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
WFC 2018 in facts and figures – 10.1.2019
Data Analysis: WFC Summary – 12.12.2018
Data Analysis: WFC Summary – 12.12.2018
Data Analysis: Finland vs Sweden 6:3 – 12.12.2018
Data Analysis: Sweden vs Switzerland 5:4 ps. – 11.12.2018
Data Analysis: Czechia vs Switzerland 2-4 – 11.12.2018
Final Day of WFC: Gold Goes to Finland, Silver to Sweden, Switzerland Takes Bronze, Czechs Again without Medal – 9.12.2018
Pascal Meier is the MVP of WFC 2018 – 9.12.2018
WFC 2018 All Star Team – 9.12.2018
Finland Beats Sweden 6:3 to Defend World Champions Title – 9.12.2018
Switzerland Overcomes Czech Republic to Win Bronze Medals – 9.12.2018
Another spectator record broken! – 9.12.2018
Data Analysis: Czech Republic vs Finland 2-7 – 9.12.2018
Latvia Beats Germany to Earn 5th Spot – 9.12.2018
Norway Again Outplays Denmark to Finish in 7th Place – 9.12.2018
DAY 9: Grand Finale Is Here! New Champions to Be Crowned Today! – 9.12.2018
Day 8 Summary: Sweden and Finland in Final Again, Switzerland and Czech Republic to Play for Bronze – 9.12.2018
Sweden Becomes Second Finalist after Thrilling Shoot-out Win – 8.12.2018
Finland Defeats Czech Republic Thanks to Brilliant Scoring Efficiency – 8.12.2018
Germany Beats Denmark 4-2 to Fight for 5th Place Tomorrow – 8.12.2018