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Last Word On Sports

Sports News Since 2011. Honestly.

Last Word On Sports Logo

Sports. Honestly. Since 2011

Year: 2012

NBA Knee-Jerk All-Stars (Eastern Conference Starters)

Posted on by Jordan Leung

Yes, the season has barely started, but it’s never too early to start thinking about the All-Star Game. As most of you know, the NBA eliminated the Center position from the All-Star ballot. People think it’s the death of a position, but it’s just something the league had to do. With Andrew Bynum out, we’re potentially looking at guys like Brook Lopez, Tyson Chandler, or Joakim Noah starting the All-Star Game. You know who used to start for the East at Center for All-Star Games? Shaquille O’Neal. Patrick Ewing. Bill Russell.

It’s still a lot of fun to vote for All-Star game starters (certainly more fun than voting for President) and if the All-Star Game were to be played next weekend, these would be my picks. This is completely based on regular season play thus far, and does take into account that starters will be made up of more popular players. This will be split into a four-part article because long articles are hard to read. The first part will cover Eastern Conference starters.

credit: MattBritt00 via photopin cc

Guard – Rajon Rondo, Boston Celtics

With the way Rajon Rondo has been playing lately, he has been as good (if not better) than Deron Williams of the Brooklyn Nets. It is still early, but few analysts or fans could have anticipated Rondo would be averaging 13.3 assists a game this season. My gut says Rondo is a more popular player than Deron Williams because everyone has known about him since the Big 3 came together, and last season he had some amazing playoff performances. A quick look at the statistics and record book shows us that Rondo is currently in the midst of the fourth longest 10+ assist game streak ever. Awesome.

Guard – Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat

Dwyane Wade seems to have taken the biggest statistical hit this season as a result of the Miami team up, but put him in James Harden’s situation where he is a clear number one option, no one would ever doubt how good of a basketball player he is.

The two games the Heat have lost this season were completely blowouts that were decided by the end of the first half, which in my eyes is better than losing a close game in the final minute. What I’m trying to say is that the Heat have been playing great basketball, and the sad thing is Dwyane Wade is not as big a part of it as you may think. Remember when LeBron first joined Miami and everyone insisted that it was still Wade’s team? Now Wade is the third option because 2012-2013 Heat offense involves James looking for shooters and Chris Bosh down low. So far this season anyway.

credit: MattBritt00 via photopin cc

Forward – LeBron James, Miami Heat

Nothing to do with an All-Star selection, but the reason why people always talk about LeBron James possibly being the greatest player of all time and not Kobe Bryant (when they were at similar stages of their careers) is that Kobe Bryant is pretty much Michael Jordan. If basketball players were clam chowders, Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant would both be New England clam chowders, and LeBron James would be a Manhattan clam chowder. Michael is easily the greatest New England clam chowder ever, and LeBron is looking more and more like the best Manhattan clam chowder to ever be chowder-ed. The greatest clam chowder in the world could either be a New England or a Manhattan. It’s hard to debate that, because both styles are completely different. But the thing is Kobe has, and never will be the greatest New England style clam chowder ever, so we can’t include him in discussion of the greatest clam chowder of all time.

That entire paragraph has achieved nothing but a desperate craving for a nice bowl of clam chowder.

credit: MattBritt00 via photopin cc

Forward – Carmelo Anthony, New York Knicks

What is the secret to the early season success of the Knicks? It definitely has to do with the new point guard situation. Raymond Felton has single handedly made Carmelo a better basketball player by eating significantly more food than anyone else at team dinners, and as a result keeping Carmelo Anthony in much better shape.

On a slightly more serious note, Carmelo has been a much better team basketball player this season. I’ve talked about Carmelo with a lot with many people, and a few of them agree with me that Carmelo is not a bad off-ball player at all.  We’ve seen this a lot from the past Olympics and other FIBA tournaments. The Carmelo we’ve seen so far gets most of his points off assists for Kidd/Felton, and when he does have the ball in an iso situation, he is able to score and make a move within the first three seconds of possession. You can never completely get rid of bad habits, but Carmelo is not nearly the same offensive blackhole that he was even a season ago.

If prime Jason Kidd was on this Knicks team… Oh man.

Forward/Center – Chris Bosh, Miami Heat

Rounding out the rest of the Big 3 and adding a fourth player from the 2003 draft to the lineup is Christopher Bosh. It’s a real pleasure watching Chris bounce back from all the criticism and undeserved hatred to becoming one of the more appreciated players in the NBA. In whatever Heat game it was this season when LeBron had to sit out the end of the game due to some ankle injury, Chris Bosh carried the team to a victory. It was ugly, but he got the job done.

Related to the Heat, but not Chris Bosh specifically, the current Miami Heat team only works with LeBron in the line up. Without LeBron, a line up of Bosh, Wade, and three shooters is not a serious contender. You get burned on defense without a presence like LeBron, and no one else can see the court as well as the Chosen One can. Throughout the history of the NBA, there have been a handful of offenses that have been historically relevant and often cited as successful basketball. We have the classics like the Showtime Lakers and the Stockton and Malone pick and roll, and in more recent times, we have the Weber Kings, the Seven Seconds or Less Suns, as well as various iterations of Phil Jackson’s triangle offense.

What the Heat are doing right now belongs in that conversation. What other offense is capable of making an injured Mike Miller relevant? I’ll be the first to just call it ‘LeBronball’ for a lack of a better name. It’s an offense we will remember years from now. Really. It is the perfect balance between superstar domination (what the NBA is all about) and team basketball.

Stay tuned for part two of this series, where I will reveal my picks for the Western Conference starters.

Feel free to leave your comments below.

Euro Football Weekend Rundown, November 12

Posted on by Luciano Giuliano

Some key fixtures this week in the English Premier League and Italian Serie A. John Terry returns to face Luis Suarez and his Liverpool compatriots. AC Milan fall to the mighty Montella clan. Atalanta snaps Inter’s 10 game unbeaten streak. Chicharito is slowly becoming Man United’s match-winner. The Old Lady awakens from her short nap after smashing six past Pescara.

5) Terry returns and scores, Suarez injures Terry and scores, 1-1 draw

Man of the match here has got to be Luis Suarez as he jabbed a double edge sword into the Blues’ side.  The Uruguayan always finds himself in the spotlight and this showing certainly keeps him there.

John Terry returns to the line-up after serving a four-match suspension for racist comments. Chelsea adopted more a of defensive/counterattacking approach to this game seeing that Roberto Di Matteo’s side has conceded 14 goals in their last seven matches. This strategy almost paid off in the sixth minute when Joe Allen lost possession to Oscar who lifted the ball over the crossbar.

At the 20th minute though, Liverpool’s defensive woe allowed the Blues to take the lead from a corner when Juan Mata found John Terry open at the near post to head home the opener.

Chelsea’s counterattacking tactic was working to perfection as they fielded talented and quick-pace attackers like Hazard, Mata and Oscar together who will certainly surprise any team. The trio work together like a well-oiled machine.

The fan were ecstatic of Chelsea’s captain’s return. But alas, John Terry’s homecoming was cut short when he was forced to abandon the match due to picking up a knee injury after colliding with none other than Luis Suarez. At this point, Liverpool anteed up the aggression and it paid off.

With 17 minutes from time, Liverpool substitute Suso sent a cross toward Jamie Carragher who flicked it onto the on-running Luis Suarez to head home from point-blank range – 1-1.

Approaching the end of the match, both sides wasted a number of chances to snatch the victory.

Chelsea are in third place with 24 points. Liverpool are way down there in 13th with 12 points.

4) Vincenzo Montella’s beautifully designed Viola send AC Milan back to the slums

After a stellar round last weekend in the Serie A for both AC Milan and Inter – the Rossoneri demolished Chievo Verona 5-1 and Inter ended the Old Lady’s triumphant run of 49 unbeaten Serie A matches with an emphatic win at the Juventus Stadium – the Milan sides were grounded with defeats. The Diavoli lost 3-1 at the San Siro to a magnificent Fiorentina performance while the Beneamata came up short against Atalanta 3-2 in Bergamo.

Fiorentina have completely turned over a leaf from last season thanks to Vincenzo Montella whose combination of tactics and player selection has led this team to fourth place in the Serie A. The Viola are rising high and fully deserved this victory.

The Rossoneri demonstrated once again that they possess a fragile central defensive pairing. Alberto Aquilani opened the scoring after he was left completely unmarked from 12-yards out. The Viola’s second goal definitely proves how weak the Rossoneri heart of defence really is when Borja Valero went on a mazy run, undressing Philippe Mexes and then sending the ball past Christian Abbiati for a 2-0 lead. Prior to this, Alexandre Pato missed an opportunity to equalize when he shot a pk over the bar.

Milan was able to pull one back when the Viola failed to clear a corner. Mexes cheekily chipped the ball onto the post that fell in to the path of Gianpaolo Pazzini who was able to cut the lead to one.

The Diavoli poured everything forward when Massimiliano Allegri decided to put on all of the forwards available for this match. It was not to be though as the Viola restored their two-goal lead after sending an over-the-top through ball to the right which Mounir El Hamdaoui controlled, lobbed the on-rushing Abbiati and steered the ball to the far top corner.

Montella’s men put the Rossoneri back into their spots fighting for safety this season after a short positive spell. Will Allegri be able to get his men back on track?

Fiorentina are currently in fourth place with 24 points. AC Milan sit in 13th position with 14 points.

3) Atalanta end Inter’s run of 10 straight victories

The Nerazzurri’s fine run of 10 straight consecutive wins comes to a halt against Serie A’s less prestigious black and blue club Atalanta. It was a surprising result as the side from Bergamo pushed Inter back on their heels.

Atalanta put in a fantastic display and fully deserve the result. This side is hungry and began the season with a -2 point deduction. Sergio Colantuono’s team currently sits in sixth place with 18 points, just four shy of fifth place Lazio. With a little more consistency, it will be possible for this side to reach Europe. It will most likely not be the Champions League, but an Europa League berth is in cards. But again, consistency is the key to success here. Atalanta, if they somehow beat Juventus, will earn the nickname of “Giant Killers” seeing that they already stole three points away from Milan, Lazio, Napoli and now Inter. Incredible results for the Atalantini.

Inter, on the other hand, was expected to win this encounter and keep pace with the Old Lady especially after putting in an amazing performance against arch-nemesis Juventus in the last round. A positive note that the Nerazzurri of Milan can take away from this match is that the front line continues to create chances to score. But in this fixture, they failed to take them. The negative side of this performance was that, this time around, the defence looked disorganized and a little sloppy as the defenders were not sure of who to mark. For the first goal, the ball was swung in from the left for Bonaventura who was left all alone in the middle for a header to slot home. Atalanta could have gone up 3-0 as Denis was left unmarked twice in front of goal, but lucky for Inter, he failed to convert sitters.

Inter did show, however, a lot of desire to get back into the game and almost made a miraculous comeback, but good thing for Atalanta and Juventus, it was not meant to be.

Inter are still in second with 27 points.

2) Chicharito leads comeback veterans Man United to 3-2 victory over Villa

The Red Devils are quickly becoming known as comeback kings. This is Man U’s second come-from-behind victory in succession in all competitions. Last week in the CL, Sir Alex Ferguson’s men were trailing Braga 1-0 in Portugal for the majority of the second half until Robin van Persie opened the scoring with ten minutes left in regulation. United went on to score three goals in 12 minutes with Wayne Rooney slotting home yet another penalty (debatable call) and Javier Hernandez nailing another game-winner to confirm that Man U take home the much needed three points which makes them the first side to qualify for the second round.

The comeback win streak continued against Aston Villa on Saturday with the home side taking a shock two-goal lead five minutes apart with Austrian striker Andreas Weimann bagging a double on either side of half time.

This sparked Man United’s grit and grinding after Javier Hernandez was introduced at half time for Ashley Young. The Mexican opened the comeback account at the 58th minute with his seventh goal of the campaign.

At this time, the Red Devils poured forward and began to take control of the match. Chicharito, the Aston villain for this match, was not done yet as the equalizer was looming and arrived on 63 minutes when Hernandez got on the end of Rafael’s cross that was deflected off AV’s goalkeeper Vlaar for an own goal. It was unlucky for Vlaar but also for Chicharito seeing that it did not count towards his tally of goals for the current season. Nonetheless, the game was tied at two goals apiece.

With three minutes remaining in regulation, the Aston villain was again on target for the winner when he headed in Robin van Persie’s cross from a free-kick.

Three important details to note:

Firstly, the ‘comeback kings’ nickname is fitting for Manchester United as this is the Red Devils’ fourth come-from-behind win in the EPL climbing back from one-goal deficits to snatch the three points on each occasion. In the CL, the count is three as Man U were down by a goal in two matches against Cluj and, more recently, Braga in addition to clawing back from being two goals behind against Braga in Manchester. Again, the English side claimed all three points in these three encounters.

Secondly, if the EPL standings were to be ordered greatest to least according to goals against, Manchester United would find themselves placed in eighth position with 16 goals conceded. For a club that is pushing to win the title, this number is getting very high and thus something needs to be done to reduce this statistic. On the other hand, the Red Devils lead the league with goals scored which is, of course, a necessity to win this league, but more importantly to counterattack the number of goals conceded. Therefore, Sir Alex Ferguson is fortunate that his side is very capable of scoring goals.

Thirdly, lately Javier Hernandez has been making up for the lack of goals scored by Wayne Rooney and RvP, Chicharito bagged four goals against Braga in both matches; the offside game winner against Chelsea in the EPL; he scored again against the Blues in the 5-4 loss in the Capital One Cup; and bagged twice (almost thrice) against AV. It is currently a very good run of form for Hernandez and should perhaps be handed more playing time.

1) Super Juve hit Pescara for six!

Juventus are back with a fury after beating new Serie A promoted side, Pescara, 6-1 at the Stadio Adriatico. The Bianconeri’s intensity has visibly decreased in recent weeks and left many thinking that last year’s Old Lady was only a memory. The fixtures against Siena, Catania, and Inter demonstrated the Turin giants’ complacency and perhaps arrogance that wins would come easily in the Serie A. But last weekend’s deserved loss to title rivals Inter served well as a wake-up call and slapped the Bianconeri back into high gear.

Juve’s first message was sent with the 4-0 drumming of Nordsjaelland in midweek Champions League action which placed Antonio Conte and Co. in contention for a qualification spot. The Bianconeri require a minimum of four points from the next two rounds against Chelsea and Shaktar Donetsk to go through. It is a must-win situation for both the Blues and the Bianconeri on November 20, so look for a very exciting encounter at the Juventus Stadium.

Juve continued this run of fury Saturday and have absolutely sent a message to the rest of the Serie A that the loss to Inter is behind them and served them well as a lesson learned to never take anyone lightly, not even the lowliest of clubs, such as Pescara. It was complete demolition of the Abruzzese side with Fabio Quagliarella bagging his first ever hat-trick. Arturo Vidal, Sebastian Giovinco and Asamoah were all on target with spectacular goals.

Goalscoring has been an issue in the Bianconeri camp with forwards and attacking midfielders pitching in to help out. This has lead Juve director general Giuseppe Marotta to begin his search for a reliable goal-poacher to aid the Old Lady’s cause. Recent reports indicate that Fernando Llorente of Atletico Bilbao may be on his way to Turin sooner than expected. The Bianconeri were hoping to net the Spaniard on a bosman deal in June 2013 with the hope that Niklas Bendtner would live up to expectations but the Dane has certainly dissolved those hopes with lacklustre and goal-less performances.

Turin-based newspaper, Tuttosport, is also reporting that an interest for David Villa of Barcelona is growing amid rumours that he will be pushed out of playing time by new arrivals. Villa, apparently, would be available for at least €10 million and because the Blaugrana are expected to land a deal for Brazilian Neymar. It is thought that Alexis Sanchez is also on the market. There is stiff competition, though, for Villa as Chelsea would like to add him to the collection of Spaniards the Blues currently boast on their roster.

Opinion: David Villa would be a far better option for the Old Lady and possibly a good choice for the Spain international as well, as he would consistently receive more playing time with the Old Lady versus receiving a larger pay cheque with Chelsea. What will transpire in the winter and/or summer transfer windows?

Juventus continue to top the Serie A with 31 points.

Don’t forget to tune into “World Football Roundtable” every Monday and Thursday night at 10pm EST on Last Word Radio.  If you miss the show, you can access the archive at our radio home page, or in iTunes by searching for “Last Word Radio”.

Hockey Hall of Fame Inductees: What Separates Joe Sakic From the Rest

Posted on by John Daly

Today the Hockey Hall of Fame officially inducts this year’s class, Pavel Bure, Mats Sundin, Adam Oates and Joe Sakic. These are four great players, and each of them are well deserving of the honour, but I think that one of them stands above the rest – Joe Sakic. His statistical record is well documented; 1641(625 goals and 1016 assists) NHL points (9th overall). His awards and achievements far outpace the other inductees.

 

  • 2 Stanley Cups 1996, 2001 (1996 Conn Smythe Trophy)
  • 12 All Star appearances
  • Olympic Gold 2002 (M.V.P. of the games)
  • World Championship Gold
  • World Junior Gold
  • World Cup Gold
  • Hart Trophy, Lester B. Pearson Award, Lady Bing and many others
  • 9th All-Time in NHL Regular Season Points
  • Most Playoff Overtime Goals
  • 7th All-Time in NHL Playoff Points

But it is his quiet determination as a player and leadership as captain of his WHL junior team, the Quebec Nordiques/Colorado Avalanche, and Alternate Captain of Canada’s 2002 Olympic team, that shone through. It is well known in the hockey community that Joe Sakic was a well-liked, respected and admired player, one who gave his all at an extremely high level. A good example of his teammate-first attitude was during the 2001 Stanley Cup presentation when he immediately handed the cup over to Ray Bourque in recognition of Bourque’s long and splendid career. Sakic’s tenacity and desire to win was never more evident than in the 2002 Winter Olympics gold medal game against the Americans where he scored four points, including the game changing goal in the third period and earned MVP for the tournament.

After the 2002 Olympics, Steve Yzerman was being interviewed for a commemorative magazine about Team Canada.  He was asked to compare Team Canada and Team U.S.A., the two finalist teams.  He commented that the teams were very evenly matched except for one thing, he said, “We had Joe.”

Sakic often made the difference in these key moments as seen by his NHL record for playoff overtime goals, and his Conn Smythe Trophy win in 1996.  On a team full of great players in Colorado, it was Sakic who led the way.  When a big goal was needed the Avs turned to Burnaby Joe and more often than not, he provided the heroics.  His incredible run in 1996 included 18 goals in 22 playoff games, remarkable numbers especially in the NHL’s “dead puck” era.

But it is more than mere numbers that show Sakic’s importance to the Avalanche and to Team Canada.  Lets look for a moment at the roles he was given.  In 2002, Sakic centred the line with Simon Gagne and Jarome Iginla on the wings.  These were the two youngest and least experienced forwards on Canada at the time, and Sakic took the line to new heights.  His leadership and his ability to take these young forwards and help them reach greatness at a young age is remarkable.  The same often occurred in Colorado where Peter Forsberg was given veteran scoring wingers and it was Sakic’s responsibility to take the young up and comers like Alex Tanguay, Milan Hejduk, Chris Drury, Adam Deadmarsh and others over the years and create a scoring line.  His ability to teach his young wingers was a key factor in why so many of them went on to long and productive NHL careers, and to why the Avalanche continued to be a Cup Contender year after year in the late 90s and early 2000s.

Tonight when the NHL honours these 4 legends, I will stand and applaud all of them, but I’ll have a little extra applause for Joe Sakic, one of the all-time legends in the sport.

Feel free to add your comments about what made Joe Sakic so special in the comment box below.

NFL Gamechangers, Week 10

Posted on by Ben Kerr

NFL Gamechangers, the column that brings you the biggest plays that you won’t see on the highlights. These are the plays and players that changed the outcome of the games this weekend, but really don’t get the fanfare or hype that they deserve given their key role in the outcome of the game. Of course touchdowns are important, but these are plays that help to set up those touchdowns and give a team momentum throughout the course of the day.

source: Big Cat Country

Indianapolis Colts @ Jacksonville Jaguars
Our Gamechanger here came relatively early in the game.  Late in the 1st quarter the Colts were up 3-0, and Andrew Luck tried to go deep down the sideline to Reggie Wayne, but his long pass was a little bit underthrown and intercepted by Aaron Ross.  However there was a flag on the play  Jeremy Mincey took a penalty for roughing the passer, he had hit Luck just as he released the ball, but it was helmet to helmet on a QB in the pocket, good call.  Instead of an interception, the Colts got an extra 15 yards and a 1st down.  Indianapolis would finish the drive by scoring a Touchdown on a Luck run and go up 10-0.  They never looked back and blew the Jags out of the water.

Buffalo Bills @ New England Patriots
A late turnover preserved a 6 point win for the Patriots, but I’m going to look at an earlier turnover in this game changer.  Our game changer comes with the Patriots up 34 – 24 in the fourth quarter and the Bills driving down the field.  A nice Fred Jackson run takes the Bills down to the 1 yard line, but Devin McCourty forces a fumble and the Pats take the ball back. The Bills looked like they were going to make this a 3 point game with 9:35 to play but the Pats D came up with huge play to take points off the board.  In a game that came right down to the wire, turnovers once again became critical.

credit: Tyler Springs, CC

Atlanta Falcons @ New Orleans Saints
The Saints ended the Falcons unbeaten run on Sunday.  However Atlanta had a chance to win the game.  With 1:45 to play and the Saints up by 4 the Falcons had the ball 2nd and goal at the 1 yard line.  It was an impressive defensive stand by a much maligned Saints defense.  First Matt Ryan overthrew Tony Gonzalez in the endzone.  Our game changer comes on 3rd down, as the Saints Defensive Line made an impressive stand stuffing Michael Turner in the backfield for a one yard loss.  The penetration, and gang tackle on Turner led to the play you will see on the highlights.  On fourth and two, Matt Ryan was looking for his favorite receiver Roddy White.  Jabari Greer made a game saving, diving pass knockdown to keep the Dirty Birds out of the endzone and bring the Saints back into the playoff chase.  The Saints who were once 0-4, are now 4-5 on the season.

credit: Jeffrey Beall, Wiki Commons

Denver Broncos @ Carolina Panthers
With the score 17-7 for Denver in the third quarter, a defensive play iced the game.  Newton threw a pass into the waiting arms of Broncos defensive back Tony Carter whose 40 yard return for the Touchdown is sure to make all the highlight packages.  What we may not see is the pressure from Von Miller that made the play possible.  Von Miller was in Cam Newton’s face all day and its this pressure, applied by the front 7 that forces those ill-advised passes and mistakes out of quarterbacks.  While Carter gets the glory and the pick 6 on the stat sheet, its a team game, and it wouldn’t be possible without the pass rush of Von Miller, who gets our tip of the cap for this gamechanger.

St. Louis Rams @ San Francisco 49ers
On the first play of Overtime, it appeared the Rams had and 80 yard pass to Danny Amendola.  This play would have set St. Louis up with first and goal at the San Francisco 2, needing just 2 yards to win the game on a first drive touchdown in overtime.  However a simple mistake by the Rams caused the whole thing to be called back.  Brandon Gibson didn’t line up on the line of scrimmage as designed instead lining up 1 yard behind the line.  This caused an illegal formation penalty which negated the play and sent the Rams into 1st and 20.  A few stalled drives by both teams, and two missed FGs (which will probably get the attention) and we have our first NFL tie in 5 years, but it didn’t need to get that far.  Surely with a first and goal from the 2 yard line, the Rams could have gotten a TD, or at the very least a field goal.

Thanks for reading and don’t forget to tune in to our show, NFL Sunday Blitz Package every Sunday night at 7:30 pm, on the blogtalkradio.com/lastwordradio. Also tune in to Beyond the Field on Mondays at 8pm as I’ll be joining their hosts Priest and St. Peter in running down NFL Game Changers.

Check out our new Football Forum right here at LastWordOnSports!

Early Look World Juniors, Team Sweden

Posted on by Ben Kerr

Welcome to today’s edition of “Top Shelf Prospects”. If you missed any of my previous articles you can find a complete listing of them here.

With the CHL seasons now well over a month old, I thought now would be a good time to look at the potential line-ups for the World Junior Championships. Last week we started with Team Canada, moved on to Team USA, completed Pool B with Russia, Slovakia and Germany, started Pool A with the Czech Republic, Switzerland, and Latvia, and continued with Finland.

Today, I finish the Pool A Preview and will look at the defending Champion Sweden.

Based on the latest in the NHL lockout, I am going to assume that the NHL and NHLPA will not resolve their issues and that premium talent will be available. I’m also going to assume that AHL clubs who have some of these junior-aged players will release them for the tournament.

So let’s get started…

Team Sweden:
Last year’s Gold Medal Champions return much of the team that won it all. In areas where replacements have been needed they’ve been able to add equally or more talented players. The Swedish hockey development program is firing on all cylinders right now. A legitimate Gold Medal favorite, the Swedes are as talented as anyone in this tournament. They will head to UFA Russia looking to defend their title.

source: Wiki Creative Commons

Mika Zibanejad, Centre/Right Wing:  The hero of last year’s tournament, Zibanejad scored the gold medal winning goal for Sweden in overtime against the Russians.  The first round draft pick of the Ottawa Senators in 2011, Zibanejad is currently playing for the Binghamton Senators.  Zibanejad is seen as a power forward with a long powerful skating stride, good top end speed and excellent balance. As such he is able to drive hard to the front of the net (just like he did on that famous goal). He could use a little work on his acceleration though, as it seems to take him an extra stride or two to reach that top speed. He has soft hands, good stickhandling and strong puck protection. Zibanejad has a very good shot and NHL ready release. His playmaking ability is also at a very high level, as he has good vision and makes precise crisp passes. Zibanejad works the boards well and digs pucks out of corners. He is also particularly proficient at working the cycle game, and at getting to the front of the net for rebounds and tip ins.  Defensively, Zibanejad also excels. He is a true 200 foot player, capable in all three zones. He again uses his size and physicality to his advantage, winning board battles, and containing his man and keeping him to the outside. His anticipation is excellent and he cuts down passing lanes well. He excels on the penalty kill and is a willing shot blocker. Expect him to be a key leader for the Swedes in this tournament.

Elias Lindholm, Centre: Lindholm is a top prospect for the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.  He is currently looking like a sure-fire top 10 pick, and possibly even a top 5 player.  He was very impressive in helping Sweden win a silver medal at the 2012 Under 18 World Championships.  Lindholm is an excellent skater who is more of a playmaker than a goal scorer.  He has great stickhandling ability and uses it to deke past defenders and protect the puck.  With his excellent vision and ability to feather a crisp pass through a maze of sticks and skates he should be able to rack up assists especially with the talented wingers on this Swedish squad.  He is also a gritty forward willing to start the forecheck, and to battle down low and play a puck possession game on the cycle.

Filip Forsberg, RW/LW: The 11th overall pick of the Washington Capitals in this June’s NHL Entry Draft, Forsberg was part of the gold medal squad last year.  He’s started the season strong with 7 goals and 14 points in 19 games for Leksand in the Allvenskan, nearly reaching the totals of 8 goals and 17 points he posted last year in 43 games. Forsberg is a versatile forward, capable of playing either wing position.  He plays a power forward’s style, as he is very willing to hit opponents, throw his body around, and drive the net.  He could stand to add some muscle to his frame to make this power game more effective though.  Forsberg is not all power though, as he is also extremely skilled.  He’s got an excellent shot with a very quick and deceptive release that often fools goalies.  He’s also a very talented passer and is able to complete a number of difficult passes, threading the needle through sticks and skates, and making crafty saucer passes at times.  He is also a talented stickhandler and adept at using his body to protect the puck.Defensively, Forsberg is a hardworking, willing backchecker.  He’s got good defensive awareness and is effective in all three zones on the ice.  He understands defensive positioning and is a willing shot blocker and is able to effectively cut down passing lanes as well as an opponent’s time and space.  Forsberg played a 3rd line role with limited minutes last year, however I expect we’ll see him get a lot more minutes and responsibility in this year’s tournament.

credit; Ryan Pike, Flamesnation

Sebastian Collberg, RW/LW: Collberg was also part of the Gold Medal Winning Swedish Club last season, and even scored a huge shootout goal for the club in the Semi-final victory over Finland.  He outperformed Forsberg in the tournament, and was a key cog for Sweden last year, scoring 7 points in 6 games.  Collberg started the season with Frolunda in the Elitserien. However he was often deployed as the 13th forward or a fourth liner at best.  This meant extremely limited minutes for the Montreal Canadiens’ prospect.  Collberg was recently loaned to Orebro in the Allvenskan, and has thrived with more ice time scoring 2 goals in his first 5 games with the club.  The first thing you notice about Collberg’s game is a very heavy wrist shot and his lightning quick release. Collberg is also a great stick handler, and not afraid to go to the dirty areas to score goals. He’s great on breakaways, and has shown that he can beat the goalie in the shootout.  In short Collberg is a natural sniper.  Collberg is also an above average skater and has very good vision and passing ability, which gives him the added dimension of becoming a good playmaker too.  There are some concerns about his size, and defensive game, but I expect that Collberg will continue to be a key offensive contributor for the Swedish Team this year.

Pontus Aberg, LW: A second round pick of the Nashville Predators, Aberg has had a nice start to the season with 9 points in 19 games for Djurgarden in the Allvenskan. Last year Aberg made the Swedish World Junior team but was injured in a pre-tournament exhibition game and did not get to play in the actual tournament.  Aberg will be among the fastest skaters in the entire tournament.  He’s an absolute speed demon, and combines this with great agility, balance, acceleration and edgework.  He’s an elite level skater. Aberg also has a hard, heavy wrist shot which he gets off quickly thanks to a great release.  He also has a heavy slapshot and a good one timer.  Aberg is a good stickhandler who makes creative moves and is able to beat defenders off the rush.  Aberg is a much better goal scorer than a set up man.  He definitely prefers to shoot rather than pass.  As a set up man, he lacks ideal vision and passing instincts.  Despite his smaller size, he’s an absolutely fearless player, who gets in hard on the forecheck, and is willing to battle on the boards and in front of the net.  Look for Aberg to try to make up for missing the tournament last year by impressing in this years competition.

Oscar Klefbom, Defence: Klefbom was named to the World Junior All-Star team in helping to lead the Swedes to a gold medal last season.  The Edmonton Oiler first rounder is an outstanding skater.  He has excellent edgework, and the ability to quickly pivot and change direction in all 360 degrees. He is extremely difficult to beat off the rush as he adjusts to an attackers movements and cuts them off.  He closes gaps quickly and efficiently which allows him to line up the attacker for a big hit if given the opportunity.  He is also able to quickly recover if something does go wrong.  Offensively Klefbom is able to use his mobility to walk the line and open up passing and shooting lanes when he has the puck.  He also adds good top end speed and this allows him to both lead and join the rush. Klefbom has an extremely poweful slap shot.  He sets up at the point on the power play and unleashes absolute howitzers at opposing goalies.  He also has a very hard, very accurate wrist shot, and an excellent release.  Klefbom is an excellent two way defenceman who will log huge minutes for Team Sweden in all situations, just as he did last year.

Hampus Lindholm, Defence: The surprise pick of last year’s draft, Lindholm shot up the draft board and was taken 6th overall by the Anaheim Ducks. Lindholm is an excellent skating defenceman. He is particularly impressive in his backwards skating which is extremely fast. He is rarely beat to the outside by forwards off the rush. Lindholm is already an excellent defender. He has size and is willing to use it to hit opposing forwards.  He is generally a defensively responsible player, with good instincts, and an ability to read the play, however he can make youthful mistakes, and get himself out of position looking for the big hit at times.  Lindholm is also good offensively. He has great hockey sense and instincts and picks good times to join the rush, and to make pinches at the blue line.  He’s a good playmaker, with vision and creativity.  Lindholm also possesses an accurate shot from the point and good velocity, however this is something he definitely needs to utilize more often.  With his excellent two way play, expect Lindholm to be a key defender for Sweden.

Ludvig Bystrom, Defence: A second round pick of the Dallas Stars, Bystrom has international experience for Sweden at the Under 18s and the Ivan Hlinka tournament.   Bystrom is an offensive defenceman, he is a good skater who loves to join the rush and is extremely creative in the offensive zone.  He is a great passer with excellent vision, and is very good at distributing the puck, especially on the PP.  One criticism is that he doesn’t shoot the puck enough to keep opponents guessing.  Despite this he is still an excellent set up man on the powerplay.  Defensively Bystrom relies on his skating, good positioning and an active stick to stop opponents.

Jonas Brodin, Defence:  A 2011 first round pick of the Minnesota Wild, Brodin was a star defenceman for Team Sweden last year.  Word recently came down that Brodin has a broken clavicle and will miss 8-12 weeks of action.  This pretty much guarantees that he will be unable to play in the tournament and is the first big blow to the Swedish squad.  A solid two-way player, Brodin may have been Sweden’s best player in last year’s tourney.

Oscar Dansk, Goaltender: A second round pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets, Dansk is playing for the Erie Otters in the OHL this season.  The numbers in Erie don’t look great, but this is more a function of the weak team in front of him than it is Dansk’s play. He is a tall athletic goalie who plays the traditional butterfly style. Dansk has good athleticism, and quick reflexes. He moves well laterally and slides quickly from post to post and is able to make some very nice saves as a result.  He is also extremely strong down low, and covers the bottom of the net effectively.  He is great at stopping the first shot and is rarely beaten on a clean opportunity. Dansk has an excellent glove hand though he could use some work on his blocker side. A good puckhandler, Dansk is always coming out of his net to play the puck.  Even with all those skills, in a short tournament like this one, Dansk’s most valuable attribute may be the cool and calm demeanor he displays in net.  He recovers quickly from goals against and plays with a quiet confidence, something that will help the Swedish team as they look to repeat as World Junior Champions.

Feel free to leave comments below and follow me on twitter @lastwordBKerr.

Thanks for reading, and be sure to join Max Vasilyev and I on Wednesday Nights at 10:00pm when we host the hockey radio show, “Puckheads”, on the Last Word Radio Network. You can listen in live or to our past podcasts by clicking here, or by searching for us on iTunes.

NFL Week 10: Win, Spread, Over/Under and Game Score Predictions

Posted on by Forrest Doran

Welcome to another week of The Sports Savant NFL Picks, Week 10 Edition!

Week 9 was an interesting week of very close matchups.  So close, in fact, that I took a number of underdogs to win games; more than I can ever remember taking in a single week.  The thought going in was that I would either end up a genius at the end of Sunday’s games or I would have a miserable week of picks.  It turned out neither were the case as I had an above average week with about half of my underdog predictions panning out.  Others were very close to working, including the biggest upset pick, Dallas winning over Atlanta in the Georgia Dome.  But Atlanta made a great 4th quarter comeback and spoiled that Savant revelation.

It’s never a bad week when I come out above .500 with my spread picks and coming in at 8-6 was good a solid result for my friends who use my picks to gamble.  The over/under was below par, as it can often be as fickle as it is, but if you like to play with fire, my over/under picks still stand as some of the best against anyone this year in the aggregate of 2012.

The real nice surprise behind my Week 9 picks was the addition of four perfect team score predictions, but even more impressive is what was my third perfect game score in the last season and a half of NFL game prognostications.  For the first time in 2012, I nailed a perfect game score, the 31-17 final between Green bay and Arizona.  If you can get the right odds on picking a perfect game score, I would highly suggest playing some of my exact score picks.  I pick a perfect game score well above the expected probability.

Before we look at my picks for Week 10, let’s take a look at how last weeks picks shaped up and my overall records for the 2012 NFL season…

*WEEK 9 RESULTS*

Winner: 9-5  
Winner w/ Spread: 8-6
Over/Under: 5-7-2
———————————————
Trifecta: 4
Strikeouts: 3
Perfect Team Score Predictions: 4 (Green Bay, Arizona, Miami, Tennessee)
Perfect Game Score Predictions: 1 (Arizona @ Green Bay)
___________
*2012 Overall Record*
Winner: 86-46 (.652)
Winner w/ Spread: 64-65-3 (.496)
Over/Under: 69-57-5 (.543)
——————————————–

 Trifecta: 34
Strikeouts: 24
Perfect Team Score Predictions: 17   [Week 1]: New England  [Week 2]: Indianapolis, San Francisco [Week 3]: Chicago, Washington, New York(A)  [Week 4]: Cleveland, Philadelphia  [Week 5]: Green Bay, Seattle, San Diego  [Week 7]: St. Louis, Tampa Bay  [Week 9]: Miami, Tennessee, Green Bay, Arizona
Perfect Game Score Predictions: 1   [Week 9]: Arizona @ Green Bay
NOTE: The team with a negative number in parenthesis “(-3)” next to their name is the favorite to win the matchup and the number represents how many points the favorite has to score more than the underdog to count as a winning bet.  The over/under for the game is represented by a number in parenthesis with the letters o and u “(o/u 46)”.  The number represents the amount of points you are wagering whether or not the two team’s combined score will be in excess of or short of.  Official betting lines courtesy of www.footballlocks.com
LOCKS: Games that have a “*LOCK*” logo next to the score are my spread lock picks of the week.  I choose four games each week that I feel will be a lock to win the spread bet.  If I have an underdog winning against a favorite and it is a *LOCK* pick, it means it is a lock that the favorite will not cover the spread, not a lock that the underdog wins the game.

Don’t forget to visit therealsportssavant.blogspot.com to check my game picks or right here on lastwordonsports.com at The Sports Savant channel.  And now for my Week 10, NFL picks…

Jacksonville v. Indianapolis(-3.5)  (o/u 42.5)
Savant Spread Pick: Jacksonville to win ~ 21-17
Over/Under Pick: Under

Buffalo @ New England(-11)  (o/u 52)
Savant Spread Pick: New England and the points to win ~ 42-23 *LOCK*
Over/Under Pick: Over

Cincinnati @ New York(N)(-4)  (o/u 48.5)
Savant Spread Pick: New York(N) and the points to win ~ 26-20
Over/Under Pick: Under

San Diego @ Tampa Bay(-3)  (o/u 47.5)
Savant Spread Pick: Tampa Bay and the points to win ~ 27-23
Over/Under Pick: Over

Carolina v. Denver(-4)  (o/u 47)
Savant Spread Pick: Denver and the points to win ~ 29-21
Over/Under Pick: Over

Tennessee @ Miami(-6)  (o/u 44)
Savant Spread Pick: Tennessee with the points; Miami to win ~ 26-21
Over/Under Pick: Over

Oakland @ Baltimore(-7.5)  (o/u 46)
Savant Spread Pick: Baltimore and the points to win ~ 26-17
Over/Under Pick: Under

New Orleans v. Atlanta(-2.5)  (o/u 53.5)
Savant Spread Pick: Atlanta and the points to win ~ 30-24
Over/Under Pick: Over

Minnesota v. Detroit(-2.5)  (o/u 47)
Savant Spread Pick: Detroit and the points to win ~ 31-21
Over/Under Pick: Over

New York(A) @ Seattle(-6)  (o/u 38.5)
Savant Spread Pick: Seattle and the points to win ~ 19-10 *LOCK*
Over/Under Pick: Under

Philadelphia v. Dallas(-1.5)  (o/u 44.5)
Savant Spread Pick: Dallas and the points to win ~ 23-20
Over/Under Pick: Under

St. Louis @ San Francisco(-11.5)  (o/u 38.5)
Savant Spread Pick: San Francisco and the points to win ~ 29-10 *LOCK*
Over/Under Pick: Over

Houston @ Chicago(-1)  (o/u 41)
Savant Spread Pick: Houston to win ~ 19-17
Over/Under Pick: Under

Kansas City @ Pittsburgh(-12.5)  (o/u 42)
Savant Spread Pick: Pittsburgh and the points to win ~ 31-16 *LOCK*
Over/Under Pick: Over

Lakers Fire Coach Mike Brown, begin Coaching Search

Posted on by Kaine Elmy
credit: Wiki Commons

Los Angeles Lakers coach Mike Brown has been fired, just five games into the season. After a disappointing 1-4 start by the Lakers, Owner Jim Buss and General Manager Mitch Kupchak decided to part ways with Brown, just a day after expressing their support for the ex-Cavaliers coach.  After adding Steve Nash and Dwight Howard in a summer spending spree, many analysts and pundits were calling the Lakers favorites to dethrone the Miami Heat and win another NBA Title.

What happened?  Has the panic button been pressed? Was this a terrible decision on management’s behalf, firing a coach way too early? and who will replace Mike Brown as head-coach?

Kupchack released a statement saying, “This was a difficult and painful decision to make.  Mike was very hard-working and dedicated, but we felt it was in the best interest of the team to make a change at this time. We appreciate Mike’s efforts and contributions and wish him and his family the best of luck.”

Brown also issued a statement this morning: “I have great respect for the Buss family and the Lakers’ storied tradition and I thank them for the opportunity they afforded me. I have a deep appreciation for the coaches and players that I worked with this past year and I wish the organization nothing but success as they move forward.”

After acquiring the highest pay-roll in the league but succumbing to the worst start in the Western Conference, the Lakers are acting like a team in a desperation mode just five games into an 82 game season. With assistant coach, Bernie Bickerstaff set to take over for tonight’s game against Golden State, the Lakers are hoping to be headed back in the right direction. However, the team’s troubles aren’t over yet as Howard is still recovering from back surgery, Nash is still out and the Lakers’ main star and leader Kobe Bryant has not yet started to play extensive minutes on a regular basis.

For the next coach, there is no doubt that Lakers fans will be praying for the return of Phil Jackson and reports suggest Kupchak will contact the legendary bench boss.  If Jackson does not wish to return, other veteran coaches such as Jerry Sloan and Mike D’Antoni are also available. Early reports also suggest that Kupchak will be looking at D’Antoni.  It will be an interesting choice, and only time will tell if they make the right one.

Game Of The Week, #11 Oregon State at #14 Stanford

Posted on by Lindsay Higgins

Another week with a good game in the Pac-12. Here we go:

Credit: jgirl4858 CC

The Stanford Offense: As of Wednesday morning, redshirt freshman Kevin Hogan is Stanford’s starting QB. Josh Nunes was benched early in Stanford’s game against Colorado last week after the offense failed to get anything going; Hogan, previously used mainly in Wildcat-type packages, proceeded to complete 18 of 23 passes for 184 yards, two TDs and no interceptions in a 48-0 win over the Buffs.  However, the Cardinal face a much stiffer test this week in #11 Oregon State. The Beavers’ fifth-ranked run defense will likely keep Stepfan Taylor at least somewhat bottled up and force Hogan to either throw the ball or run it himself. Expect TEs Levine Toilolo and Zach Ertz to continue to be the top targets in the passing game.

gman2548 CC

The Stanford Defense: The one hiccup this year for the Cardinal was the game against Arizona’s spread offense. Other than that, the defense has been excellent. The run defense is #1 in the country, and actually held both Colorado and Washington State to negative rushing yardage. Stanford also leads the country in sacks, with 40 from 13 different players. Their one weakness is pass defense, giving up 254 yards to USC and 491 to Arizona, although Notre Dame was held to 141.

credit Cliff Kirkpatrick, CC

The Oregon State Offense: QB Cody Vaz will be the starter again this week. Protecting him against national sack leader Stanford will be a priority. In addition to being sacked several times, Vaz lost two fumbles last week against Arizona State. They won that game, but I think it’s unlikely the result would be the same against team as strong as the Cardinal. In the running game, Storm Woods has by far the most yards and carries, but Terron Ward is averaging 6.1 yards per carry. Chances are the Beavers will need both of them, as well as leading WRs Brandin Cooks and Markus Wheaton, to contribute in a big way against the Cardinal D.

credit: VRC Jeremy, wiki commons

The Oregon State Defense: The Beavers’ defense is obviously doing a lot right. The most points they’ve allowed in a game this season is 35, to Arizona; everyone else on their schedule has been held to 26 or fewer, good for 19th nationally. The biggest challenges OSU will face in this game are stopping Stepfan Taylor with their 5th-ranked run defense, and covering Stanford’s leading receivers, TEs Levine Toilolo and Zach Ertz. As is often the case against tight ends, the defensive backs will face a size mismatch against the 6’8”, 265 lb. Toilolo and 6’6”, 252 lb. Ertz.

Prediction: This is a tough one to call. These teams are similar and evenly matched in several key ways, and I expect a close, entertaining game. I think having a marginally more experienced QB might give the edge to the Beavers. Oregon State 20, Stanford 17.

Early Look: World Juniors, Team Finland

Posted on by Ben Kerr

Welcome to today’s edition of “Top Shelf Prospects”. If you missed any of my previous articles you can find a complete listing of them here.

With the CHL seasons now well over a month old, I thought now would be a good time to look at the potential line-ups for the World Junior Championships. Last week we started with Team Canada, moved on to Team USA, completed Pool B with Russia, Slovakia and Germany and started Pool A with the Czech Republic, Switzerland, and Latvia.

Today, I continue the Pool A Preview and will look at Finland.

Based on the latest in the NHL lockout, I am going to assume that the NHL and NHLPA will not resolve their issues and that premium talent will be available. I’m also going to assume that AHL clubs who have some of these junior-aged players will release them for the tournament.

So let’s get started…

Team Finland:
Finland is a strong medal contender after finishing 4th in each of the last two tournaments. There is a strong core this year for the Finns and the team will be heavily scouted bringing in 2013 NHL Draft Eligible Prospect, Sasha Barkov.  This team is very well-rounded and will have strong offence, strong defence, and strong goaltending.  They are a legitimate medal threat, and while maybe not a top contender for the gold medal, they are a darkhorse that you shouldn’t sell too short either.  This team is strong enough to provide a major challenge to anyone in the tournament.

credit: Wikipedia Commons

Joel Armia, Right Wing: A 2011 first round draft pick of the Buffalo Sabres, Armia is a natural goal scorer, pure and simple. He craves goals, and putting on a show, such as when the young Finn rode his stick on his way past the Swedish bench at the 2012 World Juniors.  An outstanding stickhandler, his hands are quick and he is able to dangle past opposing defenders and goalies.  Combine this with a hard accurate shot and quick release, and he is a nightmare for opposing goalies.  It is very hard to tell if Armia will let the shot go, or make one more move, and before a goalie knows it, the puck is in the back of the net.  He is absolutely lethal on breakaways and shootouts.  Armia does have some playmaking talent, but his main skill is as a sniper.  A capable and willing backchecker, expect to see the Finnish coaches feel comfortable using this offensive weapon in any situation.  Last year, Armia had 5 goals and 7 points in 7 games in the tournament.  Expect more of the same type of scoring this year as he plays in his third World Junior.

Teuvo Teravainen, Left Wing/Centre: A first round draft pick of the Chicago Blackhawks this past June, Teravainen has incredible hockey sense and vision, and is an extremely creative playmaker.  He will attempt passes that most forwards don’t even dream about, feathering pucks through sticks and legs and putting them on the tape of his teammates.  The young Finn controls the play in the offensive zone often preferring to be a setup man working off the half boards.  Teravainen also possesses a very hard and accurate one timer and often unleashes it from the top of the circle.  He is especially effective on the Power Play.  Blessed with good top end speed, Teravainen has made great strides in improving his first step, acceleration and agility, making skating ability a huge strength in his game.  A little undersized, Teravainen has shown that he is willing to work on the boards, get to the front of the net, and take a hit to make a play, despite the fact he is often facing larger opponents.  He’s been excellent for Finland at previous international tournaments including the Under 18s, the Ivan Hlinka, and the Five Nations.  Finland will be hoping he translates that success to the World Junior level.

Markus Granlund, Centre/Left Wing: The Calgary Flames 2011 2nd round pick, was a point per game player in last year’s tournament where he played on a line with his brother, Michael.  Markus is back this year, but it will be a solo run for him as his older brother is no longer eligible for the tournament.  He gets overshadowed by Michael, but Markus is a talented player in his own right.  He’s got very good stickhandling, protecting the puck well and extending plays to allow his teammates to get open.  He is also a good passer able to set them up when they do.  Expect Granlund to once again be a key contributor on the score sheet for Finland.

credit: Todd Korol, CC

Alexander “Sasha” Barkov, Left Wing/Centre: As a 16 year old Barkov played in the 2012 World Juniors for Team Finland and became the youngest player ever to score a goal in the tournament.  He followed that up with an impressive performance for Team Finland at the U18s.  Already 6’2″ and 205 lbs, and just 17, Barkov is a force on the boards.  He creates offence by winning battles and then using his passing skills to find open teammates.  He has excellent vision and hockey sense and almost always makes the smart play.  He also has outstanding hands and stickhandling ability, and has even been compared to Pavel Datsyuk by some analysts.  He does need some work on his skating as could improve his speed and quickness.  With 20 points in 20 games for Tappara, he’s scoring at a point per game pace and leading his team in scoring.in the SM-Liga, very impressive considering this 17 year old is playing against men.  He’ll be one of the most scouted and watched prospects at the tourney as he’s fighting to be a top pick in the 2013 NHL Draft.

Olli Maatta, Defence: A first round pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Maatta returns to the World Juniors looking for a better experience than last year.  After making the Finnish Team Maatta took a hard hit in the team’s first game, was injured, and did not play again. Playing for the London Knights right now, Maatta has shown improvements in his second season in the OHL and currently has 16 points in 17 games.  He is a good puck mover who starts the rush with a hard and accurate first pass.  Maatta is a also turning into a good powerplay point man who is poised with the puck and has a hard and accurate shot. Blessed with good size and excellent defensive instincts, Maatta is adept at reading the play and has excellent positioning in the defensive zone.  While not a big hitter, he is very good at using his size to take opposing forwards out of the play and separate them from the puck.  Maatta is also a good shot blocker, and anticipates well to cut off passes making him a key penalty killer for the Knights, and he should play that role for the Finns as well.

Ville Pokka, Defence:  When Maata was injured last year, Pokka proved to be a solid defender when he stepped in seemlessly to Maatta’s spot on Finland’s top defensive pair.  Offensively Pokka plays a simple, but very effective game. He has great vision and hockey IQ which help him to quarterback the powerplay.  A very good passer, Pokka can make effective tape to tape passes to teammates both from the blue line in the offensive zone and in his own zone to start the breakout. Pokka’s slapshot needs work, as it lacks both power and accuracy, however he does possess a good wrist shot, and can often be seen sneaking in from the point on the PP in an attempt to recieve a pass and unleash it.  Defensively, he is very difficult to beat off the rush as he uses excellent positioning and good quickness to always keep the opposing forward in front of him. He has a quick stick and is good at pokechecking opponents.  Pokka has shown that he can be physical and throw a hard hit if he catches a forward in a vulnerable position. He is also willing to battle hard in the corners and in front of the net, however Pokka is sometimes overwhelmed by bigger, physical forwards.  A New York Islanders draft pick, expect him to once again play huge minutes and be a key to the Finnish defence in this tournament.

Joonas Korpisalo, Goaltender: The key to any team’s chances in this tournament is goaltending, and the Finns have a good one in Korpisalo.  The third round pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets, Korpisalo is a big goalie who takes up a lot of net, and cuts down shooting angles very well.  A very athletic goalie he has good lateral mobility and puck tracking as well.  He has quick legs and takes away the bottom of the net, as well as a decent glove hand.  Korpisalo could use work on his rebound control, however.

Feel free to leave comments below and follow me on twitter @lastwordBKerr, and look for my last preview on Team Sweden coming soon.

Thanks for reading, and be sure to join Max Vasilyev and I on Wednesday Nights at 10:00pm when we host the hockey radio show, “Puckheads”, on the Last Word Radio Network. You can listen in live or to our past podcasts by clicking here, or by searching for us on iTunes.