I didn't say Canada is expected to lose. I said they're not
supposed to win. That isn't the expectation. It's, at best, an even contest, and in a one-game series there should be no real surprise if either team wins.
In contrast, Finland or Slovakia winning against either of those teams would be a very clear upset. Canada and the US are both supposed to win those games.
Also, going into this tournament was that the USA had the slightly stronger lineup on paper as a result of having better goaltending and defence, and that Canada's only real advantage is at center. Quinn Hughes is arguably the USA's best player, and the teams were evenly matched at 4 nations without him. And now Canada is without Crosby. It's close, anyway.
Quote:
Originally Posted by GioforPM
I don’t think the USA has better forwards, and their goaltending is questionable at the moment. They have better defencemen in general, but Canada has the best defenceman.
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I think Hughes is better in any context, but especially in this tournament where he's not only great in his own right but a force multiplier for everyone else on the ice with him. And Werenski isn't far behind either of them.