Yet Another Battle for Hockey Supremacy: Canada vs USA

Canada vs USA

Last year Canada beat the USA on New Year's Eve by a score of 3-2. This is a whole new tournament with whole new teams. Can Canada pull off another win? Who will prove victorious in the battle of McDavid and Eichel?

1st Period

It was clear Canada wanted to get into the Americans heads early on in the game. Forward Anthony Duclair was messing with the Americans right off the opening draw, annoying forward Tyler Motte at center ice. After the puck had dropped, American star Jack Eichel was granted a great scoring chance on a rebound, but it hit his own teammate Alex Tuch on the way to an open net. In the first five minutes, the game was very back and forth, with each squad getting their fair share of zone time. The shots were even, as well with both goalies making solid stops. Just prior to the 10 minute mark of the first, big hits were traded as Max Domi was rocked by former teammate Anthony Deangelo, and shortly after American forward Chase De Leo was hit hard by Jets prospect Josh Morrissey. After the hit he received, Domi was smiling on the bench and jawing at the USA bench. Both teams were getting many shots off, and by the time there was 8 minutes left in the period the shots were ten to ten. Surprisingly, the fourth line of Crouse, Ritchie and Gauthier were able to get a 4 on 2 rush and establish a good 30 to 40 seconds of offensive zone time in their shift. In the last five minutes of the first, Canada was buzzing and had several high quality chances to score but the bounces did not go their way, and USA goaltender Thatcher Demko held his ground. In the last minute,  Nick Ritchie crushed Dylan Larkin along the USA bench, and although I believe it was a clean hit, Ritchie was given a charging penalty. A bad call on the Canadians and the USA would head to the power play, and they will start the 2nd with a minute of power play time. There were plenty of shots this period, but no goals. Shots would finish 17-13 for the Canada.

2nd Period

Canada would go on to kill  the remaining 59 seconds of Nick Ritchie's first period penalty. On and odd man rush, Darnell Nurse was sprung on a breakaway but was denied by Thatcher Demko. Nurse has been jumping into and leading rushed all game, I'm very impressed with his skating and decision making on when to jump into the play.Seven minutes into the 2nd period Max Domi would score, off a nice pass in tight by Sam Reinhart.  The Nation rose to their feet and the Bell Centre went crazy.  When Domi went to the bench after his goal to get a well deserved props from his teammates, he did a pose  imitating Captain Morgan instead of the regular skate-by-and-bump. Canada would get their first power play of the game at the eleven minute mark, because Dylan Larkin delivered a stick to Robby Fabbri's face. It was more of a follow-through, rather than a high stick as Larkin was clearing the puck from his zone. On the power play, Demko would stand tall and fend off several Canadian chances. As the power play was dying down, Josh Morrissey would receive a pass from team mate Robby Fabbri, who drew the power play. Morrissey made no mistake at bombing the puck through Demko to put Canada up 2-0. Jets prospect Nic Petan would also get his tournament-leading sixth assist on Morrissey's goal. The shots in the period at the time of the goal were 12-3 for Canada. Canada received a penalty just a few minutes after their 2nd goal, when Duclair tripped up an American player. On the power play, the USA didn't make a mistake as Tampa Bay Lightning first round pick Anthony Deangelo would creep in and bury a deflection right to his stick. Sonny Milano and Jack Eichel would draw assists on Deangelo's  power play marker. As the final five minutes approached, McDavid laid a big hit on American forward John Hayden, and held him offside. A scrum ensued, but no penalties were handed out. Between whistles, Darnell Nurse approached Jack Eichel and grabbed him, after which he received multiple gloves in the face. Nurse would get the only penalty on the scrum. However, Canada would successfully kill the penalty. Less than a minute later bottom six USA forward Miles Wood took a weak penalty himself, getting called on a slash. Canada would keep possession until the period expired, giving them a full two-minute power play to begin the third period. This period was a high tempo, exciting period of World Junior Hockey we all know and love.

3rd Period

Power plays at the beginning of a period always look rusty, and this one was no exception. By no means was Canada's period-opening power play a bad power play, but it wasn't a superb as their previous ones. There just wasn't the same level of pressure on the Americans. Through the opening minutes of the third, neither team was able to sustain offensive pressure. Connor McDavid took a big rush up center ice, and chipped the puck between the American blue liners. It looked like he was going to split the defense and win the race for a short breakaway, but he was taken down instead with no call. After the no call on McDavid, Canada strapped the Americans in their own end, until the puck was played by a high stick. That whistle was the first of the period. The period was tweet-less for just over eight minutes, full of back and forth exciting hockey. Shortly after the first whistle of the period, the Americans mustered up a 4 on 1, caused by a pinch by Josh Morrissey. The only right handed defense man on Team Canada Madison Bowey took it upon himself to break up the American scoring chance, breaking up a pass on the odd man rush. Just after that, Connor McDavid blew past the Americans and chipped a shot high on Demko, who stopped it with his shoulder. Curtis Lazar, who crashed the net hard pushed the puck into the net to put Canada up 3-1. However, he made contact with the goalie and was deep in the blue paint, causing the play to be reviewed. After a long debate, the officials ruled it a good goal, restoring Canada's two goal lead. The next few minutes would be filled with back and forth hockey through the neutral zone, with no high quality scoring chances. McDavid blew by the USA defense and passed it across the crease, but Demko got a piece of it keeping USA in the game. Shortly after, Canada would turn over the puck and USA made no mistake, as Hudson Fasching held the puck long enough to freeze Canada's defense and pass it to Dylan Larkin, who tapped the puck into the back of the net making it a one goal game. With two minutes remaining. USA called its timeout and pulled their goalie with a face off in Canada's zone. After some frightening pressure in the Canadian zone, USA defense man Anthony Deangelo failed to hold the blue line. He beat Canadian Sam Reinhart to the puck, but gave it away to Reinhart to put in the empty net. Just when everyone thought the game was over, Dylan Larkin beat Eric Comrie with a perfect shot upstairs with 42 seconds left. With the nations heart racing, and another American empty net, Sam Reinhart gets his second point in the last minute of play, by getting control of the puck and banking it off the boards to a streaking Max Domi, who puts the game away for sure. Domi's empty net goal came with 5 seconds left, meaning Canada wins the game by a score of 5-3.


What a hockey game, this one definitely lived up to its expectations, and I'd even say it surpassed them.

Players who stood out:

Canada 

Darnell Nurse: Despite his large size, he proved hes a great skater and more than a shutdown defense man. Had some nice chances and was in the rush often and at the right times.
Max Domi: After he got hit hard, he was up and chirping at the USA bench with a smile on his face. Not to mention his electric offence he and his linemates Sam Reinhart and Anthony Duclair. Reinhart also played a very solid two-way game.

USA

Dylan Larkin: Dylan Larkin is USA's leading scorer, and he scored another two goals this game. His line was defensively reliable, and was very speedy. He and line mates Hudson Fasching and Chase De Leo played very well.

Hockey Powers Collide: Russia vs Sweden

Russia vs Sweden

This was the game of the group, the two teams that have been battling for first in the division. This game was going to be a great one, as Sweden and Russia both look to re-assert themselves as hockey powers.

In the first period, it was a little slow and not very chippy. About halfway through the first, Russia's captain Rushan Rafikov took a hooking penalty that he would regret in the near future. Vancouver's 5th round draft pick in 2014, Gustav Forsling, blasted a bomb past a screened Ilya Sorokin to put the Swedes up one in the first. That would be all the scoring in the first period, that was a fairly slow pace compared to other games that have been going on.

Less than a minute into the 2nd, Swedish defense man William Lagesson tapped Russian Vyacheslav Leshenko in the side and Leshenko went tumbling. Lagesson got a penalty for hooking, which would have sent Russia to the power play had Leshenko not gotten an embellishment call for diving after being softly tapped by Lagesson. Later in the period, however, Leshenko would redeem himself by tying the game on a backhand clean-up job in front of the net, after Linus Soderstrom made a point-blank stop on Russian defense man Ziat Paigin. Leshenko's goal would set the stage for a very exciting third period.

As if Leshenko didn't help the Russians enough by tying the game, just three minutes into the third he found himself with the puck on his backhand again, from a rebound shot created by Pavel Buchnevich which Leshenko made no mistakes on putting in the net.  But the Swedes did not take long to respond to the go-ahead-goal, as they put pressure on the Russians in their own end. On the ensuing power play, Gustav Forsling along with William Nylander and Adrian Kempe would form a triangle , with Forsling at the center of the blue line, and the forwards on the half wall. Nylander and Forsling played catch a few times, until Forsling blasted his 2nd of the night and the tying goal past Sorokin. This triangle would go to work, and generate multiple shots on a power play gained Sweden late in the third.

Less than a minute after the goal by Sweden, Russian Ivan Barbashev would get robbed by Soderstrom on a cross crease pass, followed by a whistle and a scrum. The play went under review, as the puck squeaked through Soderstrom and landed on the line, but it was ruled no goal. Two penalties were handed out after the scrum that followed the whistle. Then, with nine minutes left in the third, William Nylander made a rush through center ice, and into the slot of the Russian zone where he lost the puck. However, winger Oskar Lindblom picked up the loose puck and slid it across the crease to an open Axel Holmstrom, who buried the puck past Sorokin, putting the Swedes up 3-2! Moments later in the play, the Swedish bench started going ballistic. It took me(and the refs, apparently) a few moments to figure out what was wrong, when I noticed the Russians had six players on the ice. They were in the Swedish zone, cycling, and for about 20 seconds had six players on the ice. The refs caught on to Russia's shenanigans and rewarded the Swedes with a late power play. The triangle that was previously set up went to work again, which gave Forsling multiple chances at his third goal of the game but no dice. The Russians pulled their goalie, but were not successful in tying the game.

SWEDEN WINS 3-2.

Outstanding Players

As a Habs fan and writer, I don't like to admit it but William Nylander is the real deal. He was fast, he controlled the puck well, and made things look easy. Whenever he was on the ice he made crisp and creative passes and rushed the puck into the Russian zone many times, making it look like a cake walk. It seemed like when he was on the ice, his opponents were skating in sand. Hes a very smooth skater.

Another shifty forward that caught my eye was Russian Sergei Tolchinsky, who is Carolina Hurricanes property. He also had very creative zone entries and set up a lot of nice plays.


Czech Republic vs Denmark

This game ended 4-3 for the Czech Republic in overtime. Denmark collects another point in the tournament against the team it looks like they will be battling to get out of the relegation round with. David Pastrnak was woken up this game, earning three points along with the overtime winner. Oliver Bjorkstrand also got his second goal of the tournament.


USA vs Slovakia

This game was dominated by the USA, as shots were heavily in their favour. One USA forward who is really impressing me in this tournament is Dylan Larkin, who was drafted 15th overall by the Detroit Red Wings in this past year's draft. Larkin has been speedy, defensively sound and chipping in points more than anyone else on his team, including "phenom" Jack Eichel. Larkin has 5 points in 3 games now, as he got one goal and one assist against the Slovaks. The only issue for Larkin is that he is stuck behind great USA center depth, with Jack Eichel, Auston Matthews and J.T Compher competing with him for top 6 ice time. Larkin should have that time by the elimination rounds if USA goes with the hot hands.  USA wins this game by a score of 3-0.


CANADA vs Finland

This game was a must-win for Team Finland. Now they cannot get a top spot in the group after losing to Canada, meaning they will be playing one of Russia or Sweden in the quarter finals. The Canadians top line continued playing well, however this game was the game that Sam Reinhart woke up, scoring his first and second goals of the tournament. Anthony Duclair also scored to put Canada up 2 goals in the third. Lazar scored Canada's fourth goal to seal the game late in the third period. Canadiens prospect Artturi Lehkonen was the lone goal scorer for Finland, as one Habs prospect scores on another in Zach Fucale. The final score of this one was 4-1 for Canada.


Now the Canadians must turn their attention to the USA, who they will play at 3:30 EST on New year's eve for top spot in the division. Coach Benoit Groulx has confirmed Eric Comrie will start the game in net. It will be a fun one, ladies and gentlemen.

Canada vs Germany

Following Canada's 8-0 crushing of Team Slovakia, tonight Canada returned to the Bell Center in Montreal to take on the Germans.

Germany has a really weak team this year, especially with the absence of Leon Draisaitl. Edmonton would not loan Draisaitl to Germany, despite making him a healthy scratch and possibly loaning him back the WHL, if his rights were to be traded to the Kelowna Rockets. One player that Germany has that remains dangerous is Dominik Kahun, a forward who helped keep Germany in the World Juniors last year with 7 points in 7 games. However, I can see Germany being relegated this year as Denmark, Switzerland, and the Czech Republic all have much stronger teams in my opinion.

Canada started the game with the same line combinations they finished with against Slovakia. The only change in the lineup is that Jets prospect Eric Comrie will get his first start of the tournament.

Domi - Reinhart - Duclair
Ritchie - McDavid - Lazar
Paul - Petan - Fabbri
Crouse - Gauthier/Point - Virtanen

Nurse - Theodore
Morrissey - Bowey
Heatherington - Hicketts
Morin


1st Period

To start off, Connor McDavid gets his first of the tournament on a power play just three minutes into the game, and celebrated excitedly, pounding the glass and scaring Canadians fearing another hand injury. Nic Petan and and Josh Morrissey drew assists on McDavid's goal. The goal was scored scored by McDavid attempting a cross crease pass from beside the net, which was blocked. McDavid stayed with it and jammed in the loose puck past German net minder Kevin Reich.

After that, Canada took a penalty of its own sending Max Domi to the box. Upon the penalty expiring, Domi was sprung on a clean breakaway, but was stopped by Reich.  Canada took another penalty, less than 3 minutes after the Domi penalty. This time it is Nick Ritchie headed to the sin bin, for goalie interference. Canada had a goal waived off last night due to a goalie interference call. They may want to ease up in the blue paint to avoid penalties, as this call is clearly much easier to make in international play with stricter rules.

Canada's depth is striking the tournament again. On another Canadian power play, on a play similar to McDavid's first goal the pass was successful to line mate Curtis Lazar, who notched his first of the tournament. Nic Petan collected his 2nd assist of the game, and fifth point of the tournament on Lazar's goal. Following the goal, Jake Virtanen got a breakaway but missed. Lots of penalties in the first period, as Canada committed their 3rd foul of the night on a Joe Hicketts hold. They can't be taking these penalties, especially against a weak team. In the dying seconds, Canada looked as though they were about to score another greasy goal but German defense man Patrick Kurz saved the puck just as it was about to cross the goal line. The 1st period ends, two to nil Canada.


2nd Period 

Lazar missed a wide open net within the first two minutes,off a scramble in front of Kevin Reich. Lazar was also the player who last touched the Kurz goal line save late in the first period. The period started off slow, with Germany putting a bit more pressure on Canada but nothing to worry about. Canada ends up taking their 4th penalty of the game, sending the Germans to another powerplay. Nick Ritchie heads to the box again, for a careless interference penalty. It looked like Ritchie just hit Dominik Kahun for the sake of hitting him. Ritchie needs to be more disciplined if he plans on continuing his top 6 role next to Connor McDavid. However, Ritchie's strong net drive has its positives as well, as he IS on a line with Connor McDavid who is able to create chances, especially for people in the right position. Screens, tips, and greasy rebound goals are what Canada will need later on in the tournament.

Germany did a good job of not letting Canada play their game. I also didn't see the speed Canada used against Slovakia, which is probably a good reason the game is only 2-0 at this point. Canada needs to pick it up, and not take this game off. In the last five minutes, Canada takes their fifth penalty of the game. This time its seventh defense man Samuel Morin, a Flyers prospect who goes off for tripping. On the power play, German forward Mark Michaelis crept behind the Canadian defense corps for a breakaway, but was stopped on a five hole shot by Eric Comrie. Other than the breakaway, Canada's penalty kill looked good against a German team with few offensive threats. Near the end of the period, Germany got a bit over-aggressive, as Nico Sturm took a cross-checking penalty with two minutes remaining.  Sturm also received a 10 minute misconduct for the penalty. Canada's powerplay didn't look as good as it did in its first two attempts, as Canada couldn't connect on the triangle down low and started taking shots off of the wing which were unsuccessful. Canada will start the 3rd with just under 30 seconds of power play time. No goals for either side, and a lackluster period for Team Canada.


3rd Period

Canada's short power play would be killed by the Germans. Also, a new line emerged in the 3rd, a line of Connor McDavid, Robby Fabbri and Jake Virtanen. Perhaps Ritchie could be getting a smack in the wrist for the penalties. Or Canada is simply trying to shake things up to wake up the players. McDavid, Virtanen and Fabbri have all played well in the past 5 periods, so its worth a shot to combine 3 hot players. The only line that stayed the same in the 3rd period was the Duclair - Reinhart - Domi line, which has been together since pre-tournament. Later in the period, Ray Ferraro pointed out that Ritchie had indeed become the 13th forward.

Early in the 3rd, Canada and Germany played fairly even at 5 on 5, which is a positive for Germany in itself. At the 14th minute mark, Anthony Duclair took a hit from behind penalty, in which Ritchie serves the 2 minute penalty while Duclair was serving his 10 minute misconduct. Canada killed Duclair's penalty to make them a perfect 6/6 on the penalty kill.

9 minutes into the period, McDavid was sprung on a partial breakaway, but elected to pass to Robby Fabbri, who dropped behind the German defense instead of across the crease, which is where McDavid passed the puck. Moments later, McDavid set up Jake Virtainen who was robbed by Kevin Reich, who flashed the glove on the Vancouver draft pick. Max Domi scored on the faceoff following Reich's big glove save. Domi was set up by a backhand pass across the German crease by Buffalo first round pick Sam Reinhart.  A few minutes later, Nic Petan who was now on a line with Crouse and Lazar, went backhand in tight but hit the far post, which bounced right to Crouse who put the puck wide.

Canada got another chance on the power play with 5 minutes left in the 3rd. German Kai Wissman took a hooking penalty to send Canada to their 4th power play on the night. Canada would strike on this power play, giving them their third power play goal on the night. Nic Petan passed the puck to Madison Bowey, who buried the rubber past Reich's glove after pinching in from the blueline for his first World Junior goal. That is Nic Petan's 3rd assist and power play point of the night, as well as his team-leading sixth point. That would be just about it regarding scoring chances, as both teams awaited the end of the game.

CANADA WINS 4-0 OVER GERMANY


Final Thoughts

- Back to back shutouts to start the World Juniors for Canada, but they were against 2 weaker teams in Germany and Slovakia. Its still great that no fatal mistakes occured causing a goal, but we'll see how Canada's defense will react to tougher teams in Finland and USA.
- Obviously Petan's numbers are good, but he is playing great. Fast, shifty, and very creative.
- McDavid got player of the game for Canada, well deserved with one goal and two assists.
- Virtanen surprises me too, his play in the last 2 games has been good. Hes strong on the puck, fast along the boards, and hes been taking shooting, which some players find difficult to do.
- It will be interesting to see Canada's lines against Finland, will Groulx go back to the lines that started the game, or will he go with new-found chemistry? We'll have to see.




Notes from other games today:

Sweden vs Denmark

- Jacob De La Rose and William Nylander both got their 2nd goals of the tournament, while De La Rose also notched 2 assists
- I was expecting more out of Mikkel Aagaard, who led Team Denmark and the tournament in scoring last year in the lower divison. He didn't get any points today, and wasn't noticeable yesterday.


Finland vs Slovakia

- Great rebound game for Slovakia. If they came into this game down and deflated this game could've gotten ugly as well.
- Surprised to see the defending champs 0-2 so far in the tournament.
- Mikko Rantanen has Finland's only 2 goals of the tournament.
- Good to see Denis Godla rebound as well, making 37 saves and only letting in one goal. Godla was pulled after Canada's 5th goal last night.
-  Canadiens prospect Martin Reway set up 2 goals in this game, earning him 2 assists and his first points of the tournament.


Czech Republic vs Switzerland

- I would've predicted the Czech Republic winning this game, I thought they had a better team on paper with Jakub Vrana, Dominik Masin, David Pastrnak and Pavel Zacha.
- David Pastrnak got his first point of the tournament, a secondary assist on Lukas Klok's 1st period tally
- Kevin Fiala scored 2 goals, including an end to end rush that was topped off with a shot bar down
- Noah Rod, who got 3 penalties vs Canada in pre-tournament play, scored his first goal of the tournament



Oh yeah, and the NHL resumed play today. However, the Canadiens did not play.

Day 1 of the World Junior Hockey Championship

Today I took a trip to the ACC to catch the opening ceremony, and very first game of the 2015 World Juniors. I also got home in time to watch most of Sweden vs Czech Republic, and of course Canada stomping on Team Slovakia.

Denmark vs Russia

Wow. Lets just say I wasn't expecting Denmark, a team who is in this year's tournament due to Latvia's relegation to play this well against an experienced Russian team. To start off the game, both teams had a fairly even level of play. There were not very many high quality scoring chances until just after the 7 minute mark of the first period, where Denmark got their first power play of the game. They made short work of the power play, as Portland Winterhawk and Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Oliver Bjorkstrand ripped a slap shot glove side past a screened Ilya Sorokin. A few minutes later, another Denmark power play came on a careless interference penalty by defense man Rushan Rafikov(Yes, his name is Rushan. Yes, he is Russian.). It took a bit longer for Denmark to make use of the powerplay, but about half way through the penalty 2014 9th overall pick Nikolaj Ehlers blasted home another slap shot, putting the underdog Danes up 2-0.

The 2nd period was even, however both goalies holding their ground. Not many high quality scoring chances, but there were some decent chances on both sides. In the final 2 minutes of the second period, Denmark fell victim to flipping the puck over the glass, giving them a delay of game penalty. Former Sarnia Sting(and former Alex Galchenyuk teammate) Nikolai Goldobin banked a shot off the Denmark netminder Sorensen. Goldobin was drafted 27th overall in the 2014 Entry Draft by the San Jose Sharks. The period expired with a score of 2-1 for Denmark.

In the 3rd period, the inevitable happened. Russia picked up their game, and ended up tying up the score with a goal from Maxim Mamin, who deflected a shot off his skate into the net. In the dying minutes of the 3rd, Sorensen held his ground and had to make some difficult saves as Russia continued to press the Danes. This game headed to a five minute, 4 on 4 overtime.

In overtime, Mads Eller got a breakaway, all alone with Ilya Sorokin but was unsuccessful in shooting blocker side on the Russian goalie. In the final minute of the overtime, a Russian forward blasted by the Danish team, slid around the net and was about to tuck in an open wrap around, but the Danish goalie got a piece of it with an outstretched pad. After seeing a replay, it appeared the puck slipped off the young Russian's stick, and would've went right through the crease, had Sorensen not knocked the puck in himself. It was still good on Sorensen to get over and prevent any mishaps. Sorensen finished with 37 saves to keep Denmark alive. Overtime expired, and the game headed to a 3 round shootout.

1st shooter(DEN): Nikolaj Ehlers, miss on a shot.
1st shooter(RUS): Sergei Tolchinsky, GOAL on a quick 1-2 deke going blocker side
2nd shooter(DEN): Oliver Bjorkstrand, miss on a shot.
2nd shooter(RUS): Nikolai Goldobin, GOAL on a flurry of moves in tight, however he lost the puck which slid fivehole, ending the game and completing Russia's comeback.

FINAL SCORE: 3-2  Russia(SO)
Notable Players:

Nikolaj Ehlers: Wow, this kid has some hands. Every time he entered the zone, he was pulling the puck through his legs, through Russian legs, through teammates legs. He also drew a penalty, which led to his goal on the power play. He was chasing a puck which would've given Denmark an odd man rush, so Rushan Rafikov had to choice but to try and contain the young Dane. With his assets of speed and skill, he should be a dangerous NHLer in the future.

Oliver Bjorkstrand: Bjorkstrand is a goal scorer. He has a shot, wrister or clapper, that he can release hard, quick, and accurately. He took a lot of shots in the game(6), and ended up with one goal, one assist, and one cross bar from an almost impossible angle.

The Russian Team: The entire team seemed a bit sloppy. Perhaps they were the only team suffering from jetlag? Although the entire ACC almost was against them, cheering on the underdog Danes, I thought the Russians would be a lot more impressive with names like Ivan Barbashev and Pavel Buchnevich on the team. One forward that seemed like he had a smooth game and created chances was Vladislav Kamenev(2nd round in 2014, Nashville Predators). Obviously Nikolai Goldobin got things done in the numbers category as well.


 Sweden vs Czech Republic(Notes)

- Jakub Vrana, drafted 13th overall in 2014, put up 2 goals, which were Czech's only goals.
- William Nylander(Do I have to say who drafted him?) had a goal, and created some chances. Good game overall from what I saw.
- David Pastrnak, Boston's first rounder from 2014 seemed like he tried to do too much against the Swedes. He tried to dangle through high traffic zones and wasn't very successful in doing so, often resulting in turnovers
- Habs prospect Jacob De La Rose put up a goal, driving hard to the net and shoveling in a backhander to beat Czech netminder Vanecek.
-Oskar Lindblom, a 5th round selection by the Flyers put up 3 assists

FINAL SCORE: 5-2 Sweden


CANADA vs Slovakia(Notes)
- Canada started out with a boom, scoring 3 goals in less than 5 minutes
- Canada was creating many scoring chances by driving wide and beating the Slovaks with their speed
- Canadiens prospect Zach Fucale "earned" a 12 save shutout, playing a calm and focused game despite not facing much action
- Canada seems to have a lot of depth, but also some key combinations. Robby Fabbri(4) and Nic Petan(3) combined for 7 points. Of course Canada also has their top line of Anthony Duclair(NYR), Sam Reinhart(BUF), and Max Domi(ARZ) stayed together and earned 2 points each.
- Other scorers were Nick Paul, Brayden Point andJake Virtainen. Canada had 7 different goal scorers, 7 players with multi-point games, and 11 players earning at least one point
- Montreal's Martin Reway was named Slovakian Player of the Game.

FINAL SCORE: 8-0 Canada


USA vs Finland(Notes)
- I didn't watch this game, only going from highlights and TSN reports
- Canadiens prospect and Finnish Captain Artturi Lehkonen played a strong game and netted a goal in the shootout
- Jack Eichel had a nice no-look backhand pass to an open Alex Tuch out front of the Finnish net. Eichel also scored in the shootout for USA.

FINAL SCORE: 2-1 USA(SO)


Tomorrow I will cover Canada's game. After going to the ACC for Denmark and Russia, I can't wait to return for Sweden and Russia on the 29th. The whole building cheered on Denmark it seemed like. Any chant started by Russian fans was quickly drowned out by "LETS GO DENMARK" by Danes and Canadians alike. Great atmosphere in the ACC despite some empty seats. I expect the place to be packed with the two  top teams in the division facing off.

Subban Situation, Post hearing

        Hockey is a game, played for fun and enjoyment. However, at a professional level it becomes a business. Montreal Canadiens' defence man P.K Subban has learned that the hard way this summer, after his contract expired July 1st. Both Subban and Montreal's camps have been attempting to reach a contract agreement throughout July, but the two sides failed to reach a common ground and today they had an arbitration hearing.
          Today Subban and GM Marc Bergevin explained their cases to an arbitrator, who will hammer out a fair deal for both sides. Both player and team requested a one year deal, so that is what the arbitrator will base his contract on. Contract discussion is still allowed between Subban and Montreal, until the arbitrator releases the ruling. However, it doesn't sound like there will be any negociations. Judging by the fact Subban was looking for $8.5 million heading into arbitration, and the Habs offered $5.25 million, the two sides don't quite see eye to eye.
        As reported by some of the hockey writers on scene of the arbitration, Subban didn't look happy at any time today, which doesn't point to any positives for Montreal. Assuming Subban signs a one year deal, by the end of it he will have one year until he is a unrestricted free agent. Marc Bergevin is playing hardball, trying to get the best deal possible for the club while Subban wants what he deserves. Most Canadiens' fans I have spoken too are not against the idea of giving Subban what he wants, as his electric, game-breaking talent isn't easy to come by.
       Although it looks dark in Habs land right now, there are positives to remember while Subban and the Habs continue to work on a contract for the young blue liner. Subban has expressed multiple times he loves playing in Montreal, and he is perfectly happy there. Also, a couple years ago, another great young defence man names Shea Weber went to arbitration with his NHL club, the Nashville Predators. What do you know? Hes still playing there. Arbitration isn't an automatic fight between two sides, it is just two people trying to reach a deal fairly. After all, everyone just wants to enjoy the game itself after everything is said and done.

Montreal Canadiens Draft Overview

On the first day of their pro careers, six  players from the junior leagues were selected by the Montreal Canadiens. On Draft Day, Montreal added skill, size, grit and risk into their prospect pool. Here is a quick rundown of the draft, and a little information about each prospect.

Nikita Scherbak, Right Wing, Saskatoon Blades - Drafted 26th by Montreal, Scherbak was expected to go higher in the draft but slipped right into the lap of Marc Bergevin and his scouting staff. Scherbak could have fallen due to the 'Russian Factor', a fear of a  player bolting to the KHL as soon as they can. However, Scherbak has stated several times his dream is the NHL, and is very passionate about improving himself to get to it. He is a skilled winger with good vision and playmaking ability, and his shot is considered threatening as well. The knocks on Scherbak are his defensive play and aggressiveness around the net and dirty areas. Scherbak's hockey IQ and determination should help him out in his weak areas, which also includes weak acceleration. He led the Blades in points and was the highest scoring rookie in the WHL with 78 points, on a lousy Saskatoon team. Barring an amazing training camp performance, Scherbak should go to the juniors for another year and after that is up to his play and willpower to determine.

Brett Lernout, Defence, Swift Current Broncos - The Canadiens traded up to draft Lernout at 73rd overall, trading their own 3rd round selection(87th) and their 4th rounder(117th). Clearly the Habs wanted to make sure they got Lernout, a big physical defenceman. Lernout is a safe pick, rather than a risky one. Scouts believe he will be an NHL player, but nothing spectacular. Most likely a bottom pairing shut down kind of guy. He thrives in a physical environment and plays to make the opposition miserable.  He is a crease-clearing defenceman that the Habs do not have in their system, making this pick a very nice pick up. Now, don't go thinking we drafted a younger Douglas Murray, because Lernout does have offensive potential as he skates very well for his size. He also has a heavy shot that earned him 8 goals with Saskatoon last season.

Nikolas Koberstein, Defence,  Olds Grizzlys - Perhaps an off the board pick, Koberstein was selected at 125th overall by the Habs, and head scout Trevor Timmins admitted when they originally discovered Koberstein they were scouting another player. This is a positive, as he did something to stand out to Timmins, who is successful in the later rounds of the draft. He plays very gritty, has a good puck moving game and character, as he will be the captain of his team in this upcoming season. Koberstein amassed 153 penalty minutes in only 51 games last season, showing off his edgy play. Montreal has stated that they plan for Koberstein to take 5 years to develop and make the NHL.(4 years in full university, and 1 in the AHL for pro experience.)

Daniel Audette, Center, Sherbooke Phoenix - Audette is a small, offensively talented forward who may have been passed over several times because of his size until the Habs snagged him up at pick number 147. He has great vision and playmaking ability, along with patience to make big plays happen. Due to his size, he isn't as gritty as he should be and sometimes plays the perimeter. He can shoot, but he prefers puck handling and playmaking. Knocks on Audette are his defensive abilities, as he is often a liability and his skating, which is not as great as it should be for a guy his size. If he improves on his play when he is without the puck, and becomes more determined in the dirty areas, Montreal could have another 5th round steal(ala Brendan Gallagher).

Hayden Hawkey, Goalie, Omaha Lancers - What a name! Hawkey should have been drafted just because of his name, but the Habs took him at 177th overall to solidify their depth in goaltending prospects. Hawkey is another player who the Habs expect to follow the 5 year plan. Hawkey is very well positionally and technically, however his rebound control is not great, and he needs to work on playing the puck. Hawkey was the goaltender of the year in the USHL last season, and the first goalie in 12 years to have less than 2.00 GAA in the league. While he has a lot to work on, Hawkey also has a very high ceiling.

Jake Evans, Center, St.Michaels Buzzers - Selected 207th overall, Evans is a two-way forward who should also play his full 4 years of university hockey. Offensively, he is more of a playmaker than a scorer, and has good vision. If he pans out, he should be a bottom six forward who is defensively sound and chips in some offence from time to time.

The Vanek Dilemma

Possibly the biggest question mark going into the Montreal Canadiens' offseason is the contractual status of soon-to-be unrestricted free agent Thomas Vanek. Following the trade deadline, Vanek had Habs fans on their feet with exceptional production with linemates Max Pacioretty and centerman David Desharnais. Vanek played with fire and worked creatively and efficiently once he got used to his new team after spending time with a slacking New York Islanders team.
     Racking up 15 points in his regular season time with the Montreal Canadiens, Vanek played well enough to silence the critics about his work ethic and compete level. One particular play I remember that really had me sold on Vanek was an assist against the Detroit Red Wings. Vanek was going after the puck near the corner against Red Wings defenceman Niklas Kronwall, a very physical blueliner. Vanek hit Kronwall completely off his feet, turned around and fed David Desharnais through two defencemen for a highlight reel goal. Another thing I noticed about Vanek was that he has unreal hands in front, if you put a puck in his range out front and he will get a piece of it. I had an idea that Vanek was a soft, streaky, skilled player that was very lazy. In the regular season, I didn't see that. Sure, he wasn't hustling as hard as he could every single night but he was making things happen. You won't get a 100% consistent player in the NHL, it just doesn't happen.
     Then the 2014 NHL Playoffs came around. In the first round versus the Tampa Bay Lightning, Thomas Vanek played a lesser game than he had given in the regular season. He only notched one goal in the series. In the second round, versus the Boston Bruins, Vanek continued to float and look lazier than ever. Although he registered more goals in the series, it appeared he was losing steam. Finally, in the third round and Eastern Conference Final against the New York Rangers, Vanek was demoted to the Habs fourth line. It appeared Habs head coach Michel Therrien had enough of Vanek, although he said that he simply just wanted to shake things up. When the Habs needed Vanek most in the playoffs, he disappeared. He earned the name "Thomas Vanish" all by himself.
     As he said with the New York Islanders, Vanek's agent confirmed he would be testing the free agent market come July 1st. However, he didn't rule out a return to the Bleu Blanc et Rouge. Vanek is open to returning to Montreal if they do indeed decide to offer him a new contract. Although GM Marc Bergevin said he was happy overall with Vanek's performance, I believe he stresses character very much as stated when he first got the job. After Vanek's playoff run, I don't believe he is a Marc Bergevin type of player. Recently Habs legend Guy Lafleur said that you can't win a cup with guys like Vanek, and he should be let go. After his small stint with the Habs, Thomas Vanek is a lazy, streaky winger that has the skill to go hot for a few games but after that hes taking a vacation. He was somewhat able to perform under pressure, but not in the playoffs in Montreal. What do you think Habs fans? Is Vanek a high level winger we should pay high to keep, or a lazy winger we could do without and shouldn't overpay?