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A team built to beat Team Canada, Team USA did just that in their first game of the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, a 4-2 win over their rival to the north, at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio on Friday.
In what felt like more of a feeling out process of a first period for each side, though the physicality increased with each shift, the Americans struck first with two goals in 1:05, and took a 2-0 lead into the first period. The first goal came on a tip from Minnesota’s Zach Parise (with assists from teammate Ryan Suter and New York Rangers center Derek Stepan) at 16:56 of the period, while Patrick Kane connected on a second-chance look against Canada netminder Carey Price.
As the ice shifted Canada’s way from the puck-drop of the middle frame, Team USA came through with a monumental stop five minutes into the second period with Ryan Kesler’s save on John Tavares, but Canada finally responded in the form of a tangible result off the stick of Patrice Bergeron, scored on Milford, Conn. native Quick 13:24 into the second period.
It was a goal that showed off a lot of what makes this line so dangerous for Canada. Marchand wins a battle at the blue line to keep the play alive, dishes it to a net-front Crosby, who might be one of the league’s better net-front presences, and then Crosby dishes it to an open Bergeron for an easy tally.
But Pavelski and Team USA responded just two and a half minutes later, beating Price for their third goal of the night, with assists from Jack Johnson and Kane, at the 15:54 mark of the period.
Canadian defenseman Drew Doughty responded with an absolute bomb of a goal 5:21 into the third period, and while they cut the USA lead back down to one, they could not find the equalizer as USA went into a defensive shell before Stepan scored an empty-netter with 1:21 left in the game.
Team USA finished the game with 23 blocked shots, including three from Brandon Dubinsky, Johnson, and Ryan McDonagh, three players more than familiar with head coach John Tortorella’s demands.
Random thoughts and notes
- This game was heated. And it’s just what everybody, including Team USA general manager Dean Lombardi, had in mind when they assembled this group. You could make the case that Team USA got what they expected in that regard, especially from guys like Justin Abdelkader, who was an absolute madman throughout the night, and even players like captain Joe Pavelski (who forced Claude Giroux to the locker room with a hard check) and TJ Oshie (who actually forced Logan Couture out of the game) got in on the extracurriculars.
It’s the exact tone that head coach Tortorella undoubtedly wanted to set against a superiorly skilled Canada club. But it didn’t come without some line-stepping from the Americans.
The aforementioned Oshie hit on Couture looked straight-up vicious. Couture had already gotten rid of the puck, and Oshie came in with speed, and while he didn’t overextend the arm or elbow, it’s clear Couture’s head rocks against the boards. It was a borderline hit, but par for the course in what was crash-and-bang night from Oshie, who finished the night with three hits in 13:42 of time on ice. But was it dirty? Honestly, it's really tough to say because of Couture's positioning. The hit itself is a tad late, but Couture is really in an awkward position. But Oshie didn't necessarily come in with a charge or target Couture's head directly, which makes me think this was more bad luck (or physics) than malicious.
And it was Ryan Kesler that took a major boarding call against Canada defenseman Shea Weber.
You have to wonder if there’s an ill carryover into tonight’s tilt in Canada. (Of course there will be.)
- It undoubtedly felt like the Americans really were in a survival mode all game long. Heavily outshot throughout the night, and especially in a final 40 minutes that favored Canada in shots on goal by a 27-to-7 mark, Team USA had to rely on their netminders in a big way. Los Angeles Kings netminder Jonathan Quick was up to task with a strong 32-of-33 night, while Tampa Bay’s Ben Bishop stopped 9-of-10 in his 20-minute relief appearance (which was the plan entering the game).
Now, while Team USA can rely on their goaltenders throughout this tournament -- you could make the case that they have the best overall goaltender depth in the tournament -- this can’t be the norm if the club is going to find success. As already noted, the Americans opted for nastiness over skill, but they’ll need to get more from the few high-end skill guys on the roster if they’re going to make some noise in this tournament. With just 22 shots on the night, just 10 of which coming from their winger group (Kane had three), the USA will need to find ways to generate stronger chances from the wing.
- On the Canadian side, this Canada first line (do you even want to number them?) of Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, and Sidney Crosby is going to be an absolute nightmare of a matchup for the Americans and everybody else in the tournament for that matter. Bergeron and Crosby are both players that make everybody else around them that much better, and Marchand is a sneakily underrated presence around the net and along the walls and corners. You saw their chemistry in spurts last night, and it really seemed as if Canada’s best scoring chances from that trio.
What makes these guys -- all three of them for that matter -- so dangerous is their ability to draw defenders towards them away from the slot area (knowing they can shoot from anywhere with precision) and then just as quickly dish it back to the middle for an open forward. They had some success with the strategy, too, so it’s going to be a must-have for a USA centerman or defenseman to cover that area before they even see it develop. This line is just too smart and too calculated.
Up next
The USA and Canada will get back at it tonight, this time in Canada’s yard, for a 7 p.m. tilt at the Canadian Tire Center, home of the Ottawa Senators. This will be the second of Team USA’s three-game pre-tournament exhibition start to the tournament, and last ‘friendly’ with Canada.
Ty Anderson has been covering the National Hockey League for HockeyBuzz.com since 2010, has been a member of the Pro Hockey Writers Association's Boston Chapter since 2013, and can also be read in the New England Hockey Journal magazine. Contact him on Twitter or send him an email at Ty.AndersonHB[at]gmail.com.