Canada’s Cooper remains mum on starting goalie for must-win game vs. Finland
Asked if he knew his starting goalie for Monday against Finland, Jon Cooper answered “I do.” But the Canadian head coach wouldn’t reveal a name.
BOSTON — If there was sentiment Canada’s tournament was slipping through Jordan Binnington’s five hole, Jon Cooper didn’t appear to be sharing it in the immediate aftermath of Saturday’s 3-1 loss to Team USA.
Whether that means the coach will keep Binnington in for Canada’s must-win game against Finland Monday is anybody’s guess, though.
The question came up Sunday and Cooper stacked his pads and deflected it to the corner, leaving no opportunity for follow up.
“Do you know who’s starting?” he was asked.
“I do,” Cooper responded, before refusing to reveal that name and saying he was planning on chatting with his goaltenders later in the day.
When Cooper spoke moments after Canada lost Saturday, his refusal to admit Binnington was fighting the puck felt revealing enough. And his decision to vaunt Jake Guentzel’s ability to ritually score on shots that should be saved — like the one Binnington felt he should’ve stopped before it trickled through his legs to tie Saturday’s game 1-1 — only made it feel more like he wasn’t seriously contemplating a change for Monday.
But Cooper’s unwillingness to confirm Binnington’s presence for the game that could propel Canada to the 4 Nations Face-Off Final against the U.S. on Thursday at least opened the door for Adin Hill to take over.
Whether that’s the best move is debatable.
Like Binnington, the Vegas Golden Knights’ Hill is a Stanley Cup winner.
But also like Binnington, Hill hasn’t played on the same level since doing hoisting the trophy in 2023.
That Hill hasn’t appeared in the net since Feb. 6 — a win over the New Jersey Devils that saw him stop 14 of 15 shots — is another reason for pause.
Still, there he was shaking off some rust during Canada’s super-optional skate Sunday.
Third-stringer Samuel Montembeault was on the ice with him, as were absentees from Saturday’s game Cale Makar and Travis Konecny. Meanwhile Binnington was back at the hotel, where Canada didn’t arrive until 6 a.m. after major delays leaving Montreal.
He didn’t like the goal he gave up to Guentzel. He wasn’t happy about the winner to Larkin, either. And perhaps the hours he spent away from the arena were as much to rest as they were to reset mentally.
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But Binnington’s teammates don’t feel he has much to change.
“He’s a gamer,” said Konecny. “I’ve played against him a bunch and he’s just one of those guys that’s never quitting on plays and he’s that last line of defence where you have that confidence that he’s going to do something big and give us a big moment in the game.”
Added Montembeault: “It’s a must-win for us tomorrow, and he’s played in those games. He played in a Game 7 in the Stanley Cup Final and won there (with St. Louis against Boston in 2019)…”
Binnington made huge saves to help Canada to its tournament-opening 4-3 win over Sweden on Wednesday, and he stopped all 12 shots from the slot in Saturday’s loss to the highest-scoring team in the tournament.
It might not guarantee Binnington’s presence in the starter’s net Monday, but it was surely considered in the decision.
Quick Finnish hits
– No question as to who will be in Finland’s net Monday. Kevin Lankinen backstopped his team to the overtime win over Sweden on Saturday, and coach Antti Pennanen confirmed after Sunday’s optional skate that the Finns are putting their tournament hopes in his glove and blocker.
Lankinen, who’s won 19 games and picked up points in seven more over 34 appearances with the Vancouver Canucks this season, stopped 21 of 24 shots against the Swedes.
“It felt great, obviously,” the 29-year-old said after Mikael Granlund scored in overtime. “These are the kind of opportunities that you dream of, right? 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.”
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Canada takes on Finland in 4 Nations Face-Off on Sportsnet
Canada and Finland look to book their ticket to the 4 Nations Face-Off final. Watch the game on Sportsnet starting at 12:30 p.m. ET/9:30 a.m. PT.
– Another huge force in Finland’s win will have to be even bigger against Canada: defenceman Niko Mikkola.
Teammates of the six-foot-six Florida Panther believe he’ll be exactly that, and not just because he was a beast through his 25:50 against Sweden.
“Stanley Cup champion, and I think there’s a reason,” said Erik Haula. “Every guy that hoists that Cup, I think there’s a reason for it. He’s playing well, doing a good job, he’s physical, plays with emotion and intensity, and he’s a great player.”
– Nikolas Matinpalo’s impressive journey through this tournament as its most unknown player has bolstered his confidence.
He’s the only guy here to have appeared in AHL games this season. He’s got just 22 games of NHL experience. And yet he seems unfazed about facing Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon and Canada’s other superstars on Monday.
“Very good players, of course,” the Ottawa Senator said. “Maybe the best two players in the world. But just be myself, play my hockey, and that’s it basically.”
That’s been more than enough for Pennanen, who’s pushed Matinpalo over the boards for 46 shifts through two games.
“What can I say? I didn’t expect too much about him,” said the Finnish coach. “But really strong, and actually he can win the battles, and he moves his skates pretty well and has had a pretty solid tournament so far. So I believe he can continue like that (Monday).”
– Haula was asked what’s different about Canada.
“Tell you after we play them,” he said.
Pennanen went a bit deeper on the subject.
“I think it’s going to be pretty similar to the game we played against USA,” he said. “The main thing is of course we have to follow our system and stick with it, but still some moments we have to slow them a little bit. Tight units. Strong between the dots. Good defence overall.”
Probing further with Haula, Matinpalo and Henri Jokiharju, they all said Finland needs to clog up the ice and slow the Canadians down. They expect a physical game like the one the Americans presented. They know there’s skill that’s at least on par with what they saw from the U.S. and Sweden. But they seem to be most concerned with Canada’s speed.
