Sweden beat Norway 9-1 on Monday and Finland beat the same opponent by the same result just a day later. Data supports that both games were very different though.
Sweden was dominant in the game and especially in the first and third period had big advantage in clear path opportunities (more about Sweden vs Norway 9-1 here). 34-50 was shot attempt differential for Finland in the game and next graph is counting shot attempts during the whole game.
When we shift our focus to dangerous possessions we find out that Finland yielded more of these but that was a case mainly for the first period. Next graph reveals that.
2-5 was a difference in clear path opportunities created and Finland went to comfortable lead 0-3.
Similarly to Sweden vs Norway game the second period was the best one for Norwegian challenger. They had even significantly positive differential in clear paths (4-1) but failed to score here and Finnish players extended their lead by one goal.
Finland went on to control the third period as they did not let Norway to create much offensively. Themselves they kept scoring including three goals in last six minutes.
It was not that much of creating very dangerous situations in this game for Finland. It was also about quality of possessing the ball itself and not letting opponent to play. Creativity with the ball was apparent in the data when we look at cross field pass opportunities on offensive half.
Finland had 14 cross field pass opportunities and were able to score five times after cross field passing! Next gif is a good example that you don´t need to yield clear path (still it almost was) and still manage to have a pretty good look to score.
And yeah, Salin to Johansson for a goal. Strong teams are continuously looking for this kind of plays so your defence should be always aware of that.
We can get detailed on player level with what we know. Next graph helps us to find players (and lines) who liked to create these cross field passes the most.
There were two Finnish lines (names of player in upper right corner) dominant in this aspect. Not surprisingly these creativity on offence was connected to positive results of corsi. Corsi reflects offensive activity as it counts shot attempts for and against player´s team when on the field.
Last graph looks at active finisher of the game.
Lastikka dished 7 shot attempt assists for his teammates and with adding 5 shot attempts himself he was the most frequent finisher at even strength. Pylsy and Johansson S had the most shot attempts with 8. From Norway it was Valbye with 3 shot attempts and 3 assists or Gidske who focused on assisting in the game with 5 assists.
Can Finland add more danger for opponents to their quality control in their possessions? We shall see coming play-off time.
By Petr Malina
DAY 4: Group Stage Culminating, Czech Republic to Face Switzerland – 4.12.2018
Germany Saves Czechs by Beating Latvia, Nordic Powers Post Convincing Wins – 4.12.2018
Sweden Dominates Norway to Get Easy 9-1 Win – 3.12.2018
Estonia Beats Thailand 11-4 to End Group Stage Unbeaten – 3.12.2018
Great First Period Secures First Victory for Finland – 3.12.2018
Great Defense Gives Australia First Tournament Win over Poland – 3.12.2018
Data Analysis: Latvia vs Czech Republic 4:3 – 3.12.2018
Impressive Third Period Pushes Germany to First Win in Prague – 3.12.2018
Zubir‘s Two Goals Help Singapore Beat Japan in Front of 6,341 Spectators – 3.12.2018
Data Analysis: Finland vs Sweden 4:5 – 3.12.2018
DAY 3: Program Starts with Asian Battle, Fans to See Two Nordic Derbies – 3.12.2018
Latvia Stuns the Hosts, Slovakia and Switzerland on Scoring Surge – 3.12.2018
Estonia Wins Evening Thriller in Arena Sparta – 2.12.2018
First Tournament Surprise as Latvia Beats Czech Republic 4-3 – 2.12.2018
Battle between Canada and Singapore Ends in First Tournament Draw – 2.12.2018
Switzerland Outclasses Germany 13-1, Känzig Scores Four Goals – 2.12.2018
Japan Enters Tournament with 1-15 Loss against Slovakia – 2.12.2018
Norway Turns Score to Get First Tournament Win – 2.12.2018
Data Analysis: Germany vs Czech Republic 5:10 – 2.12.2018
DAY 2: Twelve Teams in Action, Czechs to Face Latvia – 2.12.2018