Finland vs. South Korea Hockey Live-Stream Schedule, Odds
One of the most lopsided ice hockey games at the 2018 Winter Olympics should occur Tuesday morning at the Gangneung Hockey Center.
Finland takes on South Korea in one of four men's qualification playoff games, from which the winners advance to the quarterfinals.
Unfortunately for the host nation, its hockey team will meet its end against fifth-seeded Finland after failing to earn a point in three group-stage games.
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For Finland, Tuesday's game will serve as a final tune-up before a showdown with Canada in the quarterfinals and a potential rematch against Sweden in the semifinals.
Date: Tuesday, February 20
Time: 7:10 a.m. ET
Live Stream: NBCOlympics.com
Odds to win tournament, per OddsShark: Finland +800 (bet $100 to win $800), South Korea +25,000
Finland Expected to Dominate on Way to Quarterfinals
Finland should have the victory locked up by the end of the first period, if not sooner, if it plays to its potential.
The only question surrounding Tuesday's game is how much the Finns will win by in what is serving as a warm-up for the tests ahead in the elimination round.
Finland ended up one point short of the final automatic berth into the quarterfinals, which was handed out to Canada as the top second-placed team from pool play.
Ten goals in its first two games propelled Finland to a high seed in the elimination round regardless of what its result with Sweden was.
The Swedes got the best of their Scandinavian rival Sunday, but a rematch could be in the cards for both teams if Finland gets past Canada in the quarterfinals.
But before we get too far ahead of ourselves, Finland still has to show up and play 60 minutes versus a South Korean side that will be playing for pride.
The key for the Finns Tuesday is to get back to their goalscoring ways after netting a single tally in the defeat to Sweden.
Look for Eeli Tolvanen to once again be at the forefront of the Finnish attack; he's recorded three goals and three assists in Pyeongchang.
Sami Lepisto should receive plenty of opportunities to add to his two goals and two assists as well during a game in which a number of Finns could find the back of the net.
Not only does Tuesday serve as a bounce-back game for the Finns, but it should also provide a confidence boost for the players on the third and fourth lines, as they will create significantly more scoring chances than they would against any other opponent.
South Korea Playing for Pride
There's no pleasant way to describe South Korea's experience in men's ice hockey at this year's Games.
The host nation was the only team not to record a point in pool play, and it conceded a tournament-high 14 combined goals to the Czech Republic, Canada and Switzerland.
South Korea's lone goal of the competition came in the opening period of the 2-1 loss to the Czech Republic by way of Cho Min-ho.
The host nation's top objective for Tuesday is to break its eight-period goal drought. In addition to scoring, South Korea should try to match the Finns' shift-for-shift production for as long as it can.
Outside of those two tasks, South Korea will play for pride as a passionate fanbase cheers it on in what will be its final appearance at the Olympics.
While the home-ice advantage won't propel the South Koreans to victory, it should help them keep the game relatively close. The team will want to give the fans something to be proud about before the attention shifts to sports such as short-track speedskating, in which the country is more successful.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
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