A team who left players like Tyler Johnson, Phil Kessel, and Justin Faulk off the roster.
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Team USA was built to beat Canada. With a roster built more on grit than skill, the US couldn’t muster enough offense to advance in a group that seemingly was constructed to ensure that would happen.
The flurry, started by Matt Duchene and followed up by Corey Perry, sapped the life out of Team USA – which has also fallen to Canada in the previous two Olympics.
The hosts produced a blend of skill, speed and depth that was ultimately too hard for the Americans to handle.
USA management doubled down on the sandpaper style that nearly resulted in a gold medal at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics but hasn’t worked since.
US management went with a sandpaper style of play that nearly resulted in a silver medal at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics but hasn’t worked since.
Tortorella’s team selection had been questioned before the tournament even started, with prolific National Hockey League scorer Phil Kessel one of a few notable exceptions left off the roster. Kessel, who won a Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguinsin June, took to Twitter following Team USA’s 4-2 loss to Team Canada on Tuesday night.
Kessel’s tweet said: “Just sitting around the house tonight w my dog. Felt like I should be doing something important, but couldn’t put my finger on it”, Kessel tweed from his [at sign] PKessel81 account.
The American players collectively went out Tuesday night “for a few beverages”, according to forward David Backes, to discuss their team and performance.
Backes made it clear that Kessel’s tweet will be remembered.
“The management team did their research and had tough decisions”, Backes said.
And the players of course refused to second-guess the roster-selection process that has been picked apart for months, deferring to the higher powers who did not deign to speak for themselves.
Good teams don’t make excuses they go out and make it right, they go out and fight. “I’ll never say a bad thing about him”. Speed has been king at this global tournament, but Backes noted that the Americans “weren’t going to out-skill Canada”.
Considering Kessel’s 273 goals give him the 25th-most of all time among American-born players, and considering he’s third among active Americans in the National Hockey League, one would assume he would’ve been a lock for the team.
How good would talents such as Auston Matthews, Jack Eichel, Johnny Gaudreau, Brandon Saad and Shayne Gostisbehere teamed with U.S. stalwarts Patrick Kane, Joe Pavelski, T.J.
Matt Duchene thrilled the home fans when he cancelled out Ryan McDonagh’s opener.
“Tortorella is just one of the most passionate guys I’ve ever seen about hockey”, Kane said.
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Team North America will be eliminated from semifinal contention if it loses to Team Sweden by five or more goals. Tortorella stubbornly insisted on starting Jonathan Quick in goal when the alternatives – Ben Bishop and Cory Schneider – were better options and the coach conjured up line combinations that produced more head-scratching than goals.
