Mikael Granlund scores in OT as Finland beats Sweden in 4 Nations Face-Off

MONTREAL — Mikael Granlund skated toward the net on a 2-on-1 rush, cradled the puck on his stick twice and fired it past Linus Ullmark.

With that snipe of a goal in overtime Saturday, he put Finland right back in the mix at the 4 Nations Face-Off by beating Sweden, 4-3, and keeping the compelling action going at the NHL-run international tournament.

“It’s great to come (out) on top, and at the same time we are alive in this tournament,” said Granlund, whose goal came 1 minutes, 49 seconds into 3-on-3 OT. “Everything is in our own hands. Good for us.”

A regulation loss could have eliminated the Finns before the play shifts to Boston for the final. Instead, they bounced back from an early deficit to win an instant classic, back-and-forth masterpiece between the bitter rivals that Mikko Rantanen said was a must-win and “felt like a playoff game.”

“We knew that coming into the game we had to win the game to stay alive, and we did that,” said Rantanen, who scored a power-play goal in the first period. “A lot of physicality, and the refs didn’t call a lot of penalties, which is normal in the playoffs, so we enjoyed it.”

Anton Lundell and Rantanen also scored for Finland, and Kevin Lankinen made 21 saves in his 4 Nations debut, including a pad stop on Mika Zibanejad seconds into overtime. Coach Antti Pennanen switched from Juuse Saros to Lankinen after his team lost 6-1 to the United States on Thursday night.

“These are the kind of opportunities that you dream of,” Lankinen said. “You prepare so hard that whenever an opportunity shows up, you just go out and play. That was kind of my mindset tonight. I felt better as the game went on, and obviously they got some great talent on the other side there, so I was happy that I was able to help the team win.”

Despite goals from the Pittsburgh Penguins’ Erik Karlsson as well as Zibanejad and Rasmus Dahlin, the Swedes are in trouble and now might need some help to make the final. Filip Gustavsson was pulled after allowing two goals on four shots in the first period, and Ullmark allowed two on 17 the rest of the way.

Coach Sam Hallam said he made the change because Gustavsson was sick.

“Not an easy situation coming in like that, but I thought he was great for us,” Zibanejad said of Ullmark. “Gave us a chance to win, a couple of chances, but it wasn’t enough.”

Finland captain Aleksander Barkov came up limping from blocking a shot late in the second period but continued playing and was in good spirits afterward.

“Just live in the moment and try to get it better and good job by the medical (staff), so I was back there and didn’t feel anything,” Barkov said. “It kind of came to me and I tried to kick it, so I just got to remember I’m not a soccer player.”

Facing off 19 years after Sweden defeated Finland in the 2006 Olympic gold-medal game in Turin, this time the Finns were on the winning end of an entertaining game featuring a blend of speed, skill and physicality — and some pushing and shoving after the whistles.

“It’s always great to beat Sweden,” Granlund said. “Those games are fun to play. There’s so many people in Finland, in Sweden to watch these games. It’s great to come (out) on top.”

Up next

The tournament shifts to Boston, where Finland faces Canada on Monday afternoon at 1 p.m. EST and Sweden plays the United States at 8.