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Is Team USA a Legit Contender for Gold?

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WhiskeyYerTheDevils

WhiskeyYerTheDevils

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Apr 27, 2005
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From what I have seen, they have been the best team in every game they played. Call me a homer, but they dominated Latvia, but couldnt put them away, they dominated kazakhstan and won decisively, they carried the play for the majority of the against slovakia (5-0), and did the same against the swedes, and then played Russia and outchanced them roughly 3-1.

So what do you think, does the US have a shot at gold? They have looked very good despite their poor record.
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hockeyman28 said:
From what I have seen, they have been the best team in every game they played. Call me a homer, but they dominated Latvia, but couldnt put them away, they dominated kazakhstan and won decisively, they carried the play for the majority of the against slovakia (5-0), and did the same against the swedes, and then played Russia and outchanced them roughly 3-1.

So what do you think, does the US have a shot at gold? They have looked very good despite their poor record.
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You're a Homer!

The Fins are gonna down us like a fifth of Jack
 
Well, that's... optimistic. ;) At any rate, we'll know soon enough whether or not they are for real, since they play the best team in the tournament first. Personally, I think they may be the sixth best team in the tourney after Finland, Slovakia, Canada, the Czech Republic and Sweden (no particular order). This is the weakest team the US has sent to the Olympics since NHL participation began.
 
hockeyman28 said:
From what I have seen, they have been the best team in every game they played. Call me a homer, but they dominated Latvia, but couldnt put them away, they dominated kazakhstan and won decisively, they carried the play for the majority of the against slovakia (5-0), and did the same against the swedes, and then played Russia and outchanced them roughly 3-1.

So what do you think, does the US have a shot at gold? They have looked very good despite their poor record.
Click to expand...


Sorry man. But you are a homer. The US will probably lose to Finland 2-1 in a tight game.
 
I really doubt they're a contender for Gold. But if they beat Finland then I say they just might get the bronze.
 
In single elimination, anything can happen, bounces start going your way, a goalie has a bad outing, before you know it, you're in the gold medal game.
 
Team USA has too many flaws to go all the way, namely they can't shut anybody down and their finishing is very inconsistent. They play a very attractive game, fast, energetic, work hard - they can stay with anybody. But there is a reason they lost all these games - they have neither a big physical defense (Canada) nor a great team trap (Finland, Slovakia); neither a corps of physical forwards who can finish (Sweden,Canada), nor a horde of lethal goal scorers (Russia,Slovakia). Something is just lacking with the US..

I'd give US a 40% chance to beat any team, on average. For three games it comes out to 6.4% chance to win gold. By comparison, I'd say Canada has a 55% chance to win each game, for a 16.7% chance to win gold. That would make Canada 3 times more likely to win.
(its all subjective approximations, before y'all get riled up).
 
yea i guess im a homer, but you have to admit that they have looked like the better team in most if not all of their games.
 
i think dipietro is a very strong goalie, i mean he has allowed four goals in 2 games against slovakia and sweden and 1 against kazakhstan. Thats pretty good. The offense, while it has been dominant in the zone, is just not finishing
 
We're into elimination games now, so if the US want to contend they better win their next game. If they do, I say they are as legit as anyone else. Right now it looks kind of bleak, but transatlantic teams have traditionally an ability to step up in do-or-die situations.

The gamebreaker, I predict, will be the first goal. If Finland nets first, USA will have a dire ascent ahead. :teach:
 
Brooklyndevil said:
Where due for a win and that's what I predict for tomorrow, a USA win. We just need to be patient with the trap that the Fins will implement.
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The US has a day to put in their own trap if they desire. Jim Kelley had a pretty good article on sportsnet regarding what is wrong with the NA teams, and one of the things was they aren't playing the international style trap.

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/columnist.jsp?content=20060221_075916_5288
 
USA is 13/13 goals for/against, whereas Finland is 19/2. USA isn't even a contender to win the next game.
 
hockeyman28 said:
yea i guess im a homer, but you have to admit that they have looked like the better team in most if not all of their games.
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Its because they skate much better than they finish. They get more chances than the other teams, but the finishing skills are way off.

When a team full of scorers can't finish in one, two games, you can say that it was a fluke.. but when its 3-4 games in a row... Who can US really count on to bury his chances? At this point, I'd say only Gionta.

In these games on the road to gold, its enough to have one bad day on offense and you're toast. Based on what you saw, do you think US can go three games scoring consistently?

I am a fan of Russia, and on my team it is the lack of defensive cohesiveness that scares me. I doubt we can go three games without letting somebody score 4 on us, and that puts a huge question mark on our chances to win three games in a row.
 
artilector said:
Its because they skate much better than they finish. They get more chances than the other teams, but the finishing skills are way off.
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No kidding. USA had, what, 29 scoring chances against Russia and could bury only 4 of them. Russia had only 10 at most and buried half of them.

I'm starting to think that perhaps USA has too much talent. It's like they think that it's an All-Star Game and no one is taking initiative because each one of them thinks one of the other great players on their line will make something happen.
Who can US really count on to bury his chances? At this point, I'd say only Gionta.
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Don't forget Rolston. Other than those two, yeah.
 
at times they look good, but one game it's bad defense, one game it's bad goaltending, one game it's poor offense.
 
artilector said:
Its because they skate much better than they finish. They get more chances than the other teams, but the finishing skills are way off.

When a team full of scorers can't finish in one, two games, you can say that it was a fluke.. but when its 3-4 games in a row... Who can US really count on to bury his chances? At this point, I'd say only Gionta.

In these games on the road to gold, its enough to have one bad day on offense and you're toast. Based on what you saw, do you think US can go three games scoring consistently?

I am a fan of Russia, and on my team it is the lack of defensive cohesiveness that scares me. I doubt we can go three games without letting somebody score 4 on us, and that puts a huge question mark on our chances to win three games in a row.
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yea i agree with you, i guess im just imagining how well the US would be doing right now if there scoring was clicking. It can happen, but i guess it will take a "miracle".
 
USA plays a high energy game and is responsible in their own end. I think they can definitely win a game or 2 but the lack of depth on the wings will sink them in the end. Other than Modano, they have too many smallish playmakers. Plus, Guerin and Tkachuk are in the twilight in their careers. Unless one of those 2 comes to life, its going to be hard to win the gold.
 
Tundra said:
USA plays a high energy game and is responsible in their own end. I think they can definitely win a game or 2 but the lack of depth on the wings will sink them in the end. Other than Modano, they have too many smallish playmakers. Plus, Guerin and Tkachuk are in the twilight in their careers. Unless one of those 2 comes to life, its going to be hard to win the gold.
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Homer here, but I've seen Drury single-handedly turn around a losing streak.
 
Any of the teams moving on to the next round have a legitimate shot at gold, although the Swiss are quite the stretch. Some teams will need a lot more things to fall in place than others, I include the US in that group.

That being said, I have a real feeling they're gonna win tomorrow. Don't ask me why... Finland is my second favorite team, but I just have a feeling (Finnish fans need not worry. My track record when it comes to predictions is really not all that flattering).
 
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