LA Kings: Walker, Canada Edge Finland in OT, Win Gold at 2021 Worlds

Team Canada, with help from former and current LA Kings, forced overtime late before winning, defeating Finland to capture gold at the 2021 Worlds.

13 days ago, they were 0-3 and on the precipice of one of their briefest, most forgettable tournaments in recent memory. Since then, Team Canada turned on a switch and become almost unstoppable. Thanks to the addition of Andrew Mangiapane in addition to contributions from the LA Kings contingent — both past and present — Team Canada roared back, earning a spot in the gold-medal game before winning gold on Sunday, edging Finland 3-2 in overtime.

In what was a rematch of the 2019 World Championship Final, Canada avenged their loss to the Finns two years ago, tying the game twice, including late in the third, to force overtime and ultimately win in the extra frame to clinch the 2021 World Championship for Canada.

Former Kings netminder Darcy Kuemper was instrumental in Team Canada’s resurgence at this tournament and after allowing a goal early on Sunday, was sharp en route to the gold medal. He stopped 27 of 29 shots, preventing Finland from jumping ahead for good.

While Gabe Vilardi (one assist, -4 at Worlds) and Jaret Anderson-Dolan (two assists, -1 at Worlds) were held pointless in the championship game, the Kings contingent wasn’t all quiet on Sunday.

Defenseman Sean Walker (two assists at Worlds) had an assist and was a force defensively against Finland. Unfortunately, he drew a boarding penalty halfway through the third — a two-minute minor and a 10-minute misconduct — which may have cost Canada as they were down by a goal. The Canadians, however, were solid on the penalty kill and minutes later, captain Adam Henrique scored to tie for Canada.

In overtime, a 3-on-3 20-minute frame, both teams exchanged a fair amount of chances but in the end, it was a pair of Ottawa Senators who finished things off.

Breaking out on a 2-on-1 opportunity, Nick Paul passed to teammate Connor Brown who passed it right back to Paul who tapped it home to win the game and win the gold for Team Canada.

For Finland’s Kings’ contingent, Olli Maatta (two assists, +1 at Worlds) and Kim Nousiainen (one goal, one assist, +1 at Worlds) both had solid tournaments with the latter collecting an assist in Sunday’s gold-medal game. It wasn’t the way they wanted it to end, of course, but both players are rewarded with the silver medal for their efforts.

What is arguably the most impressive of Team Canada’s run in Latvia was the lack of experience as only four members of the team, including the aforementioned Adam Henrique, played in the World Championship before. Nevertheless, Canada, led by head coach Gerard Gallant, came back to win it all at the 2021 Worlds.

As for Gallant, you can be sure that plenty of NHL teams will be calling in an effort to make him their next coach.

The aforementioned Calgary Flames forward, Andrew Mangiapane, was named the tournament MVP, scoring 11 points (7+4=11) in seven games.

Overall, it was a fantastic tournament that was well represented by the LA Kings. Nine different members of the organization, including eight current Kings players, won medals at this tournament. They now head home to North America and begin preparation for the 2021-22 season.