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NBC Sports asked LA Kings goalie Jonathon Quick for his teak on what happened to the Americans.
“It shouldn’t be too hard,” Quick told NBC Sports. “We do that all year long. We’re professionals. We play back-to-backs all year long".
“There’s no reason we show up and not piss a drop.”
The Americans suffered a huge emotional let down after Quick held them in the quarterfinals game vs. Canada. Quick made 36 saves on 37 shots, however, his teammates couldn't generate more than 9 shots on Carey Price in the third period of the 1-0 loss to Jamie Benn and Canada. On Saturday, its as if Team USA stayed at the hotel.
Quick blamed himself and his teammates for the Sochi implosion.
“My job is to stop the puck, and I didn’t do that very well,” he said. “Team effort. We weren’t good"
Good on ya, Jonny.
Your boys didn't have your back in a bar fight.
There is blame to be thrown at USA head coach Dan Bylsma for not pulling Quick after 40 minutes in order to start a fire under his arses of his listless skaters. Believe you me, if Bylsma would have started the third period with Ryan Miller in the net, it would have grabbed the immediate attention of the lethargic American forwards and D. Quick allowed three consecutive PPGs in the third period to seal the coffin on USA's bronze medal hopes. That's on Bylsma for not providing a plan of correction while his team was trailing 2-0.
In Bylsma's defense, he did bench Dustin Brown in the third period. Naturally, Brown wasn't happy about it. Too bad, Dustin. Put up or shut up time is on the ice, between the whistles. Not in the fourth place team's losing locker room.
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Bylsma will not be second-guessing his decision to start Jon Quick vs. Finland after the kick in the stomach loss to Canada. At least that's what he said in his post game presser after losing the bronze medal.
Bylsma also said that he never considered pulling Quick and replacing him with Miller when it became abundantly clear that the Team USA forwards and D mailed in their performances in the bronze medal game.
Thanks, NHL.com
Zero props, Dan.
Hockey coaching 101 suggests that in an elimination game, you empty your bullpen and play for the win. If that means yanking your starting goalie in order to grab your team by the scruff and shake them awake, you do it. The team goals come before all else.
Bylsma opted to stay married to his failed plan. He and his team leave Sochi empty handed.
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St. Louis Blues captain David Backes stepped to the mic and admitted that his USA teammates should have played more with their hearts and less with their heads in the bronze medal game against Finland.
"We came to the tournament for gold, but we've got to get to grips with the reality that we had a chance for a bronze medal for our country and we should have laid it all on the line," said David Backes. "I'm not sure that's what happened."
Backes said that the USA squad was stymied by the Finns and their stack-em-up structure.
"They had a lot of guys back defending the blue line, and if we tried to make plays through that, there's a lot of odd-man rushes the other way, rather than getting down the wall and trying to play that NHL-style game right down their throats," said Backes. "That's what would have probably had a little bit better outcome if we'd upped our speed, made their defence go back, and tired them out by hitting them all the time."
Dan Bylsma didn't watch the Russia-Finland quarterfinals game? USA didn't scout the Finns at in this tourney?
Ignorance or arrogance?
Shoulda. Coulda. Woulda.
Source: IIHF
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Teemu Freakin Selanne. The 43 year old hockey wizard deserves all of the credit in the world for preparing the hearts and minds of his young Finnish squad for their bronze medal game against Team USA. Selanne has been brilliant in these games. Prior to Saturday's game, Selannae told CBCs Elliotte Friedman that he and his team are committed to winning the bronze medal as validation for their never-say-die philosophy and work ethic at the Sochi games.
Reading between the lines of Selanne's comments to the IIHF website after the preliminary round, the future hall of famer suggested that his role with the Anaheim Ducks has been
diminished in this his self-proclaimed final season in the NHL. The former 10th overall pick in the 1988 NHL Entry Draft said that he relishes the large world stage and the increased role that he has been given by Team Finland.
He didn't disappoint.
"We believed that we can win the bronze," said Selanne. "I'm so proud of my guys. We were talking before the game: 'Let's play for ourselves. We deserve a great ending.' And we got that. Nobody really believed in us, but we did."
The Finnish captain is also the oldest hockey medal winner ever, surpassing Igor Larionov’s record from Russia’s 2002 bronze medal win in Salt Lake City 2002. Larionov was 41 years and 83 days old.
Finland captured its second straight Olympic bronze medal and its sixth medal in the last eight Olympics dating back to 1988. The Finns have won all four Winter Games bronze games in which they’ve participated.
"It's amazing," said goalie Tuukka Rask. "Nobody ever picks us to win anything and somehow we always find our way to win a medal. It's great. It would be nicer to get something brighter too someday, but not every guy gets these medals, and we're really happy for this."
Selanne scored the first goal of the game for the Finns. Jusi Jokinen scored 11 seconds later. Selanne also scored the fourth goal on the power play. There were two other third period PPGs, as well.
Tuuka Rask played an inspired game as well making 27 saves.
Finland was by far the better, more inspired team.
Team USA lost its cool after Finland took a 2-0 lead by allowing the Finns 3 straight power play goals.
There were log stretches in this game that USA players looked like they didn't even want to be there playing for the bronze medal. some of the players acted as if it was gold or nothing at all
5-0 final.
In its first four games at the Sochi Olympics, USA scored 20 goals combined and made it look as if they would dance throygh to the gold medsl game. However, in the end, Team USA went 139 minutes without scoring a goal in the knockout round. That's 6+ periods without a goal.
Team Finand seemed to be grateful for the bronze while Team USA seem very disinterested in the process
More to come
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Dan Bylsma isn't changing his lineup for the bronze medal game, per USA Hockey.
Jon Quick will face Tuuka Rask.
Paul Martin, Derek Stepan, and Jimmy Howard will be the USA scratches.
Finland will be without the services of forward Juhamatti Aaltonen who scored a big goal in the knockout game win over the host Russians. Salkari Salminen will take Aaltonen's place in the Finland lineup.
The skilled and speed of the Americans will be challenged by the at-time stifling Finnish team-D. The Finns love to collapse five men below the hash marks and create a six goalie system. The Finns love to block shots and they relish the opportunity to play stick on puck D, especially in space. Team USA will have to be prepared to take pucks wide with their speed, then drop the shoulder for a hard net drive to the front of the net. Finland's D-zone structure is uncanny and it reminds me of an NFL offensive line. Rask's house will be well protected. Question is: will Team USA get as frustrated as the Russians did trying to get pucks into Finland's greasy areas?
Team USA is the home team , which means that Bylsma will have last line change. USA will wear its blue jerseys.
Team USA has played in one previous bronze-medal game in the Olympics, that in 1992 when it dropped a 6-1 decision to Czechosolvakia. Team USA is seeking its 12th medal all-time in the Olympic Winter Games.
Here's what you need to know about the Bronze Medal Game:
• QUICK IN GOAL -- Jonathan Quick will get the call in goal tonight for Team USA He is 3-1 in the Olympic tournament (.947, 1.47) and is coming off a 36-save performance in Team USA’s 1-0 loss to Canada in the semifinals.
• ALL-TIME VS. FINLAND -- Team USA is 7-3-2 against Finland all-time in Olympic competition, including a 6-1 victory in the most recent meeting between the teams in the semifinals of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.
• BACK-TO-BACK MEDALS -- With a win today vs. Finland, Team USA will have won back-to-back medals in the Olympic Winter Games for the first time since 1956 and 1960.
In addition, it would mean that Team USA has medaled in three of the last four Olympic Winter Games, its most successful period of time since back-to-back-to-back medals in 1952 (silver), 1956 (silver) and 1960 (gold).
• SHUTOUTS -- Team USA was blanked by Canada, marking the first time since 1976 that a U.S. men’s team was blanked in the Games.
• Other Stuff: JVR and Phil Kessel had their personal four-game Olympic point streaks snapped by Canada. Team USA needed a Mike Eruzione-style hero to step up and score in th ethird period of the 1-0 shutout to Canada. No hero ever emerged.
The U.S. and Finland will meet for the fourth straight Olympic Winter Games.
Team USA has won two of the last three match-ups.
The U.S. and Finland met in the bronze medal game of the 2013 IIHF Men’s World Championship on May 19, 2013, in Stockholm, Sweden.
Source: USA Hockey
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