Teuvo Teravainen and Team Finland went through heartbreak at the end of Friday's game, but they still have a chance to play for a Bronze Medal.
All 32 National Hockey League teams have at least one player competing for an Olympic Medal this weekend. For the Chicago Blackhawks, it's forward Teuvo Teravainen.
Teravainen, representing Team Finland in Milano Cortina, took on Team Canada in the semi-final of the men's hockey tournament on Friday.
Of course, Canada has a long history of dominating hockey at the international level, but other top countries have closed the gap in recent decades.
Finland had a bad start to the tournament. They were defeated in a big way by Slovakia, and they stared down a matchup with their rival Sweden with the possibility of going down 0-2. Instead, they shocked the world by winning that game and took that wave all the way to this round.
Sidney Crosby did not suit up for Canada. He sustained a lower-body injury against Czechia in the quarterfinal and was unable to dress for this game. Although Canada still has a deeper roster than most, with or without their captain, it's a big loss on and off the ice.
It was a great start for the Finns. They had a 2-0 lead just 3:26 into the middle frame. Mikko Rantanen and Erik Haula scored a power play goal and short handed goal, respectively.
Could Finland find a way to slay the dragon? They did exactly what you shouldn't do when you're the underdog with a lead. Once Haula scored the short-handed goal to make it 2-0, Finland started to sit back.
When you do that, you allow guys like Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, and Macklin Celebrini, amongst others, to start feeling the puck way too much. As expected, Canada started to come at the Finns in waves.
As much as special teams hurt Canada on the scoreboard early in the game, it helped them later on. Sam Reinhart got Canada on the board by tipping in a Cale Makar shot. On this goal, McDavid collected an assist, which was his 12th point of the tournament. That's the most an active NHL player has ever had in one Olympics.
With 10:34 remaining in the third, Shea Theodore scored an even-strength goal, the first for either team, to tie it up at two.
At the end of regulation, the Finns took another penalty, putting Canada's power play back on the ice. Connor McDavid put one on a tee for Nathan MacKinnon, who blasted it into the net for the 3-2 lead. After an offside review challenge, Canada held onto that lead and won the game.
Now, Teravainen and Finland will wrap up their tournament with a Bronze Medal Game against the loser of the United States and Slovakia. Canada will play the winner for the Gold.
Of the four teams that participated in the 4-Nations Face-Off last season, Finland had the least amount of confidence in them that they could get it done. Without their captain, Aleksander Barkov, they have put on a show. Now, a chance at a Bronze Medal is certainly something worth getting up for.
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