His chip play up the boards on his first shift of the night led to a 2-on-1 that almost connected for the opening goal.
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In the World Cup of Hockey, the kids are all right. “I thought we were hesitant”.
And while Team USA’s goaltending trio of Jonathan Quick, Ben Bishop and the Devils’ Cory Schneider is one of the tournament’s strongest, Team North America is starting Matt Murray, who just backstopped the Penguins to the Stanley Cup. “Slow reading, slow reacting and slow to the scoreboard”.
“They really took it to us and showed their individual skill, but also as a team, they were extremely unsafe”, Rinne said.
There’s still plenty of time for Team North America to falter, given the inconsistencies of young talent. “I think that’s stating the obvious”, said coach Todd McLellan. “They’re a team that likes to turn the puck over and get going the other way”. “But in the end we didn’t get the win which is the most important thing”.
Russian Federation is up next Monday night after a 2-1 loss to Sweden earlier Sunday.
“Obviously, we knew we can’t lose the game”, captain Alex Ovechkin said.
North America doesn’t just belong in the elite tournament full of nearly 200 of the best players in the world; it might be one of the most skilled from top to bottom. “We weren’t skating. That was the result”. McDavid blamed himself and his teammates for failing to capitalize on an extended 5-on-3 power play.
Media reports said that Ekblad was suffering from a concussion and would miss the rest of the tournament but team general manager Peter Chiarelli denied it.
Down 4-3, North America had a 94-second two-man advantage with some 8 1/2 minutes remaining but failed to convert despite some good pressure.
“We’re here to play”, Gaudreau said. “(But) I think it’s a good sign for us that we were able to regroup and claw back into the game and have a chance at the end at least”, he added. North America’s defense had to fill several minutes with Aaron Ekblad out with an upper-body injury, replaced by Jacob Trouba. A bench minor for too many men on the ice did not help the North American cause late in the game.
“I think some hockey god got on our side, and we just got good luck”, said Kuznetsov, who made a “FIFA” inspired wing-flapping celebration after his goal.
“Unfortunately, when it goes into the record books, all 60 count”, McLellan said.
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The North Americans wrap up group play against Sweden on Wednesday while Russian Federation faces Finland on Thursday. Backup John Gibson only faced four shots and stopped them all.
