BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) — Finland has won the gold medal at the hockey world championship by beating Canada 3-1 Sunday in the final.

Marko Anttila’s second goal of the game broke a 1-all tie early in the third period as the Finns defeated Canada for a second time at the tournament. Harri Pesonen added an insurance goal with five minutes to play.

Shea Theodore scored for Canada in the first period. </s> Finland came from behind to beat favourites Canada 3-1 and win the Ice Hockey World Championship in Slovakia.

Finland's Oliwer Kaski missed a penalty in Sunday's final before Canada, aiming for a 27th world title, went ahead through Shea Theodor.

Canada then hit the crossbar twice before Finland captain Marko Antilla struck in the second and third periods.

Harri Pesonen sealed victory to give the Finns their third world title - and their first since 2011.

Finland also beat Canada 3-1 in their opening group match and were the underdogs in all three knockout games, previously beating two-time defending champions Sweden and Russia.

Russia won the bronze medal with a penalty shootout win over the Czech Republic after the match finished 2-2 after regulation and overtime.

Earlier in the competition, Great Britain claimed a dramatic 4-3 overtime win against France to retain their top-flight status.
• Ice Hockey World Championship 2019: When two Big Bens struck for GB </s> BRATISLAVA: Finland pulled off a 3-1 upset of ice hockey giants Canada on Sunday (May 26) to claim gold for just the third time at the men's world championships in Slovakia.

Canada, who were bidding for a record-equalling 27th title to draw level with Russia, grabbed the lead in the final through Vegas Golden Knights defenceman Shea Theodore.

But Marko Anttila, who scored the winner in a 1-0 semi-final victory over favourites Russia, netted twice to put Finland ahead before Harri Pesonen sealed victory late in the third period.

Finland also won the competition the last time it was held in Slovakia, in 2011. They lifted their other title in 1995.

Russia took the consolation prize of bronze after beating the Czech Republic 3-2 following a shootout. </s> BRATISLAVA, Slovakia — Finland has won the gold medal at the hockey world championship by beating Canada 3-1 Sunday in the final.

Marko Anttila’s second goal of the game broke a 1-all tie early in the third period as the Finns defeated Canada for a second time at the tournament. Harri Pesonen added an insurance goal with five minutes to play.

Shea Theodore scored for Canada in the first period.

Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. </s> Canada and Finland will face off for the gold medal in the 2019 IIHF Hockey World Championship after scoring semifinal wins Saturday at Ondrej Nepela Arena in Bratislava, Slovakia.

Vegas Golden Knights winger Mark Stone continued to build a strong case for tournament MVP with a goal and an assist to pace the Canadians in a 5-1 victory over the Czech Republic. Darnell Nurse (Edmonton Oilers), Pierre-Luc Dubois (Columbus Blue Jackets), Kyle Turris (Nashville Predators) and Thomas Chabot (Ottawa Senators) also lit the lamp for the 26-time champions.

Meanwhile, Finland ended the title hopes of previously undefeated Russia with a dramatic 1-0 triumph. Captain Marko Anttila scored the game's only goal with just under 10 minutes left in regulation, while goalie Kevin Lankinen stonewalled the numerous Red Machine snipers to earn a 32-save shutout.

Bronze Medal: Russia vs. Czech Republic (9:45 a.m. ET)

Canada played the semifinal with the freedom of a team given a second lease on life, and it's easy to understand why.

Alain Vigneault's squad was less than a second from elimination in the quarterfinals before a Damon Severson (New Jersey Devils) slap shot beat Switzerland netminder Leonardo Genoni and trickled across the goal line with 0.4 seconds left in the third period to tie the game.

Stone scored in overtime to punch the Canadians' ticket to the semifinals, and now the they are one win away from their first world title since 2016. They failed to reach the final the last two years.

Finland, which last captured World Championship gold in 2011, poses a difficult final challenge for Canada, though. The Lions scored a 3-1 victory over the Canadians in the first game of pool play and put their defensive prowess on display once again Saturday to upset Russia.

The Finns also showcased their ability to win a high-scoring shootout in a 5-4 overtime triumph against rival and defending champion Sweden in the quarterfinals.

Kaapo Kakko could be the X-factor in the final.

The 18-year-old sensation is a candidate to become the first overall pick in the 2019 NHL draft on June 21, and he shined with six goals in Finland's first four games of the event.

He's failed to find the net in the team's last five contests, however, and figures to see a heavy dose of Canada's defensively strong second line—Anthony Cirelli (Tampa Bay Lightning), Sean Couturier (Philadelphia Flyers) and Sam Reinhart (Buffalo Sabres)—in the gold-medal game.

All told, it's hard to say whether Finland edging a Russian side that looked poised to win gold or Canada's destruction of the Czechs was the more impressive performance in the semis.

But now the stage is set for what should be a closely contested fight for the championship in Slovakia. </s> Finland capped a remarkable run through the 2019 IIHF Hockey World Championship knockout rounds with a 3-1 victory over Canada in Sunday's gold-medal game at Ondrej Nepela Arena in Bratislava, Slovakia.

Marko Anttila scored the game-winning goal early in the third period after the teams were deadlocked through 40 minutes.

As expected, it was a hard-fought game between two of international hockey's superpowers.

Canada's effort to capture another title was nearly derailed by Switzerland in the quarterfinals. A tying goal by New Jersey Devils defenseman Damon Severson with 0.4 seconds left in regulation kept its hope alive. The Canadians won that game in overtime before crushing the Czech Republic in the semifinals.

Vegas Golden Knights blueliner Shea Theodore opened the scoring in the final with a terrific effort to evade three Finnish defenders before wiring home a wrister midway through the first period.

Finland couldn't have faced a much tougher road to a championship. It defeated Nordic rival and two-time defending tournament champion Sweden in overtime during the quarterfinals and then edged previously undefeated Russia 1-0 in the semifinals before meeting Canada for the gold medal.

Anttila lit the lamp less than three minutes into the second period to level the score for the Finns.

The Finnish captain, who also tallied a goal in the quarters and the semis, found the net again 2:35 into the third period—the exact amount of time he scored into the second—to give Finland its first lead of the contest.

Harri Pesonen added an insurance marker with just over four minutes left to seal the win.

Goalie Kevin Lankinen made 43 saves to pick up the win for the Finns, who registered just 22 shots of their own.

Finland's tremendous journey through the knockout gauntlet lands the country its third world championship and first since 2011. Only the Swedes (three titles), Canadians (two) and Russians (two) had taken home the gold medals over the previous seven years. </s> BRATISLAVA, Slovakia — Canada had to settle for silver at the world hockey championship after a 3-1 loss to Finland in Sunday’s final.

Finnish Captain Marko Anttila’s second goal of the game broke a 1-1 tie early in the third period as the Finns defeated Canada for a second time at the tournament. Harri Pesonen added an insurance goal with four minutes to play and goaltender Kevin Lankinen made 42 saves.

Shea Theodore had Canada’s only goal and Matt Murray made 19 saves.

The gold is Finland’s first at the tournament since 2011. Canada’s silver pushes its medal tally to four in the last five years.

Theodore gave Canada a 1-0 lead with 9:58 left to play in the first. The 23-year-old defenceman from Langley, B.C., picked up a feed from forward Anthony Mantha near the Finnish blue line, then jetted down the slot before depositing the puck high over the glove of Kevin Lankinen. Canada outshot Finland 15-9 in the first period.

Anttila tied the game early in the second period on a power play. Theodore was called for tripping at the 2:15 mark and Anttila’s sharp shot got through Murray’s legs 20 seconds into the man advantage. It was Anttila’s second goal in as many days. He also scored in Finland’s 1-0 upset win over Russia in Saturday’s semifinal.

Anttila came through again with his second of the game 2:35 into the third, igniting the pro-Finland crowd in sold-out Ondrej Nepela Arena with a shot that beat Murray high. Harri Pesonen added an insurance goal with 4:06 left to play in the third.

Canada came from behind with late goals to win games against Slovakia and Switzerland earlier in the tournament, and kept the pressure on during the dying minutes. But Lankinen was there to stop them.

Finland iced an unheralded roster that featured only two players who spent any time in the NHL this season. Finland opened its tournament by handing the Canadians their only loss of the preliminary round and ultimately finished second in the Group A standings behind Canada.

The Finns then knocked off the two-time defending champions from Sweden in the quarterfinal before eliminating the undefeated, star-studded Russian team in the semis. Draft-eligible Kaapo Kakko led the scoring for Finland with six goals, while Lankinen came into Sunday’s game with a 6-1 record, .933 save percentage and 1.57 goals-against average.

Canada is the only team to have reached the semifinal at the world championship for the last five straight years. The Canadians won gold in 2015 and 2016 and silver in 2017 before finishing fourth in 2018.

Sunday’s final appearance marked an impressive return to the bench for Canada’s coach Alain Vigneault. The veteran NHL coach was dismissed by the New York Rangers at the end of the 2017-18 season. After a year away from the game, he’ll take over the coaching duties for the Philadelphia Flyers in 2019-20.

Earlier Sunday, Russia beat the Czech Republic 3-2 in a shootout for bronze. Russia was outshot 50-30 through 70 minutes of play, including 10 minutes of sudden-death 3-on-3 overtime, but outscored the Czech Republic 2-0 in the shootout on goals from Ilya Kovalchuk and Nikita Gusev. </s> (AP Photo/Petr David Josek). Russia's Nikita Kucherov, left, celebrates after scoring a goal with Russia's Artemi Panarin, right, during the Ice Hockey World Championships bronze medal match between Russia and Finland in the LANXESS arena in Cologne, G...

(AP Photo/Petr David Josek). Finland's Mikko Lehtonen celebrates after scoring his a goal during the Ice Hockey World Championships bronze medal match between Russia and Finland in the LANXESS arena in Cologne, Germany, Sunday, May 21, 2017.

(AP Photo/Petr David Josek). Russia's Nikita Kucherov, right, dives to score a goal past Finland's Harri Sateri, left, and Finland's Joonas Jarvinen, center, during the Ice Hockey World Championships bronze medal match between Russia and Finland in the...

(AP Photo/Petr David Josek). Finland's Topi Jaakola, right, challenges for the puck Russia's Sergei Plotnikov, left, during the Ice Hockey World Championships bronze medal match between Russia and Finland in the LANXESS arena in Cologne, Germany, Sunda...

COLOGNE, Germany (AP) - Telling himself to stay calm, Henrik Lundqvist stopped all three shots he faced in the shootout and Sweden dethroned two-time defending champion Canada to win the world hockey championship 2-1 on Sunday night.

Nicklas Backstrom and Oliver Ekman-Larsson scored shootout goals for the Swedes to win their first title since 2013 and prevent Canada from a three-peat.

"It was pretty nerve-racking in the end, but we pulled it off," said Lundqvist, the New York Rangers star who made 41 saves in regulation and overtime to get it to a shootout. "What a game. It was so exciting. It's been an amazing week.

Lundqvist and Canadian counterpart Calvin Pickard, who saved tournament MVP William Nylander's first shootout attempt for Sweden, were outstanding in a game in which the Canadians narrowly outshot their opponents 43-42.

"This is how close it should be when you get to the final game," Swedish coach Rikard Gronborg said. "It's a huge win for Swedish hockey."

The respect between the sides was evident from the off as defenses held firm in the opening two periods.

The breakthrough came against the odds, with Backstrom penalized for slashing, when Victor Hedman scored short-handed with 20.8 seconds left in the second period.

It was a strange goal from distance as the defenseman just lifted the puck and it somehow bounced in through Pickard's legs. The presence of Joel Lundqvist, Henrik's twin brother, may have distracted the Canadian goaltender.

"It was a fluke goal," Swedish forward Marcus Kruger said.

O'Reilly tied it in the third period on a rebound after an initial shot from Mitch Marner.

It was tense, and fans were left gasping as the action swung from end to end. Lundqvist said he hoped fans enjoyed now neither team sat back in the third period or overtime.

Nate MacKinnon missed a good chance to clinch the win for Canada on a power play before overtime, when both goaltenders maintained their exceptional form.

"I want to congratulate Sweden. They were an exceptional team, it was a lot of fun to play them," Canadian coach Jon Cooper said. "If we were going to lose to somebody, I'm glad those guys won."

Earlier, Nikita Kucherov sealed a 5-3 win for Russia in the bronze-medal game against Finland.

"It's not the medal we wanted," Russian coach Oleg Znarok said.

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. </s> Image: Lehtikuva / Jussi Nukari

Finland won the ice hockey world championship in Slovakia on Sunday evening, making it the third world title for the Lions (or Leijonat), following previous championship wins in 1995 and 2011.

Captain Marko Anttila, who scored the only goal of the team’s semi-final win over Russia, delivered once again with two goals. Harri Pesonen secured the conquest with a third goal late in the final period.

Strong start from Canada

Canada had a very strong start to the game and aimed a number of early attempts on Kevin Laskinen's goal. Finland looked to be in real danger of conceding the first goal when Anttila was sent to the sin bin for a heavy tackle.

Despite the numerical disadvantage, Finland defended resolutely and it was the Lions who created the game's first big goal-scoring opportunity. Jere Sallinen broke away on a counterattack but before he was able to get a shot away, he was tripped by a retreating Canadian defender and Finland were awarded a penalty shot. However, Oliwer Kaski's effort went wide of the Canadian goal.

Five minutes later, Canada punished Finland’s defence for their inattention as Shea Theodore cut through the back line and dispatched a rising shot past Lankinen to give Canada the lead. Finland were fortunate not to fall even further behind when Philipe Myers' shot came back off the post, and were just one goal down at the end of the first period.

Lions roar back

Finland began the second period much stronger, and were immediately rewarded. Anttila latched onto a pass from Sakari Manninen to drill a shot through the legs of Canadian goaltender Matt Murray and into the net. The Lions capitalised on the momentum and dominated the second period, peppering the Canadian goal with a total of 22 shots, but without adding a second goal. The game was finely balanced at 1-1 at the end of the second period.

Image: Markku Ulander / Lehtikuva

The third period began exactly as the second had, with an Anttila goal. The captain was once again in the right place at the right time, arriving to meet Veli-Matti Savinaien's pull back from behind the Canadian goal to give Finland the lead for the first time in the final.

Canada exerted huge pressure on the Finnish goal for the remainder of the third period, but were unable to find a way past the well-organised Finnish defence or the tenacious Lankinen.

With just four minutes left on the clock, Finland broke out of defence and Harri Pesonen secured the championship with a third definitive goal. As the buzzer sounded to end the game, the Finnish players swarmed goaltender Lankinen to celebrate their hard-won victory.
Finland defeats Canada to win gold medal at Ice Hockey World Championship in Slovakia.