for Gold After 3-1 Win Over Sweden

Finland will finish their Karjala Cup with at least a medal thanks to a 3-1 win over Sweden on Saturday.

Nashville Predators prospect Eeli Tolvanen got the game started early with a nice wrist shot off of a Petri Kontiola pass, beating Magnus Hellberg at 3:20 to make it 1-0 Finns.

50 seconds into the second, Tolvanen would make a nice play to set up the goal that would double up Finland's lead. Tolvanen would skate down the right wing with very little trouble, but a clogged middle section of the ice. Tolvanen waited until just the right minute to set up Jukka Peltola in front of the net, with Peltola scoring to make it 2-0.

The Finns would end Hellberg's night 14 minutes into the period. Finnish defencemen Ville Lajunen made a great play on a rush to deke past a defender, but Hellberg would make a couple of quick stops. Sakari Manninen, however, was in a perfect spot to pick up the rebound, scoring the goal and summoning Jhonas Enroth to finish off the game. The Swedes would get a goal from Elias Petterson in the second, but it wasn't enough to spark any real change as Finland finished with the 3-1 victory.

Finland can sweep the Karjala Cup with a victory against Canada tomorrow, something that would appease the fans on home ice. Sweden''s tournament came to an end, with a guarantee of a medal thanks to two wins in three games.

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