Finland - Austria preview and latest news

 FINLAND

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LATEST ABOUT LINE-UP:

Tuukka Rask will be the starting goalie, while veteran Teemu Selanne play in the line with Aleksander Barkov and Mikael Granlund

PLAYERS' COMMENTS ABOUT THE GAME:

Erkka Westerlund (coach): They are a very difficult opponent. All games here are very tight. Anybody can win so it's very important to prepare well.

Jussi Jokinen: "They have a few good NHL players, such as Thomas Vanek, Thomas Raffl and Michael Grabner. We need to be ready especially when Grabner uses speed and Vanek looks after the net. They are a hard-working team who play tight defence."

LINE-UP:

not available yet

AUSTRIA

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PLAYERS' COMMENTS ABOUT THE GAME:

Andreas Nodl:  We're good skaters and by the times the Games start we will have had a week and a half of practices. Then again, with good teams like Canada it doesn't matter how many practices they get. They'll still be great. Austria is a small country, so we all pretty much grew up together. We've been here for three days, but it feels more like four weeks.

Michael Raffl: They have lots of offence and are a really good hockey team, so we've got to stick to our system. Play hard, play smart, and score some goals." I played against team Finland goalies in the NHL, so I know they're really good, but you never know. You've got to put pucks in net, see what happens.


LINE-UP:

not available yet

DO YOU KNOW:

1. Finland has defeated Austria in their three previous Olympic meetings. Their last meeting at the Lillehammer 1994 resulted in a 6-2 win for Finland
2. Finland defeated Austria 7-2 in a preliminary round game at the 2013 IIHF world championship
3. Finland will be without Mikko Koivu due to injury. Koivu captained the Finns at the 2011 and 2012 world championships. Brother Saku Koivu captained the Finns at  three of the last four Olympic Games
4. Finland has won a medal in men's ice hockey in four of the previous five Winter Olympic Games, more than any other team during that time. Since 1994, Finland has only failed to pick up silverware at Salt Lake City 2002
5. In total, Finland has won five medals (two silver, three bronze) in men's ice hockey. Only Czechoslovakia has won more medals (eight) without ever winning gold
6. No Finnish players rank in the top 50 in the NHL in scoring. The team's leading NHL scorer is Jussi Jokinen, who ranks 57th. Their second-leading NHL scorer was Valtteri Filppula who will miss the tournament after sustaining an ankle injury during a 6 Feb NHL game
7. Austria will make its first Olympic appearance in men's ice hockey since Salt Lake City 2002
8. Austria's roster for Sochi boasts six players who also competed at Salt Lake City: Andre Lakos, Gerhard Unterluggauer, Matthias Trattnig, Robert Lukas, Thomas Pock and forward Oliver Setzinger
9. Ice hockey is one of only three winter Olympic sports in which the Austrians have never medalled. Austria has won at least one medal in 12 of 15 winter Olympic sports, but have failed to make the podium in ice hockey, curling or short track speed skating.
   

 

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