Russia Moves on To Semi-Finals With Shutout Over Finns

Russia will move on to the World Cup of Hockey semi-finals with a 3-0 victory over Finland, good enough to secure the tie-breaker over North America.

The stakes were simple heading into the game: if Russia won in any way, they'd meet up with Canada on Saturday night for the first semi-final game. If Finland won, then North America would get a chance to divide a nation on prime-time hockey television.

It was a tough start for the Finns, who had just one shot in the first 12 minutes. Finland wasn't exactly blowing away the offensive barriers, with just five shots after ten minutes in a game they really needed to win.

The Russians struggled for a good portion of the game, not taking a single shot for the final nine minutes of play in the first period. That wouldn't matter in the second, however, as the team managed to score twice within the first five minutes of the middle stanza. First, Alex Ovechkin beat off two Finnish attackers before sending the puck through a crowd in front of the net, landing on the stick of Vladimir Tarasenko. All Tarasenko had to do was tap in the pass at the doorstep to take the lead, resulting in a 1-0 advantage for Russia after 3:42 of play in the second.

Then, at 5:01, Russia doubled their advantage. This time, Vadim Shipachev, who sat out the most recent game against North America, sent the puck off to fellow KHLer Ivan Telegin. Telegin took full advantage of the play, wrapping around Tuukkka Rask in front of the net and just beating out the goaltenders right pad, giving Russia the important 2-0 advantage.

With 16:21 left in the game, Finland found themselves too far behind, bringing North America down with them. After receiving a pass from Alexei Emelin, Evgeni Malkin did what he does best and fired a hard wrist shot from 30 feet out, beating Rask blocker side for the 3-0 advantage. It was the goal that put an end to Finland's hopes in the tournament, who would go home early following a 3-0 loss to the Russians.

Despite the loss, Finnish head coach kept his spirits high, especially in regards to the future of hockey in the country.

"The future seems nevertheless for Team Finland," said Lauri Marjamäki, likely referencing the likes of Jesse Puljujarvi, Patrik Laine and Sebastian Aho

Evgeni Kuznetzov, one of Russia's more effective in the tournament, is excited about the game against Canada.

"I'm so excited because I've never played [vs Canada]. When Kovalchuk scored in Quebec [at the 2008 World Championships], I almost cried" said Kuznetsov. "It's a dream game."

His Washington Capitals teammate, Alex Ovechkin, didn't show the same excitement after the game due to exhaustion, but he did say that the semi-final game against the hosts is a "big opportunity."

"Tomorrow we're going to think about how we're going to beat Canada," said Ovechkin. "Right now everyone's tired and exhausted,"

With the win, Russia will meet up with their hated rivals from Canada in a 7:00 PM match-up on Saturday night for a chance to play for the championship. For Finland, they'll finish the tournament with just one goal for, a marker by Valtteri Filppula in the opening game against North America.

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