USA Hockey at its highest level reached one of its lowest moments in a many a year Saturday with its 3-0 loss to Team Europe in his opener in Air Canada Centre. Quick would shutout Team Europe for the remainder of the game. How much pressure do the Americans face ahead of their game against Canada?
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Well, here we are.
At 14:10 of the second period in the Team USA/Team Europe game, video review determined that James van Riemsdyk deliberately directed the puck into the Team Europe net with his body.
“We have been cast as an underdog, but in the room, I think we know what we’re capable of”, Europe forward Leon Draisaitl said after Saturday’s win, the Edmonton Oiler scoring the second goal.
Didn’t Team USA listen to a word that came out of head coach John Tortorella’s mouth in the past two weeks? Dustin Byfuglien, the leading American-born scorer among National Hockey League defenceman last season, was a healthy scratch. And they got one.
But for now, they are in trouble. Team Europe played strong, their defense was competent and alert in their own end, and when they got opportunities they made sure to make them count.
Europe coach Ralph Krueger knew his team had to play “a ideal game” to beat the U.S. Captain Anze Kopitar called this a boring game, but it got the job done as Europe made good on Krueger’s pledge that the team was “ready to look America in the eyes”. “If you’re a loser, you don’t have character, you collapse, and if you’re loaded with character like we are, you come together”. I thank the kids for spanking us so hard early (in the exhibitions). It clarified what we needed to do.. Roster construction, coaching decisions and everything get called into question and the U.S.is going to be looking for answers.
The Americans, meanwhile, have swiftly reached their Rubicon.
If concluding as a resounding win, the first few minutes of Saturday’s game were a little messy.
To be fair to the Americans, they did have one puck go into the net.
When the World Cup of Hockey was announced in January of 2015, the teams were pretty standard. They might not have enough time to find the answers, though.
“If you go back nine (international) periods where you don’t get anything, it’s frustrating but we’ve had some looks along the way”, captain Joe Pavelski said. “We’ve been there and we’ve had our chances and it’s time to break through”. I don’t know if I can say the same thing about Finland vs Team North America.
“We really haven’t broke through”.
Perhaps the most intriguing team of all though.is the North American young stars team.comprised of players under the age of 23.and led by the “next one”.Connor McDavid.
As part of the celebration these countries have given to the sport, we chose to see who were the greatest of the great from each of the six nations.
“(Canadians) have a target on their backs. “We turned the puck over, got caught pinching and we got caught”. They really, really struggled in their last two games of the 2014 Olympics in much the same manner.
Czech winger Ondrej Palat came up with a quality chance just 41 seconds into the game and after Crosby was denied on a breakaway Canada took a pair of minor penalties.
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“He was just really sharp and like you’ve seen so many times before, he makes those timely saves”, Crosby said of the 2015 Vezina Trophy victor.
