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Sidney Crosby Leads Canada's Dismantling Of Czech Republic |
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Things couldn't have gone any better for Canada against the Czech Republic in their opening game of the tournament. Canada was firing on all cylinders and there wasn't really anything the Czechs could do to stop it. By the end of the game the Canadians had outshot their opponent 50-27.
Here's how each player fared in the shot attempt department while they were on the ice
To appreciate the dominance pay close attention to the x axis. Outside of Shea Weber and Marc-Edouard Vlasic all the other players were dominant. Burns and Pietrangelo were unreal.
Sidney Crosby had a game that was fitting for the best player in the world. He was unrelenting with his puck pursuit all night and made the most of his limited ice time.
I asked the question yesterday about how Babcock would hand out his ice time and if he would give a line (or player) more if they were playing great. He spread the wealth around, but that probably had a lot to do with the score.
Crosby made the most of his 13 minutes of ice time though. He finished the evening with one goal and two assists while being the direct reason Canada's third goal happened. He only played 10:27 at even-strength but led all forwards with 22 shot attempts for when on the ice.
For his goal he reached into Mario Lemieux's bag of tricks and called a bank shot from below the goal line.
Here is a good look at the angle he had.
Sidney Crosby and Joe Thornton hooking up on a passing play like this is hockey bliss.
Sidney Crosby has taken criticism for his play on the national team in the past. That criticism has always centered around his "lack of production". I thought Mike Babcock said it best after the game last night
He's right. Crosby has always played great for Canada. The problem with short tournaments is that you can play well and not be tangibly rewarded for doing so. Over larger sample sizes production evens out, but that luxury is not available in an Olympics setting. He's not hard to play with. He's one of the easiest players to play with. That is why everybody who plays with him sees both an offensive production bump as well as a possession bump. Then there is the fact that since being promoted to the men's national team he now has 18 goals and 40 points in 32 career games (including last night). The game against the Czech Republic was one of his better performances, but he's been doing great things for a while for Canada just as the coach said.
Carey Price looked the part as Canada's number one goalie. Canadians and Canadiens can both feel some relief after not knowing how Price would bounce back after his incredibly long layoff. This seems like it is good
Carey Price currently has a shutout streak for Team Canada of 224 minutes. That is almost the duration of four full regulation games.
It's crazy but a guy like John Tavares is almost forgotten about on a team like this. He's quietly been going about his business. He had three points the three exhibition games and added another two against the Czech Republic last night.
I mentioned how Michal Neuvirth was going to have to go into God Mode yesterday. That didn't happen. It was never a fair ask of the guy. Neuvirth made some really fantastic saves which included a Sidney Crosby breakaway 50 seconds into the game, a sliding blocker save to rob Stamkos on the back door, and a old school double pad stack late in the game. The shot volume was just too much to keep his team in it. Neuvirth played well and that should bode well for their potential matchup against the Americans and Europeans.
Canada's opponent on Tuesday will be the United States. How are they doing?
It is now nine periods. They are a mess.
Thanks for reading!
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