Teuvo Teravainen Should Be Getting More 4-Nations Face-Off Ice Time
Chicago Blackhawks forward Teuvo Teravainen should get more ice time at the 4-Nations Face-Off.
Team Finland is a roster that has some incredibly elite talent at the top. Their defense probably isn't where they want it to be but their skill up front is amazing.
One confusing thing is their deployment of Chicago Blackhawks forward Teuvo Teravainen. He has mostly been playing on the fourth line for Finland with limited power play time.
If Finland is looking for more goals (they've only scored four in two games played), they might want to work on getting Teravainen out there more.
In the NHL this season, Teravainen has 40 points (12-28-40) in 55 games. It isn't superstar-level production but it is more than respectable. That is especially true knowing that Teravainen is on a struggling Blackhawks team.
Of every player on Finland's roster, Teravainen is tied for fifth in points per game. Only Mikko Rantanen, Aleksander Barkov, Sebastian Aho, and Mikael Granlund are better in that category.
Despite being one of their six best offensive players, he is not playing anywhere near the top six by being on the fourth line.
In fact, in Saturday's win over the Swedes, Teravainen played just 6:23 on 10 shifts. He was dead last on the team in both.
Going forward, Team Finland should be using Teravainen more. He doesn't need to be on the first line of this team but 6:23 of ice isn't enough for a player of his caliber. Not even reaching double digits is insulting.
As mentioned before, they must beat Canada and they would still need help to advance. Canada has more all-world stars but Finland can beat them by playing a strong structured game, especially with Canada's goaltending woes.
Having Teuvo Teravainen out there more will make that strong team game more rewarding due to the extra offense they'd have the potential for.
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