Finland's preparations for the 4 Nations Face-Off have been significantly hampered by injuries to key defensemen Jani Hakanpää and Miro Heiskanen. Both players are unable to participate in the tournament, leaving Finland with a limited pool of replacements.
Finland has been dealt a significant blow to its defense ahead of the 4 Nations Face-Off, ruling out Jani Hakanpää and Miro Heiskanen due to injuries. The Finnish Ice Hockey Federation confirmed on Saturday that Hakanpää, who has only played two games for Toronto this season due to a lower-body injury, will not participate in the NHL-run tournament later this month in Montreal and Boston.
Adding to Finland's woes, Heiskanen, who was expected to be their top defenseman, sustained a lower-body injury after being hit by Mark Stone during Dallas' game against Vegas on Tuesday night. The Stars have listed Heiskanen as week-to-week, and Finland has confirmed his absence from the 4 Nations. Captain Aleksander Barkov expressed his disappointment over Heiskanen's injury, stating that the defenseman is a crucial asset to Team Finland's success. General Manager Jere Lehtinen acknowledged the difficulty of replacing two key players and announced that replacements for Heiskanen and Hakanpää would be named next week. With only four eligible candidates - Henri Jokiharju, Nikolas Matinpalo, Ville Heinola, and Urho Vaakanainen - Lehtinen faces a challenging task in selecting the best fit for the team. Finland's first game in the tournament is against the United States on February 13th, followed by a matchup against Sweden on February 15th and Canada on February 17th
FINLAND HOCKEY INJURIES 4 NATIONS FACE-OFF DEFENSE
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