The Finns erupted for four goals in the third period breaking open a game that was only 1-0 after two periods. That included a checking to the head penalty from 2012 first round pick Stefan Matteau of the Devils. Finland scored three of their four on the power play in the third to pull away for a four-goal victory.

The Americans were already behind by three thanks to two goals from Suomi in a 71 second span. Blake Pietila got Team USA on the board by steering home a Jacob Trouba rebound to cut the deficit to 3-1 less than a minute later. However, the feisty Matteau was called for an undisciplined penalty on the next shift, killing any momentum. He also was assessed a 10-minute misconduct.

For a second straight game, Team USA got into penalty trouble. The only difference is this time, they paid dearly with Finland converting three of eight power plays. Three of their five tallies were PPG’s. A fact that wasn’t lost on coach Phil Housley.

“Finland took the lead in the first period and I thought we disrupted the flow of our play by taking penalties,” the former NHL All-Star defenseman said. “We cannot afford to take as many penalties as we did and expect to win. We will focus on becoming more disciplined before the tournament begins.”

Meanwhile, USA didn’t cash in on their opportunities finishing the day 0-for-6. Special teams are always a key department for having any success. They’ll have to clean it up once the preliminary round begins after Christmas. They don’t play until Dec.27 against Germany with a pivotal match versus Russia the following day.

Seth Jones was named Player Of The Game for Team USA. The draft eligible defenseman is battling Canadian rivals Nathan MacKinnon and Jonathan Drouin for the top spot in pre-draft rankings amongst North American skaters. While that’s a great subplot to the big tournament, you can never discount a well schooled team like Finland, who plays a frustrating style that can wear on opponents. Their game is well suited for the NHL. If only it existed.

Late tonight, the final cuts will be made to get down to 23. It’s expected that Ranger number one pick Brady Skjei will not make it. He was a healthy scratch. The defenseman is in his freshman year at Minnesota. Through 15 games, he’s posted a goal and an assist with six penalty minutes. The lone tally came on the power play.

If Skjei doesn’t stay in Moscow, that’ll leave J.T. Miller as the only Ranger prospect on USA. He’s expected to be one of their top players following last year’s four points (2-2-4) in the 2012 WJC. In his first pro season with the Whale, the former ’11 first rounder has tallied five goals and nine assists. Considering that Chris Kreider is struggling in his first full professional year netting his fifth marker in a Whale win yesterday, it’s encouraging. Miller sure is getting a lot of experience which can only help his development.

With the time difference in Russia, every game is early. So, if you’re off from school or work, you might want to set your alarm clock. Luckily, the first two USA games don’t start till 9 on the East Coast. So, you can make breakfast and have coffee. A little bit tougher for our Pacific friends like Brian. As Hasan noted, you can catch every game on NHL Network with replays for those who aren’t around.

It’s sure to be a lot more fun for puckers than the coal we got from Scrooge.