With some big personalities on the Team USA men’s hockey team, many have wondered if the mild–mannered Auston Matthews is the ideal captain for the Americans.
But if the US is to have a chance for a gold medal with the way favorite Canada rolled through its group play, they are going to need big contributions from the talented Maple Leaf. Matthews appears to be heating up at the right time.
In their workmanlike 5-1 win over Germany on Sunday, Matthews delivered two goals and an assist to lift the US to victory and clinch their group, giving them a bye into Wednesday’s quarterfinal. The Yanks will face the winner of the Sweden-Latvia qualification playoff game on Tuesday. They opened up group play with a 5-1 win over the Latvians. The US finished 3-0 in group play, outscoring their opponents, 16-5.
The Canadians (3-0) won their group with a plus-17 goal differential, making them the top seed. They
“I thought we played a solid three periods,” goalscorer Brock Faber told NBC. “There’s stuff that we need to clean up but overall I thought we got better as the tournament went on. That’s what it’s all about. Now it gets real.”
The Canadians (3-0) won their group with a plus-17 goal differential, making them the top seed. They’ll play the winner of the Czechia-Denmark qualification playoff game.
Coach Mike Sullivan made a couple of tweaks to the lineup, inserting Clayton Keller and scratching Kyle Connor. Connor Hellebuyck was also back between the pipes and Jake Oettinger was his backup while Jeremy Swayman, who gave up a couple of shaky goals in the win over Denmark on Saturday, was the odd man out.
The Germany squad — boasting NHL stars Leon Draisaitl, Tim Stutzle and Mo Seider – promised to give the US their toughest game of group play. And they almost got to the first intermission with a deadlock. Draisaitl, a top-five player in the NHL, was held in check. He was also on the wrong end of a Matthew Tkachuk chirp that was picked up by a television microphone.
“Always a bridemaid, never a bride,” tweaked Tkachuk.
Draisaitl’s Edmonton Oilers have lost in the Stanley Cup Final to Tkachuk’s Florida Panthers the last two seasons.
“Some guys you have to play harder than most, physically and maybe after the whistle sometimes, too,” Tkachuk told reporters in Italy. “But I thought our line (with brother Brady and Jack Eichel), especially Eichel, did an unbelievable of giving him and their line nothing tonight.”
The Americans at one point held a 13-3 shot advantage in the first but they weren’t exactly clicking. On their power play, Auston Matthews actually collided in their own zone and the puck sat dangerously in high slot, but the US was able to recover before Germany could take advantage of the opportunity.
Germany appeared to be finding their legs late in the period and had a camped out in the US zone for a couple of shifts.
But just when it looked like the Germans would get to the break with a scoreless tie, the Americans struck with 8.7 seconds left in the period.
Quinn Hughes won a battle along the left boards and Matthews grabbed the loose puck. The USA captain zipped a cross-ice to Zach Werenski in the right circle. The Blue Jacket defenseman snapped a wrist shot through Seider’s legs and past goalie Maximilian Franzreb, providing the Americans with a much needed boost going into intermission.
Early in the second period, Franzreb made two terrific saves, the first one a glove stab on a Dylan Larkin shorthanded bid and the second on a Jack Eichel breakaway, who had just stepped out the box. But with the puck sitting just outside the crease on the Eichel chance, the Germans were forced to take a penalty.
On the man advantage, the US doubled their lead at 3:25. Quinn Hughes put a puck toward net and the rebound bounced off Matthews’ skate past Franzreb to make it 2-0.
The US created some more breathing room with a fluky goal at 17:35. Faber sent a puck toward the net up high. The shot appeared to be going over the net and Eichel put his stick up to deflect it. He didn’t touch it — if he had, the goal would have come off the board because his stick was over the crossbar — but it caused enough of a distraction for Franzreb, who tried to glove the puck. He flubbed it and the puck dropped down into the net behind him.
Just 1:55 into the third period, Tage Thompson scored on a one-timer from the high slot to make it 4–0 and the Americans could start turning their focus to Wednesday’s quarterfinal.
Matthews added his second goal off a great pass from Jake Sanderson before Stutzle finally spoiled Hellebuyck’s shutout bid with 8:38 left in the game. Hellebuyck made 23 saves in the win and appears ready for the knock-out stage.
