PGT: 9/19 - Russia vs North America - Russia 4 North America 3 F

[heretik27]

All these people dismissing Russia and saying they got lucky

Goaltenders are part of the team. Russia just has way more talent in goal than NA. Yes the NA forwards outplayed the Russians by quite a bit. But Bob outplayed Murray by even more. The Russians were the better team overall tonight.

I often hear people on HF say you don't need an elite goaltender to win the cup. Tonight's game shows why an elite goalie is important.

A lucky bounce off the glass was the difference tonight. That and Murray injuring his stick holding hand before allowing those 4 goals against. Can't really fault him too much for the tank goal he had about 3-4 players in between him and a seeing-eye shot by one of the NHL's best shooters.

 

[48g90a138pts]

I'm furious that Vincent Trochek didn't see more ice time today (someone had to get his name in here)

He led the team in PK time.

 

[Scotty B]

Eichel was bad, Matthews was average, Mcdavid was decent, McKinnon was amazing

Thought McD was great...gotta work on his finishing though

 

[victor]

Matthews' hockey sense is blowing McDavid's out of the water. If Connor didn't have these pretty, but fruitless rushes, he would honestly be considered the worst player on the ice.

And the award for the most "Homer" post on hfboards goes to OvermanKingGainer.

This is the kind of post that get's reposted, many, many times.

 

[Soundwave]

It boggles my mind how Matthews had five more mins of ice time than Gaudreau. Should be the other way around.
Actually he had more ice than Nuge, Mak and Scheifele. Poor player management.

McDavid-Matthews were the two best players on the ice for the first half of the game, but the reason for the inflated minute total is more because they got caught out there on the PP for too long. They're kids, they'll learn.

 

[Canada4Gold]

And the award for the most "Homer" post on hfboards goes to OvermanKingGainer.

This is the kind of post that get's reposted, many, many times.

Homer? Talking about Matthews? You mean the Flames fan who was ******** all over the Leafs prospects just last week? That kind of homer?

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

ye Eichel was pretty awful all game...
He scored 56 points last season and looked pretty awful at times then aswell. He is still young and needs time to be consistent at nhl level. Nothing wrong with that. Scoring 56 points and not beeing close to his potential yet is damn impressive.

Not commenting on his career here. He wasn't sharp tonight imo...no need to take that to extremes.

 

[48g90a138pts]

Eichel was bad, Matthews was average, Mcdavid was decent, McKinnon was amazing

RNH was amazing too

 

[perronist]

Gaudreau was amazing at finding some open ice to stickhandle in but couldn't buy himself a shooting lane. Russia shut him down.

he had at least one near miss in the 3rd. hard to shoot much when you don't play. also generated a lot through his passing. ended with 1 A but had many more chances. the ghost post in the last minute was off a gaudreau pass for example. we'll know more once the advanced stats come out.

 

[Del Preston]

Homer? Talking about Matthews? You mean the Flames fan who was ******** all over the Leafs prospects just last week? That kind of homer?

Ripping on an Edmonton player takes precedence over someone from the Leafs.

 

[Dbrownss]

All these people dismissing Russia and saying they got lucky

Goaltenders are part of the team. Russia just has way more talent in goal than NA. Yes the NA forwards outplayed the Russians by quite a bit. But Bob outplayed Murray by even more. The Russians were the better team overall tonight.

I often hear people on HF say you don't need an elite goaltender to win the cup. Tonight's game shows why an elite goalie is important.

They really weren't, Bobrovksy without of a doubt played out of his mind and easily outplayed Murray. Russia looked better for about 10min, that's it.

 

[Canada4Gold]

Ripping on an Edmonton player takes precedent over someone from the Leafs.

wouldn't really call that a homer though. More like a hater. A homer is when you're gushing all over your own teams players. Which he's done all the time as well.

 

[TheStatican]

But Bob outplayed Murray by even more. The Russians were the better team overall tonight.

I often hear people on HF say you don't need an elite goaltender to win the cup. Tonight's game shows why an elite goalie is important.

That's a rather ironic comment considering Murry just won the cup as a rookie while Bob has yet to get out of the first round. Just shows how flawed it is to judge a player based on single game sample sizes. Though of course all the hockey experts on HF know better than to do just that

 

[El Travo]

RNH was amazing too

I'm a huge fan of RNH since getting a chance to watch him play for the good guys. Kid does all the not-so noticeable stuff right.

 

[Soundwave]

Oh well, despite everything, and everyone blaming every player on the roster (lol) and the coach and I suppose the equipment manager too, without Aaron Ekblad it was only luck that kept that game from being 4-4, Ghostiberre basically had it.

So good lessons learned for the Kid Squad. The bent, but they didn't break and give up when they could have, instead they roared back and took it to the Russians who were playing in a must win game.

 

[Rusty Shackleford]

Thought Matthews looked really strong early on, but wasn't overly impressed with him late in the game, his hockey IQ is incredible though.. I feel him, McJesus, and Scheifele gassed. Needed more of Gaudreau and MacKinnon out there.

Tough break for Murray, guy was looking pretty comfortable, but that thumb injury clearly messed with his play. Rielly-Parayko are blowing the rest of NA's D away.

 

[ViD]

I think the game breaker was Bob stopping McDavid on the break away. Not sure if Russia would have been able to come back after 0-2

 

[AustonsNostrils]

It's still early in his career I know...
But maybe the Eichel just isn't ready for the NHL yet? With a certain fanbase hounding him, the pressure of being considered the next American superstar, **** I wouldn't be able to handle that ****.
Maybe having him in the minors for another year or two to develop a bit wouldn't have been a bad idea. The kid is only 19. At 19 I was complete ******** who had no idea what I wanted to do.
Not much has changed... but I'd like to think I have a bit of a better head on my shoulders now. I actually feel really bad for Eichel, and I hope Meclennan doesnt ruin him.

Please, Eichel is having a rough time fitting in on this team, he did in Buffalo too. He is not used to having to - his game is to control the puck and in this group of young stars he is deferring to them, passing instead of wheeling with the puck himself.

Look at this - few players in the NHL can control the puck like Eichel can. And at 19.

No forward successfully carries the puck out of their team’s defensive zone more often than Eichel does .... http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/sabres-jack-eichel-is-a-puck-carrying-phenom/

 

[Puckluck23*]

McDavid/Mathews were nothing special after the first.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

Gaudreau was fine after they moved him on to a line with RNH and MacKinnon. Who was he with before that? Just sayin.

 

[TheMule93]

Go watch tennis...you don't know the game of hockey.

It's just a copypasta, man. All I did was replace McDavids name with Eichel. People were doubting McDavid early in the season before he broke out, and the when he led the league in scoring from February until he got injured people would copy and paste some dudes post as a joke.. "Its early in the season I know..." etc

 

[JarvisFunk]

I'm a huge fan of RNH since getting a chance to watch him play for the good guys. Kid does all the not-so noticeable stuff right.

This is what we've been trying to tell everybody.

 

[Ainec]

I think the game breaker was Bob stopping McDavid on the break away. Not sure if Russia would have been able to come back after 0-2

If only McDavid had even better hands...

Not a lot of player can handle or deke at that speed but I knew he wasn't going to score on Bob with that move

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

McDavid/Mathews were nothing special after the first.

did you miss the breakaway chance that McDavid has in the second?

 

[El Travo]

This is what we've been trying to tell everybody.

This is what it felt like with us and O'Reilly.