Team Finland goalie breakdown for Milano Cortina Olympics

Goaltending will be an integral part of the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026. To provide insight into the strengths and weaknesses of each country's goalies, we have borrowed a project from the Stanley Cup Playoffs and charted goals against by some of the goaltenders we will see in this tournament. Doing so allows us to see what patterns emerge that might be targeted and what areas should be avoided.

Today, Team Finland, which plays its first game of the tournament Thursday against Slovakia (10:40 a.m. ET; Peacock, USA, CBC Gem, TSN, CBC).

Juuse Saros

The Nashville Predators goalie is having another below-average season statistically, including a .892 save percentage, well below his .912 career average in the NHL and on pace for his lowest in a full season. But with Kevin Lankinen also struggling, and Joonas Korpisalo a late addition for an injured Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Saros is a safe bet as Finland's No.1 goalie to start the Olympics, just as he was at the 4 Nations Face-off despite similar struggles last season. With that in mind, we broke down the last 100 goals he's given up and just 50 for each of the other two goaltenders.

Pick a corner: It's hard to ignore the 23 goals over Saros' blocker, which is above the 18.3 percent average for the more than 8,500 goals tracked for this project since 2017. As the shortest goalie in the NHL (5-foot-11), high shots will always be part of the storyline, but it's worth noting that only two of those high-blocker goals -- and just one of the 20 high-glove goals -- came on clean looks. Most were a result of other primary factors, including screens (seven on the blocker side, five to the glove side) and broken plays (eight to each side). Those types of bounces being finished into the top of the net may be a credit to how fast Saros moves around his crease and shooters knowing they have to elevate even on dangerous chance in tight, otherwise they risk him making momentum-changing saves down low.

High-traffic areas: Sightlines can be harder to find as a smaller goalie and Saros can get caught trying to look over the shoulders of taller traffic, or drifting back a bit in his crease behind it, all of which contributed to 18 screen goals this season compared to the 15.1 percent tracked average, as well as 26 goals off scrambles and bounces off bodies in front, almost double the average of 14 percent.

Breakaways tactics: This may be less relevant behind the Finnish defense than is has been with the Predators, especially considering how many of the one-on-one chances were in tight after turnovers, but Saros gave up 16 goals on breakaways and partial breaks in this tracked sample, well above the average of 10.2 percent. As good as he is at staying patient on his edges before committing to a butterfly, shooters used that against him with six of the 13 goals through his five-hole scored on quick shots under the pads. Otherwise, a fake and wide deke can expose a lack of length in outstretched pads.

Low-high and lateral: Saros has excelled against east-west plays this season, with 15 goals on passes and play across the middle of the ice, well below the 22.1 percent average. But attacking laterally from near the goal line can take advantage of his steeper reverse-VH entries, with the inside pad higher up ice rather than staying flatter in the crease, because that forces a bigger rotation in order to get to the far post and can leave him pushing more out than straight across on passes through the blue ice.

Catch him moving: The slight drift in traffic is more prevalent off the rush, where he takes ice early and retreats with the speed of the attack, movement that can make even goalies that move as well as Saros a bit more vulnerable to shots and plays against the grain.

Kevin Lankinen

It's been a tough season for Lankinen and the Vancouver Canucks, including a .876 save percentage that would be his lowest in his six NHL seasons, but the 30-year-old should have better defensive support with Finland. He's no stranger to international success, including winning a gold medal at the 2019 IIHF World Championship with .942 save percentage, and could even be used as a shootout specialist. Lankinen is 17-for-17 this season with an .889 save percentage (48-for-54, minimum 50 shots against) that's first in NHL history since the shootout was introduced for the 2005-06 season.

Make him go side to side: Lateral plays across the middle of the ice were the primary factor on 36 percent of the tracked goals, well above the 22.1 percent tracked average. Though east-west plays are a good way to attack any goalie, Lankinen's initial positional aggression -- in terms of playing with his heels above the top of the crease and getting outside his posts laterally -- play a role in the additional exposure on lateral passes.

Quick releases: The extra distance Lankinen must travel cover to get across his crease on plays makes quick shots and one-timers on the other end important, even if they're along the ice as several low shots off the rush have gone in before he can seal the ice with a fully extended pad. One-timers have been a primary factor on 16 percent of goals against Lankinen, more than double the tracked average of 7.4 percent.

Attack the flanks: Lankinen's relative aggression even on in-zone plays creates additional exposure on rebounds or bounces or plays funneled off to either side. He's exceptionally quick and the numbers on scramble goals aren't as bad this season as last (down from 18 to 12 percent) but it has played a role in rebounds goals (14 percent) being above the tracked average (11.7 percent) this season.

Joonas Korpisalo

Korpisalo was added as a replacement for Luukkonen, who sustained a lower-body injury Jan. 27. Jeremy Swayman's backup with the Boston Bruins is 4-0-2 with a 2.20 goals-against average, .918 save percentage and one shutout since Jan. 1.

High shots into traffic: The high-blocker goal totals (30 percent) are well above the tracked average (18.3 percent) but it's worth noting that five came through screens, and three of the 11 high-glove goals also involved traffic. Dealing with bodies in front of the crease has been a statistical challenge for Korpisalo this season, with 12 of the 50 tracked goals (24 percent) coming through traffic, which is above the 15.1 percent average. He didn't get a lot of help from his Bruins teammates, who contributed to clogged sight lines on half of them, but Korpisalo also tends to be late finding a lane to the puck, especially on low-high passes moving up the zone, and got caught switching sides several times as the puck was released. Working mostly from a higher stance to see over screens, Korpisalo is sometimes on his way down as high shots go past him, or late to seal, with all three shots under his blocker and one five-hole goal coming on screen plays.

Side-to-side down low: Korpisalo gave up 16 goals on plays and passes across the middle of the ice (32 percent), which is well above the 22.1-percent average, and 13 of those came on plays below the hash marks. Those types of lateral plays are inherently high danger and like the screens, Korpisalo didn't get a lot of help from his defense with open shooters on the other side of those passes. But a slightly aggressive initial positioning on rush plays also left too much space to cover and allowed teams to pass it around him on several of those goals. A tendency to get steep in his reverse-VH, with his inside skate higher in the crease, rather than down closer to the goal line, led to him getting caught up with forwards and teammates on several low laterals, and slowed push across on others.

At least a foot off the ice: Korpisalo was well above the tracked averages along the ice, showing off his flexibility and explosiveness side to side and reinforcing the need to make sure you get shots above his pads even after a back-door pass and open look.