Finland are tipped to cover as they avenge their opening-game defeat.
The Finns were guilty of wasting chances in the first meeting with Slovakia, but they have been a lot more efficient since then and they can pull away on the scoreboard.
Key Numbers – Can Finland Avenge Group Stage Loss?
- Finland have won 5 of the last 6 meetings
- Both of Slovakia’s defeats have been by at least 2 goals
- 4 of Finland’s last 5 wins over Slovakia have been by at least 2 goals
- The Under has cashed in 4 of Finland’s 5 games
Finland Lead Recent Head-To-Head; Slovakia Won Last Meeting
- Finland lead the series 22-5 since 2002
- Slovakia won 4-1 when the two teams last met on February 11
3 Wins In 5 Games For Slovakia
Slovakia enter this bronze medal match looking to rebound from a blowout defeat at the hands of the United States.
The Slovakians made a sensational start to the tournament as they knocked off Finland in the opening group game, 4-1.
They backed that up with a 3-2 victory over Italy, meaning their 5-3 defeat to Sweden did not force them into a playoff to make the knockout stage.
Slovakia then made convincing work of their quarter-final tie as they opened up a four-goal lead and never looked back to beat Germany 6-2.
However, the Slovakians’ bid for gold came to a shuddering halt in the semi-finals, as they were soundly beaten 6-2 by the United States.
Finland Have Lost 2 Of Their 5 Games
Finland go into this game having pushed Canada to the absolute limit in a semi-final defeat on Friday.
The Finns made a nightmare start as they dropped their opening game to Slovakia, 4-1, but they rebounded quickly with back-to-back wins to reach the knockout stage.
They got off the mark with a 4-1 victory over Sweden, and then followed that up with an 11-0 blowout of Italy to advance.
Finland’s quarter-final outing was much more complicated as they had to fight back from two goals down to beat Switzerland 3-2 in overtime.
The Finns then surrendered a two-goal lead of their own in the semi-finals, as they gave up a goal with 35 seconds remaining to lose 3-2 to Canada.