MILAN, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Arch rivals Sweden brought out the best in Finland on Friday, as the defending Olympic champions harnessed decades of contentious history into a group-stage win they dearly needed to get their men's ice hockey campaign back on track.
Finland entered the second of their three preliminary stage games on the back foot, after a stunning 4-1 defeat to Slovakia in their Milan opener that put them at a disadvantage in the Group B standings.
But they rebounded and rose to the occasion in a physical meeting with Sweden, winning 4-1, a convincing testament to the resilience of the 2022 gold medallists.
"We all knew we needed some points out of the game, and we brought a good level," said defenceman Rasmus Ristolainen.
The Nordic foes provided one of the Games' most memorable finals 20 years ago, when Sweden overtook Finland in the third period to seize the gold in Turin.
It appeared as though Sweden would have the upper hand again in Milan, having won four of their last six meetings in major competition heading into the Games.
Finland's confidence-rattling defeat to Slovakia only seemed to deepen their fans' concerns at Santagiulia Arena.
They flipped that narrative entirely, however, out-muscling the Swedes in front of a sea of yellow-clad Swedish fans in what many saw as a must-win affair in the Milan group stage.
"We played with desperation, like it was a game seven (of an NHL playoff series)," said forward Mikko Rantanen, who plays for the National Hockey League's Dallas Stars.
"It's a big rivalry. They have a great team, a lot of good players all around. We knew it wasn't going to be easy, and we needed to be on our best and we were right there," he added.
Up 2-1 in the second period with Sweden on the power play, Finland extinguished any hope their opponents had with a short-handed goal, and Rantanen underlined the win with an empty netter in the third.
"We enjoy playoff-style hockey," said Rantanen. "That's what it was."
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in Milan; Editing by Bill Berkrot)
