Finnish NN: Goaltending Clinic

Tampa Bay Lightning sixth round selection in 2004 Karri Ramo has turned heads this season in the SM-Liiga. The Pelicans goaltender was impenetrable against Jokerit, stopping 58 shots in a 4-3 victory over league powerhouse Jokerit – it was the lowly Pelicans' first win 36 games. Ramo has a solid .911 save percentage so far.

Jokerit's journeyman 30-year old goaltender Tim Thomas is feeling right at home in Finland. The shutout against TPS turkey (1-0 Jokerit victory) was his 10th of the season, surpassing the old league record of nine, previously held by the duo of Jussi Markkanen and Tom Draper. Along with Tomas Vokoun, Mika Noronen and Dwayne Roloson, Thomas has been among the league's netminding cream of the crop.

Nashville scouts have to be happy with the play of Teemu Lassila. The TPS Turku goaltender was on the losing side when Thomas set the shutout record but played with excellent poise. One of Lassila's finest performances of the season was a 35-save performance in TPS' 2-1 victory over another Predator Tomas Vokoun and HIFK Helsinki.

AROUND THE LEAGUE

Don't look now but Patrick Stefan may have finally found his zone. The best skater in the Finnish league in the past few weeks has been the Ilves Tampere center. Fuelling the team's top line with Hannes Hyvonen and Steve Kariya, Stefan has taken a great charge for the puck and has thrived on the bigger ice surface. In the meantime, Ilves have become an established playoff contender.

Jokerit duo of Valtteri Filppula and Brian Campbell had a dominant week. Campbell notched five goals in three games, while Filppula netted a goal and five assists, four of which came from Campbell's markers.

Campbell has been electrifying all season with 21 points in 27 games, ahead of such rearguards as Nashville's power play specialist Marek Zidlicky.

Filppula is nearing the top-25 goal scorers' list with 25 points in 38 games.

Another locked out player enjoying his stay overseas has been Assat Pori's Jason Williams. The team's top player, Williams has amassed 28 points in 26 games and has more than once been the hero in shoot outs.

BREAKING THE ICE

Blackhawks' draftee Marko Anttila notched his first SM-Liiga goal on a rebound effort against JYP. The Ilves Tampere forward has split his season between SM-Liiga and the junior league. The goal was his only point in 15 professional games this season.

Fresh off a promising World Junior showing, Teemu Laakso collected his first SM-Liiga point. Laakso has so far played in six games for HIFK Helsinki, though in a very limited defensive role.

ON THE FARM

The Finnish Junior leagues are restarting after a two week holiday break. After playing to rave reviews for the Finnish U17 team and in the U18 league, Jokerit's mammoth netminder Niko Hovinen (a name to know for the 2006 draft) made his first start in the Junior league, stopping 32 of 34 shots in a win over KalPa.

Karpat Jrs' forward Juha Aaltonen, left off the Finnish WJC team, was a man on a mission in his first two game after the break. Aaltonen scored three goals and added three assists in Karpat's 4-3 and 3-2 overtime victories, perhaps justifying some of the outcry over the decision to leave him off the World Junior roster. He is deserving of making the much awaited jump to the upper tier.