What a year it’s been for Nikolas Matinpalo. It was December 29th of last season when he played his first game of the year for the Ottawa Senators, having spent the first couple of months in the AHL. From there, he worked his way into a regular role on the Senators bottom pair of defense. He was a late addition to Finland’s 4 Nation Team last February, and then played all six of the Senators playoff games in the spring. In the offseason he signed a two year extension with the Sens. Now, he has officially been named to Finland’s Olympic roster. Let’s dive into the details.
Nikolas Matinpalo by the Numbers
Here’s what Matinpalo has done statistically this season:
- 28 games, 0 goals, 4 points, 15:05 time on ice/game
Matinpalo plays a simple game, focusing on the defensive side of the ice first and foremost. He does not bring a lot in the way of offense and creativity. Over the course of his 73 career NHL games, he has scored just one goal and eight points. Matinpalo has been in a battle for ice-time on the right side of the Senators defense all season. Artem Zub plays on the top pairing, but behind him, Matinpalo, Jordan Spence and Nick Jensen have been in a fight for both more minutes and to stay in the lineup. .
Thoughts on Finland’s Roster
It wasn’t that long ago that Finland appeared to be jumping into the world of elite hockey countries. Looking at their Olympic roster, they seem to have fallen off. The injury to Sasha Barkov hurts them a lot. They’ve also had a few young players that didn’t turn out as they would’ve hoped, like Patrik Laine, Jesse Puljujarvi, Olli Juolevi, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, and Kaapo Kakko. They clearly have a less talented roster than Canada, USA, and Sweden, but the likes of Miro Heiskanen, Mikko Rantanen, and Juuse Saros, to go along with solid depth, make them a medal contender.
