Mandatory credit: David Kirouac
Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov scored the tying goal 49 seconds into the second period and then had a hand in Konsta Helenius’ eventual game-winning marker 10:39 later to help Finland knock off Canada 4-2 in the semifinals of the IIHF World Championship in Zurich.
Barkov, who was named Finland’s Best Player, logged 19:28 of ice time, was credited with two shots on goal, won seven of his 15 draws, and finished the game with a plus-three rating. He leads Finland in scoring with 11 points (3G/8A) in nine games played.
Anton Lundell received 15:28 of ice time, had two shots on goal, went four of 12 on face-offs, and posted a minus-one rating.
Finland will take on undefeated Switzerland, who trounced Norway 6-0 in the other semifinal, for the gold medal this afternoon. Canada will face the Norwegians for bronze this morning.
Today’s games
- Bronze Medal: Norway (B2) vs. Canada (B1) 9:30 a.m. (NHL Network, NHL YouTube)
- Finland (A2) vs. Switzerland (A1) 2:20 p.m. (NHL Network, NHL YouTube)
Memorial Cup
Panthers prospect Shea Busch and the Everett Silvertips will do battle with the Kitchener Rangers in final of the 2026 Memorial Cup in Kelowna, British Columbia. The game will be broadcast on NHL Network tonight at 7 p.m.
