My first star for the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday was Jacob Markstrom, who was a late substitute for an ailing Henrik Lundqvist in Team Sweden's 2-1 win over Team Russia.
The game got a little hairy at the end, but Markstrom shut the door for the first 59 minutes and 27 seconds, including just over half a game of scoreless hockey before Gabriel Landeskog gave the Swedes a 1-0 lead on a power-play goal midway through the second period.
Henrik Sedin made a headsy play to keep the puck in the zone two minutes later, setting up what proved to be the game winner by Victor Hedman.
Alex Ovechkin got the Russians on the board with 33 seconds left in the third period, then got the puck past Markstrom again with 8.2 seconds to go. Thankfully for Markstrom, that goal was disallowed after it was ruled that it was gloved into the net.
"I was crossing my fingers and toes that it wouldn't count," Markstrom told Dave Stubbs of NHL.com after the game. "We got a little lucky there too, but I think we deserved it. Over 60 minutes we were the better team, and we had a great game-plan and every player executed."
Word today is that Lundqvist is at practice and feeling better so now it's up to Swedish coach Rikard Gronberg to decide if he'll go with his No. 1, who was less-than-great during the pre-tournament games, or stick with Markstrom's hot hand.
Either way, yesterday's game was a big win for the Canucks' presumed next No. 1 goaltender—a chance to shine in front of a lot of people who don't often see him play, and to gain confidence coming into his season in Vancouver, where I'm hoping he'll become the go-to goalie over Ryan Miller.
Jim Benning continues to confound me with his stubborn loyalty to Miller.
#Canucks Benning on 1040: 'Ryan Miller is our number one goalie. Let's make no mistake about that.'
I guess we're left to wait and see how it will all play out...
No points for Daniel Sedin or Loui Eriksson on Saturday, but the pair accounted for nine of Sweden's 29 shots on Sergei Bobrovsky.
Meanwhile, in Penticton, Troy Stecher continued to impress as the Canucks' Young Stars beat Winnipeg's prospects by a score of 3-2.
Here are the highlights:
After a walloping nine shots on goal in the tournament-opener against Edmonton, Stecher was held shotless on Sunday according to the official box score. But it sure looks to me like he gets the puck on the net here, as he earns his first assist of the tournament setting up Danny Moynihan for the first goal of the game.
Despite his small stature, Stecher is drawing heaps of praise for his high energy and his leadership as well as his playing style. I expect we'll see quite a bit more of him during the Canucks' main camp, as he pushes for an NHL job.
Meanwhile, we're waiting to see if Cole Cassels can get back to being the tenacious troublemaker that he was during the 2015 OHL playoffs. He took a step in the right direction on Sunday, scoring the Canucks' second goal, and seems to be getting back to his old self. I'll look for a better season for him in Utica this year as he gets his development back on track.
As for Olli Juolevi, he got undressed by the Jets' Michael Spacek while manning the point on the power play in the third period, leading to a shorthanded goal that got the Jets on the scoreboard. It happens to the best of 'em from time to time. Overall, I like what we've seen from Juolevi but I can't see any way he'll start the season anywhere other than back in London with the Knights.
Good game for goaltender Michael Garteig, who stopped 28 of 30 shots for the win in his first game back in Penticton since his time in the BCHL. Garteig looks to have plenty of potential and could prove to be an excellent addition to the Canucks' goaltending depth.
Vancouver finishes out the Young Stars tournament this afternoon against Calgary. Game time is 3 p.m. with the broadcast, once again, on YouTube, Canucks.com and the Canucks' Facebook page.
It looks like Juolevi and Stecher won't be suiting up today. Jordan Subban and Guillaume Brisebois are projected to be the top defensive pair. Thatcher Demko should draw back in as the starting goaltender.
Back in Toronto, Team Europe has just hit the ice for its second round robin game, against the Czech Republic. The Europeans are in a good position to lock down a chance to advance to the tournament semifinal if they beat the Czech Republic this afternoon after their 3-0 win over Team USA on Saturday.
The good news for Canucks fans in that game: Jannik Hansen had an assist on Pierre-Edouard Bellemare's second-period goal, which closed out the scoring. The bad news: Luca Sbisa was scratched from the lineup.
Team Europe did give up 35 shots to the Americans, so big credit for the win goes to goaltender Jaroslav Halak. Nevertheless, as you'd expect after a win, coach Ralph Krueger is leaving his lineup unchanged: Sbisa is scratched again.
Today's other World Cup game will have Russia taking on the precocious crew from Team North America at 5 p.m. PT.
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
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