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WC: TEAM USA

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Pretty horrible looking performance right now. I suppose this has all the makings of a "trap game"

1) Beat one of the tournament favorites in their first game, which no matter how hard you try to avoid it, creates a bit of a complacency sense in the room while you're still slogging through all the group stage games.

2) Already played this team in a pre-tournament exhibition and won, which again creates a sense of "well we already know we're better" no matter how hard you try to avoid it.

3) Blew out a bad team that they could sleepwalk through in their last game. Germany is another "bad team" but a less bad team with a lot of experienced pros and a team with a lot of continuity in the world championships. Another psychological thing, hard to 'get up' for Germany the way you do, say, Finland.

Lucky to not be getting killed right now because Germany doesn't have a ton of skill in its lineup to make USA pay for all its mistakes.
 
Germany is not a bad team tho. We need youngsters (Coronato, Farrell & Mazur) and Tynan to the score sheet more if we want to have a say in this tournament.
 
WarriorofTime said:
Pretty horrible looking performance right now. I suppose this has all the makings of a "trap game"

1) Beat one of the tournament favorites in their first game, which no matter how hard you try to avoid it, creates a bit of a complacency sense in the room while you're still slogging through all the group stage games.

2) Already played this team in a pre-tournament exhibition and won, which again creates a sense of "well we already know we're better" no matter how hard you try to avoid it.

3) Blew out a bad team that they could sleepwalk through in their last game. Germany is another "bad team" but a less bad team with a lot of experienced pros and a team with a lot of continuity in the world championships. Another psychological thing, hard to 'get up' for Germany the way you do, say, Finland.

Lucky to not be getting killed right now because Germany doesn't have a ton of skill in its lineup to make USA pay for all its mistakes.
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But Germany isn't a bad team. They have a solid all around group that is usually a pain in the ass to play. I agree not a good game but most of what Germany has done has been because of our mistakes and not because they have outplayed us.

I was worried about this game as the second of a back to back. Still plenty of time but the jump isn't there like first 2 games.

We just aren't getting second chances on the rebounds. They are always there in a box..need to find a way to generate those secondary chances.
 
All those good elements from the game against Finland are nowhere to be seen. O'Connor has also disappeared since that game. Germany have absolutely no problem responding to the pace of the game and it shouldn't be that way.
 
AmericanDream said:
But Germany isn't a bad team. They have a solid all around group that is usually a pain in the ass to play. I agree not a good game but most of what Germany has done has been because of our mistakes and not because they have outplayed us.

I was worried about this game as the second of a back to back. Still plenty of time but the jump isn't there like first 2 games.

We just aren't getting second chances on the rebounds. They are always there in a box..need to find a way to generate those secondary chances.
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I used "bad team" in quotation marks... not because I think they're bad, but because they're not one of the "big boys", so it's easy to overlook them. They've made the Semifinals in this particular tournament once in the last decade and twice in the last 60 years or whatever.
 
WarriorofTime said:
I used "bad team" in quotation marks... not because I think they're bad, but because they're not one of the "big boys", so it's easy to overlook them. They've made the Semifinals in this particular tournament once in the last decade and twice in the last 60 years or whatever.
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Agreed. I don't expect this group to be perfect through out the round robin, this is a very winnable game and on talent alone we should win.

Most of what I have seen so far has been our own mistakes, arrant passes and bad pinches, blown coverages, bad penalties..not good things but all fixable. So that is the solace we take away if we lose, we have been better and can be again..
 
How Germany has played in this tournament I expected a tough game. It was still surprise how bad we were. Speed just wasn't at times there today. I expected this kind of game against Finland. Three points is all that matters and I hope they can improve things going forward. Germany got way too many breaks today. Guys can buy a dinner for DeSmith. Best player today by a country mile.

SanDogBrewin said:
Was that Coronato that missed the open net ?
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Farrell
 
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SanDogBrewin said:
Definitely Casey DeSmith should get player of the game. Also get him both of those IIHF models that are standing on the carpet right now.
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He has been everything we have needed and lacked for years here. Just make the saves you are supposed to make and we typically can make the medal rounds. Nothing flashy, Samberg made a few huge blocks as well, can't forget that..but DeSmith has been such a steady presence for us, hope he can keep it up.
 
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Great to get a regulation win without playing their best. USA is in a strong position to lock up a Quarterfinal bid early and hopefully position themselves for a favorable matchup, as they should be in a spot to pick up more points in their next 3 matchups against Austria, Denmark and France and now have one of their back-to-backs out of the way. The more that USA can be a consistent Semifinal team (take advantage while Russia is banned as they are often a team that makes it that point... 11/14 of the last times they were in the tournament), the more we can get high-level NHL Players to view this tournament as a "winnable" one and maybe things can change as far as who comes over.
 
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I'm glad that the last game is against Swedes. Now three games that you just need to win so it is good that there is least another wake up call before the quarterfinals.
 
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Putrid performance. No one showed up today. Passing was garbage. Compete was garbage. Couldn't win a face-off. Gap control was garbage. They really didn't show up in any facet - individually or as a team.

There is something to be said though when you can still squeak out a win when you lay an egg, so they deserve props for finding a way to win nonetheless, but they'll lose those games more often than not if they replicate that effort going forward.

Perbix is an absolute liability out there right now. It's been 3 games of lackadaisical defensive effort, especially in front of the net, poor / soft failed clears, turnovers, and mindless last-man presence leading to odd-man chances. They absolutely need him to find his game as he should be one of the go-to guys here but if he doesn't find it soon, they need to reduce his role and make him earn it back.

I think y'all are overrating DeSmith in that game. He got bailed out by his defensemen blocking high-quality scoring chances as much as he made big saves himself. He wasn't bad by any means, other than the first goal against that was all on him with the pathetic rebound / control. Fine as the player of the game because someone had to win it but not his best effort, either.
 
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