The battle between the United States and Canada went according to plan if you are on the United States side. They got incredible goaltending from Jonathan Quick, they had players blocking a few sure fire goals, and lastly they focused on being abrasive to play against. All the things the United States needed to go right in this game did. It resulted in a 4-2 win over Canada. Unfortunately for the United States the game doesn’t count and the likelihood of that repeating itself isn’t high based on the process of this game.
I think Canada played a solid game and if they were to repeat the things they did last night it would yield better tangible results.
As you can see outside of the final push the USA made in period one this was pretty much Canada controlling the flow. During 5v5 action Canada out attempted the United States 72-38. In fact the Canadians only allowed one shot on goal in the third period (the empty net goal).
If raw shot attempt data isn’t your thing here are some micro-stats that were tracked for the game which dealt with controlled entries/exits
Again, Canada was the better team.
Here are some other thoughts on the Canadian side of things
The Marchand-Crosby-Bergeron line is disgustingly good. The skill sets of this line blend seamlessly with one another and they are only going to get better as things go on. They were dominant. It resulted in an aesthetically pleasing goal
Here is some more evidence of the Crosby line getting it done
That is crazy good.
The other forward lines for Canada were really good too, but I thought the “top” line deserved some kudos for their potential moving forward.
Carey Price wasn’t very good. He hasn’t played in nine months, but goaltending was the difference in the game. Price’s save percentage was a below average .875 while Jonathan Quick withstood Canada’s onslaught and produced a sparkling .970 save percentage before yielding to Ben Bishop in the third period. Team USA needed every bit of that .970 save percentage. It probably isn’t realistic to expect something like that to continue. Especially against Canada and the above average shooters they have.
As the tournament wears on I think it would be wise for Canada to get Brent Burns more active. He is a dynamic presence on the back end and can help pour even more gasoline on the fire that is Canada’s offensive press. It was an exhibition game and the minutes were spread out evenly. When the games matter more Mike Babcock can afford to give players a little bit more (or less) ice. I would scale back Weber’s ice and allow Burns to play with his San Jose teammate.
As mentioned above the United States were abrasive. This was always going to be the case. However, the extent to where they take things is unnecessary and off-putting.
The Ryan Kesler hit on Shea Weber was dirty and has no place in an exhibition, a regular season game, or a postseason game. He saw numbers the entire time and still engaged.
A five minute major and ejection was the appropriate measure taken.
TJ Oshie also went high on Logan Couture
There will be no supplemental discipline for any events that transpired in the game last night.
This is Team USA’s identity. This is what they want to be. They want to try and hurt the opposition. It all stems from their archaic head coach.
The best way to sum up this version of Team USA is the fact that Patrick Kane has a leadership role. For many Americans (like myself) we find this team unlikable.
Everything went right for the Americans on Friday night and they are probably feeling good about themselves, but for them to stand a chance against Canada when it actually matters they will need all the bounces like that to happen again. The possession metrics and shooting/save percentage variance make it a less than probable destiny.
Canada looked the part of a favorite even if they didn’t win this specific game.
The teams will face off again against each other tonight in Ottawa. The game is at 7PM on ESPN3 and Sportsnet.
Look for players like Corey Perry, Braden Holtby, Corey Crawford, James van Reimsdyk, and Cory Schneider to see their first action of the tournament tonight.
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Myself and Cameron Walsh recorded a World Cup preview for our Hockey Hurts Podcast. You can find that
here or on iTunes.
Thanks for reading!
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