A serious case of deja vu. Start was worse, but the end result was the same: Canada didn't playing with desperation or hustle until it was 2-0. The quick-skating Finns surrendered only one breakaway to Nash, and no odd-man rushes that I can remember. Textbook defensive effort. The physical play from the Finns shouldn't be a surprise, they've been working to produce more physical, North American style players for the past decade, while not losing their speed.
There doesn't seem to be a lot of precision or execution on Canada's part. They aren't getting the shots through from the point, and when they do, they aren't generating/converting on the rebounds. The passing isn't crisp. They aren't showing desperation until it's too late. When the forwards get in tight, they're either missing the net or shooting it into the goalie. You can call for roster changes all you want, but the addition of Staal and Boyle doesn't make one iota of a difference. This is a team-wide problem. Guys like Nash, Thornton, Lecavalier, Richards and Heatley need to start producing.
Tomorrow is a very big day for Canada. They don't play, but an excellent practice is a must. It's time for the coaches to show why they belong in this tournament. With the Czech game Tuesday and the quarter-final Wednesday, it will likely be their last chance for a strong practice before the elimination round starts.
Canada can still finish second with a win over the Czechs and an Italian win over the Swiss. Unlikely, but nobody thought the Swiss would beat Canada and the Czechs.
This isn't the time for panic, yet. This team was .500 after the round-robin in 2002, too, and we remember how that ended. If they're down 2-0 early in second period of the quarter-final, and they still aren't generating chances, that's when it's time to panic.
There doesn't seem to be a lot of precision or execution on Canada's part. They aren't getting the shots through from the point, and when they do, they aren't generating/converting on the rebounds. The passing isn't crisp. They aren't showing desperation until it's too late. When the forwards get in tight, they're either missing the net or shooting it into the goalie. You can call for roster changes all you want, but the addition of Staal and Boyle doesn't make one iota of a difference. This is a team-wide problem. Guys like Nash, Thornton, Lecavalier, Richards and Heatley need to start producing.
Tomorrow is a very big day for Canada. They don't play, but an excellent practice is a must. It's time for the coaches to show why they belong in this tournament. With the Czech game Tuesday and the quarter-final Wednesday, it will likely be their last chance for a strong practice before the elimination round starts.
Canada can still finish second with a win over the Czechs and an Italian win over the Swiss. Unlikely, but nobody thought the Swiss would beat Canada and the Czechs.
This isn't the time for panic, yet. This team was .500 after the round-robin in 2002, too, and we remember how that ended. If they're down 2-0 early in second period of the quarter-final, and they still aren't generating chances, that's when it's time to panic.
