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GDT: USA vs. Finland, Jan. 4th, Semi-Final; 1:30 pm EST, 7:30 pm local

USA is the favorite on paper, but these games aren't decided on paper. Anything can happen in todays match. My guesses are its either gonna be a US blowout like 6-2 or then a tight 2-3 win for Finland. Hoping to see a good game!
 
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I won't be surprised if Finland wins. They had a bad start to the tournament, but already in the last group stage game vs. Sweden they were looking like a team which has enough mental strength to handle the critical moments, and that continued in the QF game vs. Slovakia. They definitely are a team which is able to find a way to success in a tough and dramatic game. The U.S. team obviously has a terrific quality in terms of individual players' skills, so I am expecting a good battle.
 
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My only concern is the US hasn't been tested anywhere close to the level Finland has.
That said I'm not sold on Finland's D-core whatsoever.
It'll either be a commanding US victory or Finland will win a close one.
 
Have people seen Finland's defense? It's terrible. Kärki, Kulonummi, Salin, Kangas, Pieniniemi, Väisänen. I don't think any of these guys will become NHL players. Only player with NHL potential is Pulkkinen. And Pulkkinen has his weaknesses too. Sometimes plays risky.
 
if usa gets on board early i'd expect them to win something like 5-2. chance they run away with it but not expecting that against the fins.

if they fins keep it scoreless though the first or get the 1-0 lead at any point i feel like it's a complete slugfest where they keep the game in the neutral zone / outside. they could easily win a 1 goal game that stays fairly low event.

not entirely sold on this us group as a team. they just don't strike me as a team that truly has a bond. could be wrong, but past winners from the us had a swagger about them and a visible chemistry through basically the entire roster. maybe i'm missing it or it just hasn't been on display yet but as far as i'm concerned thats the single biggest question mark for me about whether or not they can win gold.
 
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EveryDay said:
Yeah he did, Hutson is USA best defenceman, look at the icetime.
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Casey is a better all around dman than Hutson. Ice time means very little, especially since Casey has been fighting the flu. Hutson has been playing loads of PP time. Casey is a much more reliable defender and way less mistake prone, while still generating offense at the same clip (despite less ice time and PP opportunities).

Hutson has not had a very good tournament, especially by his standards. He's been better the last few games, but was absolutely brutal earlier in the tournament. Casey is finally back to full health and was absolutely dominant in the QFs and was our best dman in the first game of the tournament before getting sick.
 
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Obviously the USA are clear favourites but I would never underestimate us in a single elimination game. We are bound to be disciplined and skate and fight hard - if the goalie is solid and we avoid glaring mistakes in defence (a clear problem in this tournament), we can well beat them.
 
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WhiskeyYerTheDevils said:
Casey is a better all around dman than Hutson. Ice time means very little, especially since Casey has been fighting the flu. Hutson has been playing loads of PP time. Casey is a much more reliable defender and way less mistake prone, while still generating offense at the same clip (despite less ice time and PP opportunities).

Hutson has not had a very good tournament, especially by his standards. He's been better the last few games, but was absolutely brutal earlier in the tournament. Casey is finally back to full health and was absolutely dominant in the QFs and was our best dman in the first game of the tournament before getting sick.
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all that said, someone could argue he hasnt been the best and so be it if thats their opinion.

however, to not even mention Casey in a list of "even they are good" players just goes to show how little respect this player gets from casual fans.

one of the most under the radar studs, gets very little attention or notoriety.
 
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Brent Burns Beard said:
all that said, someone could argue he hasnt been the best and so be it if thats their opinion.

however, to not even mention Casey in a list of "even they are good" players just goes to show how little respect this player gets from casual fans.

one of the most under the radar studs, gets very little attention or notoriety.
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Ya I don’t think they watched much of the games saying Hutson is the teams best overall defenseman and justifying it with playing time. Anyone watching would say he’s probably their worst defensive defenseman and best offensive defenseman. The minutes disparity is 100% due to PP time
 
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Dont know if my heart could handle a Swe-Fin final. I still want it thou. But this time i want Sweden to win.
 
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Hoping these two teams battle hard right to the end of OT! Lots of solid hits and both goalies exhausted.

See one of you early tomorrow morning.lol
 
sigx15 said:
The minutes disparity is 100% due to PP time
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Its not. US pretty much gives half the pp time minutes to the 1st unit, then the other half to the 2nd unit where Casey plays.
Hutson has been playing 7-10 min more than Casey in almost every game.
 
USA will win unless their top 2 defenseman spend the entire game arguing who is better.
 
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