Yep. About the best Team Canada can say about tonight is that they didn't lose a game.
To say Team Canada was lucky to win Game 1 is the truth. There is no question who the more talented team is. There is no doubt. And yet tonight Canada only looked more talented for maybe 20% of the time, which was enough to win, but wouldn’t have been if they were facing a more skilled opponent.
Team Europe created several odd man rushes but were unable to finish the two on ones with the same sort of ease Team Canada showed in their few opportunities. Time and time again Team Europe got a half decent cycle going and the forwards would throw the pucks back to the point where Team Europe’s defense was unable to make plays on the puck.
More than once you would see Hossa and Kopitar looking frustrated after they would work hard and get a loose puck only to see it turned back over.
Team Canada found a way to win and Team Europe had a golden opportunity slip away tonight. I expect Thursday will be a different game for sure. It has to be for both teams. I don’t know how much more Team Europe can give, but I wouldn’t count them out. Had Carey Price not been incredibly sharp tonight it could have been a disaster for Canada and this would be a very different story.
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— Michael Augello (@MikeInBuffalo) April 26, 2016