Winnipeg Jets rookie forward Patrik Laine, who helped Finland win the gold medal at the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championship, was among many who were surprised by the underwhelming performance of his country at the 2017 WJC in Montreal and Toronto.
Finland will enter its final preliminary-round game against Switzerland on Saturday (6 p.m. ET; NHLN, TSN) with three regulation losses and in fifth place in Group A of the tournament. It will need to win a best-of-3 relegation series against Latvia at Bell Centre in Montreal beginning Monday in order to assure a spot at the 2018 WJC in Buffalo; the loser is relegated to Division I Group A.
Patrik Laine surprised by Finland WJC result
Jets forward, key to gold at 2016 tournament, will watch country play in relegation round
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