Canada falls 4-2 to Finland in men’s world hockey championship semifinal

ZURICH — Canada will play for the bronze medal at the men’s world hockey championship after a 4-2 semifinal loss to Finland on Saturday.

The Finns advanced to Sunday’s final to face host Switzerland, which reached the championship game a third straight year yet seeks its first men’s world title.

Canada will play Norway for bronze Sunday.

The Canadians led 2-1 after the first period on goals by Robert Thomas and Dylan Holloway. The Finns countered with three unanswered goals in the second to take a lead they never surrendered.

“They play a good team game, and with the lead, they’re really good,” said Canadian forward Sidney Crosby. “I thought when it was 2-1, we had a lot of control of the game. And then once we lost the lead in the second, they got pretty comfortable, and they defend really hard.

“So it’s just not the way you want to draw it up if you’re trying to beat them.”

Finland last won a world title in 2022 with a 4-3 overtime win over Canada.

Aleksander Barkov and Konsta Helenius led the Finns on Saturday with a goal and an assist apiece. Patrick Puistola and Aatu Raty also scored.

Justus Annunen stopped 27 of 29 shots for Finland, while Canadian counterpart Jet Greaves made 17 saves.

Barkov drew Finland even just 49 seconds into the second period.

“We played well in the first and the third,” said Canadian captain Macklin Celebrini. “There were a couple of mental absences and mistakes in the second that cost us. They stuck to their structure. They did the same thing throughout the game. We knew they’d trap up the middle, and that’s where you can’t turn pucks over. They defended really hard.”

Canada outshot Finland 14-2 in the third period, but Annunen was stout in denying Fraser Minten and John Tavares on scoring chances.

“It wasn’t the result we wanted,” Canadian forward Mark Scheifele said. “They played a good game. Finland played us hard. It sucks. We came here to win the gold medal, and to not get a chance at that is a brutal feeling.”

Switzerland blanked Norway 6-0 in an earlier semifinal.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 30, 2026.

The Canadian Press