Advertisement

Auston Matthews, Morgan Rielly and Team North America take on Leo Komarov and Team Finland in Group B action at the World Cup of Hockey (8 p.m. EST, Sportsnet).

Risk has been a theme of McLellan’s as he talked about his team this week, leading up to their first game that counts on Sunday against Finland. North America’s coaching staff is concerned that their players’ penchant for great offensive plays will bite them defensively, which could be deadly in a short tournament where every goal matters.

They realize that their team is in tough as it is. For the young guns to advance out of their group, they’ll have to finish ahead of two of Russia, Sweden and Finland – three major hockey powers filled with veteran NHL players.

If they manage that, however, they will likely get a date with either Canada or the United States in a do-or-die semi-final next weekend. Several North America players admitted that having the chance to eliminate their home country, up against some of their idols, would be strange.

But they can’t wait to try.

– James Mirtle, The Globe and Mail

Team Finland Projeted Lineup

Left WingCenterRight Wing
Patrik LaineAleksander BarkovJussi Jokinen
Mikael GranlundMikko KoivuJoonas Donskoi
Valtteri FilpullaJori LehteraTeuvo Teravainen
Lauri KorpikoskiErik HaulaLeo Komarov
Left DefenseRight Defense
Olli MaattaRasmus Ristolainen
Jyrki JokipakkaSami Vatanen
Esa LindellVille Pokka
Goaltenders
Pekka Rinne
Tuukka Rask

Team North America Projected Lineup

Left WingCenterRight Wing
Auston MatthewsConnor McDavidMark Scheifele
Jonathan DrouinRyan Nugent-HopkinsNathan MacKinnon
Johnny GaudreauJack EichelDylan Larkin
Vincent TrochekSean CouturierBrandon Saad
Left DefenseRight Defense
Morgan RiellyColton Parayko
Shayne GostisbehereJacob Trouba
Ryan MurraySeth Jones
Goaltenders
Matt Murray
John Gibson
Aaron Ekblad is a game-time scratch due to injury
Previous articleRookie Tournament Game #2: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Montreal Canadiens
Next articleTeam Russia vs. Team Sweden – 2016 World Cup of Hockey
Founded in 2008, Maple Leafs Hotstove (MLHS) has grown to be the most visited independent team-focused hockey website online (Quantcast). Independently owned and operated, MLHS provides thorough and wide-ranging content, varying from news, opinion and analysis, to pre-game and long-form game reviews, and a weekly feature piece entitled "Leafs Notebook." MLHS has been cited by: ESPN, Sports Illustrated, CBC News, USA Today, Fox Sports, Yahoo! Sports, NBC Sports, TSN, Sportsnet, Grantland, CTV News, CBSSports, The Globe & Mail, The National Post, The Toronto Star, The Toronto Sun, Global News, Huffington Post, and many more.