Finland Has Finally Made Their Decision on Vancouver Canucks Goalie Kevin Lankinen

Team Finland opened up their 4 Nations Face-Off schedule on Thursday night against the United States and opted for the more experienced Juuse Saros to start against a high octane American squad, however the Finns lost by a score of 6-1.

Finland took to the ice at the Bell Centre in Montreal this morning to practice and Kevin Lankinen was in the spotlight as he had his own net, while Juuse Saros and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen worked at the other end of the ice.

After practice concluded, Finnish head coach Antti Pennanen met with reporters and confirmed that Vancouver Canucks' Kevin Lankinen will get the start tomorrow against Finland.

Lankinen has minimal experience at the international level, but what he did in his only tournament with the Finns in 2019 is nothing short of remarkable.

In 2019, Finland brought just two players in the NHL to the World Championship - Henri Jokiharju and Juho Lammikko, who played 38 and 40 games, respectively, in the league that season, with the rest being from European leagues or the AHL.

Kevin Lankinen was given the starting reigns right from the get-go by Finnish head coach Juuka Jalonen and he didn't disappoint, leading his nation to their first gold medal in eight years.

In the semi-finals against Russia, Lankinen made 32 saves to record his second shutout in the tournament, while in the gold medal game against Canada, he stopped 43 of 44 shots faced.

The Finns are hoping that Kevin Lankinen can channel his strong play for Vancouver into the 4 Nations Face-Off in what is a must-win game for them against Sweden.

Puck drop for tomorrow's game against Finland is set for 10 am PT (1pm local) and can be viewed nationally across Canada on Sportsnet.