I was able to view the game this afternoon, so here's my belated thoughts:
The Good:
The power play. It would appear on paper that the PP had somewhat limited success, but it actually won the game for the U.S. Consistently dangerous, and if not for a couple of posts and some fine Finnish goaltending, would have been even more productive.
More balance. Instead of the Kessel line being the main point producer, guys like Wheeler, Schremp, Fritsche, and Ryan got involved. My hope is we get a composite of both efforts on Friday against Switzerland.
Frazee. Yeah, five goals against doesn't indicate quality goaltending, but he made some very timely saves, and in the end it's not by how much you win but if you win.
Walt Kyle. He made the decision to bench his main PP unit and go with the "muckers." It paid off.
The Bad:
Frazee. I know his style is spastic, but it leads to unneccessary chances against, and in fact led to the first goal. He needs to remain composed and let the puck hit him rather than try to make the spectacular save all the time.
Lack of discipline/sense of urgency. The vibe I get with the U.S. team is they're playing pond hockey and can come back at any time. It's worked so far, but not as the tournament goes on. I hope Kyle addresses this.
Odd penalty-killing choices. Can't these guys use the boards to clear the puck? Again, more focus is needed.
The Ugly.
Again, Walt Kyle's wardrobe. What the heck?
Instead of lambasting the U.S. I want to give credit to Finland, which not enough people are doing. They gave 100% on a night the U.S. did not, and it almost cost us. My hope is Kyle can address some of the above issues and we'll see a better effort against the Swiss and then Canada. The U.S. is certainly capable.