Team Finland has overcome an early upset in the 2026 Winter Olympics to finish strong in round-robin play. Who has stepped up for the Finns?
Things were not looking well for Finland's men's hockey team after their first game of the Olympics last Wednesday.
The 4-1 loss to Team Slovakia was a bona fide upset of the Finns. Fortunately for them, Finland looked progressively better in the following two matchups, first knocking off archrival Sweden 4-1, then trouncing the host Italian team 11-0.
Finland had a nearly perfect response to that upset loss in the first game, which will help them when they face Switzerland in the quarterfinals. And it's been a group effort to bounce back from last Wednesday's shock.
In fact, their depth has been their best quality so far. After three games, 20 Finnish players had at least one point. Twenty. Players.
Now, that 11-0 game against Italy inflated Finland's numbers, but it's still got to be greatly encouraging for them to have a good deal of offense spread out to basically every player on the roster.
In terms of individuals who've stepped up for Finland, the conversation has to start with the four players who lead the team in points – forwards Joel Armia of the Los Angeles Kings, Mikko Rantanen of the Dallas Stars, Kaapo Kakko of the Seattle Kraken and Artturi Lehkonen of the Colorado Avalanche. They each have four points thus far.
They're all different types of players at different points in their careers, with Rantanen and Lehkonen playing in their primes, Kakko getting closer to his prime years and Armia continuing to be a solid depth NHL right winger at 32. They are doing their part to move Finland's train forward.
Finland's defensemen, meanwhile, also deserve credit for the team's strong play at both ends of the ice. Seven Finnish defensemen have at least one point, and veteran defensive defenseman Niko Mikkola of the Florida Panthers is leading the way with three. The Finns have a perennial Norris Trophy contender in Miro Heiskanen of the Stars, but it's their balance on the blueline that has them in a good place.
Finally, Finland goalie Juuse Saros of the Nashville Predators overcame a subpar showing in Game 1, when he allowed three goals on 21 shots. He stopped 34 of 35 shots from Sweden and now has a .946 save percentage and 1.34 goals-against average in three games.
Saros deserved his share of the blame in a losing effort against the Slovaks, but you can't deny him his due for staying in the fight and contributing steadily, but surely in the games that followed.
The road ahead for the Finns is fraught with danger, as the competition level in every game from this point is only going to skyrocket.
They face Switzerland in Wednesday's quarterfinal at 12:10 p.m. ET, and the Swiss have rallied without injured left winger Kevin Fiala by beating Czechia in overtime and taking care of Italy 3-0 on Tuesday.
But by putting in a terrific effort in answer to their Game 1 letdown, Team Finland is showing the type of resilience we've come to expect from this hockey power. A gold medal is still in the cards for them as a result.
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