World Cup. Russia - Finland

On the 22nd of September, the Russian national team will complete their 2016 World Cup of Hockey group stage campaign against Finland.

It really does all come down to this. Russia have been involved in a tight, competitive group and this match will decide who makes it through to the World Cup semi-finals. The only team which doesn't have any hope of reaching the next round is our opponents Finland, who having lost their first two fixtures to North America and Sweden 1:4 and 0:2 respectively, cannot get out of the group even with a win. That opening day loss to the North Americans has cost them dearly, and despite a spirited performance against Sweden, they failed to score once. 

Nevertheless, Finland are still a force to be reckoned with. Other the years, they have become Russia's main nemesis at big competitions, and they most recently beat our team 3:1 in the 2016 World Championship semi-finals. Star names such as Patrik Laine, Sebastian Aho and Aleksander Barkov, all under the age of 22, are a handful for any opponent. Goaltenders Pekka Rinne and Tuukka Rask have both played a game each at the tournament.

Having held on to beat North America 4:3, Russia have given themselves a lifeline. Following the result between Sweden and the North Americans, a match which North America won 4:3 in overtime, it has been confirmed that Sweden have won the group with five points. If Russia beat Finland, then they will join them in the semi-finals, ousting North America on head to head record.

The Russia - Finland match will begin at 22:00 Moscow time in Toronto, Canada. You can catch a live text broadcast on our official Twitter account.

Russian Ice Hockey Federation