Congratulations to Finland for securing the bronze medal on Saturday in a 6-1 win over Slovakia. The Finns were led by Erik Haula, who scored two goals in the game and scored goals in back-to-back games. The Nashville forward finished the Olympics with six points in six games, which was tied for second among all Finland players with Sebastian Aho, Mikko Rantanen, and Artturi Lehkonen.

Aho, Roope Hintz, Kaapo Kakko, and Joel Armia scored the other goals for Finland. If you were in some kind of Olympic hockey pool (or not), you may be surprised to learn that Armia led the Finns in scoring with eight points in six games. That point total also has the Kings forward currently tied for fourth among all players in the tournament. Aho led Finland with four goals in the tournament.

Juuse Saros stopped 30 of 31 shots he faced in the bronze medal game. He finishes the Olympic tournament with a .940 SV%.

Tomas Tatar (remember him?) scored Slovakia's only goal. Slovakia kept it close for most of the game, trailing only 2-1 into the third period, which is when Finland opened the floodgates.  

We've been hearing about injuries to Canada in particular, but the Finns are also dealing with their share. Rantanen missed the bronze medal game with a lower-body injury. According to Elliotte Friedman, Rantanen was injured during the third period of the semifinal game against Canada. He will be re-evaluated once he returns to Dallas. The injury is not believed to be season-ending, but the severity and timeline are unknown. It's quite possible that Rantanen is not in the Stars' lineup when they return to action on Wednesday against Seattle.  

According to Ducks reporter Zach Cavanagh, Mikael Granlund left the game late in the third period after being checked into the boards. Granlund came out to receive his bronze medal, so the move was likely precautionary. Still, this is probably something to keep an eye on if you roster Granlund.

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Back to injuries to Team Canada. Josh Morrissey has been ruled out of the gold medal game. Considered to be the second-best defenseman on Canada's roster, Morrissey was injured in the first game and hasn't returned. Morrissey could still be out of action when the Jets return to action on Wednesday in Vancouver, but at least you have a few days to look for another blueline option. Unfortunately, Morrissey also missed the 4 Nations final last season because of an illness.

As I write this, Sidney Crosby hasn't been ruled out yet for the gold medal game, with one report suggesting he even has about a 70% chance of playing. Even if he suits up and guts it out, Crosby might have to rest for a game or two when the Penguins return to action on Thursday against New Jersey. The Pens also play back-to-back games on Saturday and Sunday next weekend.

One of the prices to pay from having a midseason international best-on-best tournament is injuries to real NHL teams and the many fantasy teams out there. Even more players are likely battling something. For example, Brad Marchand has missed two games in this tournament and was missing NHL games just before the Olympic break. Nathan MacKinnon's leg still might not be 100% after the hit he took that resulted in the Tom Wilson fight. Sam Reinhart has not had a great tournament (2 PTS in 5 GP) – could that be because of an injury?

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With fantasy hockey back in business next week, I thought I'd take a look at what the remaining schedule looks like for teams using the Frozen Tools Schedule Planner. Keep in mind that this is for all games remaining and doesn't factor in the fantasy playoff schedule, which is different for all teams. The Midseason Guide has a breakdown of common playoff schedules, or you can set your own dates on the Schedule Planner.

To view the remaining regular-season schedule, go to this link.

On the schedule, you may notice that goals for per game and goals against per game don't show huge variances, as all teams will play a sample of strong and weak teams with the number of games they have remaining. In the end, scheduling for the fantasy hockey stretch run doesn't matter as much as it does for fantasy football, where games are played only once a week. But pick an individual do-or-die week and the schedule could really matter. Just ask someone who only has their star player for two games when their opponent's star player appears for four games.  

Teams with the most games remaining: San Jose, Colorado, Tampa Bay (27)

Teams with the least games remaining: Washington (23); Minnesota, Edmonton, NY Islanders, Detroit (24)

Teams with the easiest opponent record

San Jose

Macklin Celebrini arriving as an NHL star is not up for debate. But whether the Sharks are a playoff team certainly is. At least they have the easiest record when it comes to combined opponent record (.527). No, that is not a misprint, as only six teams are below the "new" definition of .500. San Jose is also tied for the league lead with 27 games remaining, and their opponents have yielded the highest goals-per-game average in the league (3.06 GA/GP). If you drafted Celebrini (preseason Yahoo ADP 33.4), you should be in great shape to rake in more points.

Los Angeles

The Kings are probably due to catch a break after losing Kevin Fiala for the season (no pun intended). Fortunately, the schedule does them some favors, as their opponent record is similar to that of the Sharks (.529). LA is also one of a handful of teams to play 26 games, which is right behind the Sharks as well. Artemi Panarin could be in the right situation to make some noise. Not only that, but Darcy Kuemper could be in for a strong run down the stretch. The Kings' opponents also have the lowest combined strength of offense (2.97 GF/GP).

Interestingly enough, the third California team in Anaheim finished third in the league in this category (.530 opponent record).

Teams with the hardest opponent record

Pittsburgh

After the Penguins surpassed their low preseason expectations, we're about to find out if they are for real since they have the most difficult opponent record (.590). A possible Crosby injury could also complicate matters. You may also want to lower your expectations for all Penguins' scorers, as their opponents have the combined lowest goals-against per game (2.78 GA/G).

Boston

The Bruins are in nearly the same spot as the Penguins as a team with relatively low preseason expectations that occupies a playoff spot but faces a difficult schedule (.586 opponent record).

If you're interested where other teams fall schedule-wise, the full report can be found here.

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That's almost all I've got for today. I'm going to bed early so I can wake up at 5 am to watch the gold medal game. I won't make a public prediction, as I think the two teams are very evenly matched. Canada has the better elite gamebreaking scorers, while the US has a stronger defense. Maybe the X factor is in net, where Jordan Binnington has been good enough for Canada to win and better than he has been with the Blues this season (just 8 wins in 32 games… ouch).

Here's an idea: Would a contending team consider trading for Binnington, since he has the reputation of being a big-game goalie? It wouldn't be a long-term commitment, as Binnington has just one year left on his contract after this one with a $6 million cap hit. That might help elevate Binnington's fantasy value, too.

Buckle up and enjoy the game, no matter which side of the border and time zone you live in. Follow me on X @Ian_Gooding and Bluesky @goodsfantasyhockey.bsky.social