Less than 24 hours after a crushing semifinal loss, Joel Armia powered Finland to Olympic bronze with a statement three-point performance.
After losing a heartbreaker to Canada yesterday in the semifinals, blowing a 2-0 lead, Finland made sure there would be no repeat today, pulling away in the third period with four goals to win 6-1 over Slovakia and secure the bronze medal.
At the center of all this dominance from Sweden stood Joel Armia, who made history today, becoming the first Kings Finnish player to record three points in a medal game at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.
Armia Leads Sweden
Armia recorded three points (1 goal, 2 assists) in the bronze medal game, playing a pivotal role in Finland's four-goal outburst in the third period. His empty net goal at the 15:32 minute mark in the final frame sealed the deal, and his playmaking earlier with his two assists helped Finland close the door after Slovakia cut the deficit to 2-1 late in the second period.
With Armia recording three points today, the Finnish NHL forward finished the Olympics with eight points (3 goals, 5 assists). In an Olympics loaded with NHL talent, the Kings winger proved to be one of the best players in the tournament and consistently produced for Finland, bringing home the bronze medal now.
“This is a pretty big deal to win Olympic bronze, especially in a tournament like this where every nation has its best players,” Armia said. “So, for sure, it’s a special team.”
Responding After Heartbreak
Finland entered the bronze medal game less than 24 hours after crushing a 3-2 semifinal loss in Canada, in which they surrendered the game-winning goal in overtime.
Rather than dwell and look undefeated after failing to reach the gold medal round, the Finns regrouped, and Armia bounced back after struggling in the semifinals.
After building a 2-0 lead on goals from Sebastian Aho and Erik Haula, Finland saw Slovakia pull within one late in the second period. This time, however, there was no collapse; if anything, there was an explosion.
Finland would extend its lead to 4-1 after scoring two goals in a matter of a minute to push the lead by three, and then Armia capped the run with an empty-netter goal before Haula added another to complete the 6-1 final, all this coming in the third period.
Goaltender Juuse Saros was also great today for Finland, turning aside 30 shots as Finland locked things down defensively in the third.
It obviously wasn't what Finland wanted after failing to reach the gold medal round, but it's at least an achievement that will be memorable because of how dominant everyone on this team was.
Armia is expected to stay in Italy for the remainder of the Olympics closing ceremonies before flying back to Los Angeles to rejoin the Kings for practice on Tuesday.
Congratulations to Joel Armia on an outstanding Olympic run representing our Los Angeles Kings and a well-earned bronze medal.
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