Toggle sidebar

GDT: Group B - May 17 - USA (2) vs Slovakia (3) (OT)

  • Xenforo Cloud will be upgrading us to version 2.3.5 on March 3rd at 12 AM GMT. This version has increased stability and fixes several bugs. We expect downtime for the duration of the update. The admin team will continue to work on existing issues, templates and upgrade all necessary available addons to minimize impact of this new version. Click Here for Updates
I still think they should keep the Foligno-Larkin-Matthews line together against the Czechs. That line is the only chance they have of winning.
 
JTD said:
It's not a free win when Germany has the clear superior goaltending and the US doesn't have many skilled forwards beyond their top line. This is one of the weaker US teams in recent memory and Germany has played well this tournament. US outplayed them all game but got robbed a few times and doesn't have many finishers. That's basically why they lost
Click to expand...

Yeah well that is a good point. USA's goaltending is their biggest weakness, really. Neither of them has been impressive at all. Wasn't Hellebuyck the last year's goalie? I wonder why they are so weak this time around.

To be perfectly honest, USA is very lucky to even be advancing. Would they have advanced in group A? Will they still be able to advance if their seeding drops to 4th seed of a group?
 
I expect the effort against the Czechs to be much better than this but it likely won't matter with Condon or Kinkaid in net. Their positioning is laughable. Demko should have been given an opportunity. Condon and Kinkaid spit out rebounds and are off their angle a lot. They just hope the puck hits their body or misses the net. Hopefully next year they can get a competent goalie
 
JTD said:
It's not a free win when Germany has the clear superior goaltending and the US doesn't have many skilled forwards beyond their top line. This is one of the weaker US teams in recent memory and Germany has played well this tournament. US outplayed them all game but got robbed a few times and doesn't have many finishers. That's basically why they lost
Click to expand...

On paper yes...but the refuseniks are not their fault... These YOUNG guys, with one line of college kids, one Swiss A Leaguer fresh outa college ( Matthews ) and one NHL rookie ( Larkin ), with Larkin and Matthews expected to carry the load...have played hard, and not badly either....against let's face, more experienced and better prepared opposition...

Chin up Yankees, you're not playing Russia in QF's...AND Czechs are NOT in for an easy game imo...

***

Yanks will need better goaltending than they've gotten, in the main...If they get it, watch out...Sans stupid penalties, they've already shown they can beat Suomi...Sure Everything has to fall into place...BUT The Path to the golden game, according to Hoyle, neatly misses both Russia and Canada, so the opportunities to make a big splash going forward may well be there
 
Last edited:
Scotty B said:
Au contraire, this is the first sub par game ( against a highly motivated SVK side, less we forget ) Yanks played. They totally dominated Germany ( everywhere but on the scoreboard ) and might have beaten Suomi but for foolish penalties...

Considering how young they are + all the refuseniks, Yanks have done alright in this tourney...Plus they get the beatable Czechs, NOT Russians...

Ergo, They're NOT in bad shape...Plus now the pressure is off...
Click to expand...
Right but I dont see your post as evidence they have played well.

As you noted they've taken dumb penalties, nevermind the crease violations. And they should dominate Germany. It is Germany after all.
 
ijuka said:
Yeah well that is a good point. USA's goaltending is their biggest weakness, really. Neither of them has been impressive at all. Wasn't Hellebuyck the last year's goalie? I wonder why they are so weak this time around.

To be perfectly honest, USA is very lucky to even be advancing. Would they have advanced in group A? Will they still be able to advance if their seeding drops to 4th seed of a group?
Click to expand...

Hellebuyck was their goalie last year but him and several others turned down invitation, so they got left with scrubs and a great college goalie who was never gonna get a serious chance. They are lucky to advance. They put forth a garbage effort today. Didn't seem like they were ever mentally engaged in this game. I'd be surprised if they play this badly again tho
 
JTD said:
I expect the effort against the Czechs to be much better than this but it likely won't matter with Condon or Kinkaid in net. Their positioning is laughable. Demko should have been given an opportunity. Condon and Kinkaid spit out rebounds and are off their angle a lot. They just hope the puck hits their body or misses the net. Hopefully next year they can get a competent goalie
Click to expand...

I remember an instance in today's game where Kinkaid was so far out of his position that a defenseman had to make the save for him. Kinkaid had totally missed the pass and started to get across after the puck had already left the stick of the Slovak on the shot. Embarrassing.
 
JTD said:
I expect the effort against the Czechs to be much better than this but it likely won't matter with Condon or Kinkaid in net. Their positioning is laughable. Demko should have been given an opportunity. Condon and Kinkaid spit out rebounds and are off their angle a lot. They just hope the puck hits their body or misses the net. Hopefully next year they can get a competent goalie
Click to expand...

Yeah, I've noticed that too...EG: Yank D man saved a goal when his nettie failed to react to a pass and left one side of the net wide open
 
Petyr Baelish said:
I remember an instance in today's game where Kinkaid was so far out of his position that a defenseman had to make the save for him. Kinkaid had totally missed the pass and started to get across after the puck had already left the stick of the Slovak on the shot. Embarrassing.
Click to expand...

Whoops beat me to the punch...
 
Lonny Bohonos said:
Right but I dont see your post as evidence they have played well.

As you noted they've taken dumb penalties, nevermind the crease violations. And they should dominate Germany. It is Germany after all.
Click to expand...

Man, Germany looked better over first forty minutes vs Canada, than they did vs Yanks...Again they're NOT chopped liver this year...
 
Last edited:
Petyr Baelish said:
I still think they should keep the Foligno-Larkin-Matthews line together against the Czechs. That line is the only chance they have of winning.
Click to expand...

Putting all your eggs in one basket might not be a winning strategy vs Czechs ( after all, it wasn't today )...The alternative is to have two top line centres on 2 different lines
 
stavs said:
His worst game of the tournament, but the team together played awful. He had about 2-3 solid chances. They got into too much penalty trouble and couldn't get any solid pressure going for most of the game.
Click to expand...

Geez Luise, he's a kid playing in a Men's tourney, cut him some slack! Even though his ice time was limited, because of steady Yank parade to penalty box...He would have scored two goals, but for two brilliant stops!

Does the kid, REPEAT KID, have to walk on water every game?
 
Last edited:
stavs said:
ill be shocked if they did win. They were barely projected to get to the QF with this lineup. Anything more is icing on the cake.
Click to expand...

Tut tut...Czechs were beaten by Denmark...If Yanks get the goaltending, they can get her done...Plus they dodged a bullet in missing Russia...Ergo, Yanks are playing with house money...They should feel real good/ optimistic about the position they're in...
 
JTD said:
The US has played some really good games in the tournament. Played really well against Finland and controlled almost every other game aside from the Canada game, but today as a whole has probably been their worst effort of the tournament. They've slept walked through most of the game.
Click to expand...

Even vs Canada, they controlled play for significant stretches...I don't think they sleep walked...SVK played well...and those young Yanks, realizing they were playing on the edge of the abyss, played nervous at times...

But even with that, Hudacek had to save SVK's bacon, time after time, to take it to OT...Of course, it goes without saying that SVK had to take chances, which leads almost inevitably to chances against...

Terrible , terrible coaching ...or maybe SVK pulls the upset...
 
Urbanskog said:
There's no "cloud" here as they wouldn't have been placed third even if they won on regulation.
Click to expand...

Au contraire...Silver lining is two fold...First,They made QF's, Just barely, despite losing today

Secondly, they lost previously to Germany ( a game where they badly outshot/out played their opponent ) culminating in an, on paper, more favorable QF matchup with Czechs, thereby avoiding a far scarier looking side = Russia
 
The USA has little chance against the Czechs. Only a naive blind USA hugger would think they're going to win.

The USA didn't bring a decent squad to this tournament. NHL and AHL are physical grinding leagues. A lot of players have knocks and nagging injuries that they want to look after, rather than partake in a tournament that 98% of their country doesn't even know exists.

That and with the World Cup this summer, it made sense for some of the Premiere players with nagging issues to skip this tournament.

Even with the the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs still going on, US team should be able to field a fully NHL rostered team. But with all the absentees, they're playing a line full of college kids and AHLers. Only Herbie Brooks can mold that compliment of players into a Gold medal team.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Ad

Upcoming events

Ad

Top Bottom