- Mar 4, 2023
- 894
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Just like the other one with Mike Liut in 1981. This was the 3rd game of the series, the deciding game. 6-0 Soviets vs. the NHL All-Stars. A seriously stacked team, but I guess to be fair this replaced the All-Star game and they really did not have the time to prepare, unlike the 1981 Canada Cup team. Either way, they still won Game 1, had a 4-2 lead in Game 2, so it wasn't as if this shouldn't have been close. And just like in 1981, the score looks worse than it was. This was not a game that got out of hand early. I honestly think the Russians and Nabokov in the 2010 Olympics vs. Canada was worse than either 1979 or 1981 because that game got out of hand in a hurry. Because in that quarterfinal game it was 4-1 Canada at the end of the 1st. 6-1 Canada early 2nd, and 7-2 Canada 9 minutes into the 2nd. The final was 7-3. It was almost over before it started. Not so with the Challenge Cup. The game was scoreless at the 1st intermission. Then the Soviets scored two goals in the first half of the 2nd period. The game is only 2-0 at the 2nd intermission. And then the Soviets do what they do, they scored in bunches. 3-0 at the 8 minute mark. Then three more goals by the 14 minute mark. 6-0. Very similar to 1981, the back breaking goal was to make it 4-0. Liut got piled on a bit more in 1981 but I can argue that this game may have been worse. But was Cheevers worse and was he mostly to blame?
First goal nearly half of the game is gone and for whatever reason and old Mikhailov walks right around a young Barry Beck like he isn't even there. Nice shot past Cheevers. Probably not his fault. Second goal nice power play tap in, hard to stop that one. 3rd goal was just a bad play by Cheevers. A funky attempt at a poke check gone wrong, although it was a 2-on-1 against him. 4th goal is on Cheevers I think. He gets frozen on this goal, barely moves. It is a hard slap shot and it is another nice scoring attempt Team NHL allows but while they may have checked out by now this goal is the nail in the coffin. 5th goal is stoppable too by Makarov. Nice backhand but Cheevers isn't playing it right. 6th goal is a slap shot that freezes Cheevers again. But it makes it 6-0 so it doesn't change much.
I am thinking that Cheevers gives the team a chance to win early on. He does what a goalie should do and keeps them in the game. The first two goals aren't on him, they are good. The 3rd period is where they fall apart, Cheevers too, but keep in mind Team NHL does not score a single goal this game. 6 goals on 19 shots for Cheevers. What is your opinion on it?
First goal nearly half of the game is gone and for whatever reason and old Mikhailov walks right around a young Barry Beck like he isn't even there. Nice shot past Cheevers. Probably not his fault. Second goal nice power play tap in, hard to stop that one. 3rd goal was just a bad play by Cheevers. A funky attempt at a poke check gone wrong, although it was a 2-on-1 against him. 4th goal is on Cheevers I think. He gets frozen on this goal, barely moves. It is a hard slap shot and it is another nice scoring attempt Team NHL allows but while they may have checked out by now this goal is the nail in the coffin. 5th goal is stoppable too by Makarov. Nice backhand but Cheevers isn't playing it right. 6th goal is a slap shot that freezes Cheevers again. But it makes it 6-0 so it doesn't change much.
I am thinking that Cheevers gives the team a chance to win early on. He does what a goalie should do and keeps them in the game. The first two goals aren't on him, they are good. The 3rd period is where they fall apart, Cheevers too, but keep in mind Team NHL does not score a single goal this game. 6 goals on 19 shots for Cheevers. What is your opinion on it?
