Well, that was a lot better a performance against Sweden than the one they had against Team Slovakia to open their Olympic schedule. Maybe Miro Heiskanen was right that we shouldn't have been worried about them getting upset by Slovakia. They were passing the puck around against Sweden and really took advantage of getting some revenge on their arch-nemesis. Finland can really turn the standings upside down with another strong performance against Italy. Here are the four keys of the game as Team Finland looks to finish their group schedule with a big win.
Team Finland vs. Team Italy Preview: 4. Get the top lines moving
In the game against Sweden, only the bottom two lines were producing most of the goals. While that could make Finland a team to worry about, they need to get the top two lines on the score sheet. We will discuss it later in the article and what it means for Mikko Rantanen, but seeing him not produce any offense outside of the empty-net goal is shocking. With four Stars players on Team Finland's roster, let's try to get the top lines scoring this morning.
Team Finland vs. Team Italy Preview: 3. Try to get the goal differential high
The Finnish Mafia can get into positive goal differential if they have an amazing game against Italy. The host country is one of those countries that is not known for their hockey. While they did make a little statement against Sweden in their opening game. Italy probably won't make it past the quarterfinals. Don't allow them to get into Finland's zone and make Juuse Saros sweat. Just play keep away from the Italians and have another stellar performance like they did against Sweden.
Team Finland vs. Team Italy Preview: 2. Feed our favorite Moose
While it was nice to see Mikko Rantanen become the first Dallas Star to score a goal, it would be a lot cooler if it weren'tit an empty-net dagger. He's too skilled to be held off the scoresheet until the third period. Team Finland has to make sure that he gets fed the puck. Maybe getting Roope Hintz to pass him the puck near the front of the net will get the moose going. Finland would be a lot scarier if their top two lines got in on the scoring. Feeding the moose the puck will go a long way to getting the top line on the board.
Team Finland vs. Team Italy Preview: 1. Don't get hurt
Things got a little scary the other day when Miro Heiskanen was on the ice, and Mike Zibanejad was wrestling him. The Dallas Stars don't need an injury to one of the best defenders in the NHL if they want another deep Stanley Cup Playoff run. Let's try to get through the Italy game without any scares. I don't want to see any of the Finnish Mafia get injured. I think I can speak for every Stars fan: we want to see the Finnish Mafia come home healthy and compete for their country.