[GDT] Latvia vs. Canada, Mens Hockey at 10:00 AM Mountain

[Papi34]

Can i just point out a play that drove me absolutely crazy.. What a dumb play by Getzlaf to come down on a 2 on 2 with under 30 seconds left and try to snipe a shot top corner. he ends up missing the net luckily it doesnt hit the glass weird and leads to an oddman rush up ice. Total dumb play at that point in the game you float it into the goalies chest and get the faceoff in latvias end and trust a guy like teows to win the draw and kill the game with possession. Idiot Getzlaf does anyone else agree or am i over reacting?

[FlamesAddiction]

Every game has to taken in isolation in a tournament like this. Underdogs playing up to the competition and dominant teams falling short is something that can always happen in a round robin situation.

Having said that, I picked USA to win the gold before the puck dropped in this tournament. I love the way their team is structured. Still, anything can happen.

[opendoor]

Originally Posted by CaptainYooh

Then the problem of Calgary's next Stanley Cup could be solved just this easy. Who needs a pair of top-10 shutdown defensemen? Just collapse in front of the net and absorb the shots. I'd like to see how long would any NHL coach doing this last.

That's because it's not a viable strategy in the NHL where you have to play 82 games and go through four 7 game series. Talent will win out in the end and any team playing like Latvia did today would be broken down by the 1/4 mark of the season and you'd never have enough offense to win reliably.

It is a viable strategy, however, in a single game elimination tournament with a vast gulf in talent between teams. Playing that way was Latvia's only hope at winning so they did it.

[CaptainYooh]

I actually think that Canada will play better against the US than they played against the European teams. It's the same system they are familiar with.

[19Yzerman19]

Originally Posted by Locke

Holy crap! I didnt realize that Duchene was the best player in the world who scored goals at will, with or without the help of his teammates or the interference of pesky opposition players!!!

If we had such a colossus available its insane that we didnt use him! Coach Babcock must be keeping him reserve for far greater battles! The Great Duchene mustn't be wasted against such vastly inferior opposition!

He brings an element that no one else on the team has. No one we have has his speed, and no one in the tourney has that speed combined with his hands. So yeah, very possible that he's the X factor today that breaks through the Latvian defensive structure.

If nothing else, it's another high-caliber offensive player who might have been a source for goals. The same argument could be made that the brass could have picked Giroux, dammit.

Originally Posted by Textcritic

Duchene helps, but I don't think he makes this game a blow out. I agree about puck-placement, but is that really a coaching problem? I think that is more on the players. Besides, some of these issues appeared to me to be diminishing as the game wore on. I thought Canada looked much, much better in the third period.

I don't think he does either, but he may have scored or created a goal for us, very conceivably. Goals change games particularly when you're playing a team that would have had a hell of a time coming back from 2-0, and even if it had been 2-1 earlier may have opened up enough to pot a few more. So yeah, I do think it makes a difference.

But the question was simply "what could they have done differently to improve our game today", and IMO, Duchene in the lineup very probably improves our team on the ice.

As for puck placement, of course that's something the coaches can address. They dictate our offensive strategy. If they want players barging to the net on every play, that's what we'll do. If they want us cycling down low, that's what we'll do. If they want pucks in skates to create chaos... etc. I dunno about things getting better as the game went on though. I thought we were better in the first than the second, and there was some frustration creeping into the play in the third, though it was offset a bit by a hint of desperation to get another one before OT.

[codynw]

Originally Posted by CaptainYooh

Then the problem of Calgary's next Stanley Cup could be solved just this easy. Who needs a pair of top-10 shutdown defensemen? Just collapse in front of the net and absorb the shots. I'd like to see how long would any NHL coach doing this last.

How long has Tortorella been coaching?

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

Latvian players collapsed en masse in front of their own goal, and absorbed shots and disrupted scoring chances. That in itself—if it is the only thing the team is really committed to—is not terribly difficult to do. Beating that sort of defensive barricade is another matter, since, it is so difficult to get penetration in the slot when there are five opposition players defending it.

And it's worth noting that the Latvians could only play this way because they tied the game. If Canada had a one goal lead, Latvia would have had to come out of their shell at some point.

[19Yzerman19]

Patrick Kane on Phil Kessel: "He's probably the best guy I've ever played with".

Jonathan Toews on Patrick Kane: "He’s alright. That Kessel guy is even better, though."

[Cleveland Steam Whistle]

Originally Posted by CaptainYooh

I get really worried about Team Canada when a small team, like Latvia, can pose such a formidable threat in a quarter-final game. This game was way too close for comfort. Babcock better takes notes.

Im sure he wrote on his note pad, "Latvian game closer than expected". Then tomorrow he will whip out said note pad, re-read his note, and totally change the teams approach due to the incredible insight he just read.

[stemit14]

I know I'll be in the minority with this opinion but the more I've watched these Olympics the more I think canada should have opted for guys like iginla and Lucic over guys like St. Louis and Kunitz.

People try to suggest that iginla and Lucic aren't fast enough but they look plenty fast this season. More importantly, they are two of the best forwards in the league at winning battles along the boards... Their line is one of the most dominant lines in the NHL cause they can literally cycle the puck in the offensive zone for 2+ minutes at a time. Crosby doesn't need playmakers like St. Louis to get him the puck... It's more important for him to be able to give guys the puck in the cycle and know that they can keep the play going. Both iggy and Lucic can score and they both have a nose for the net. Right now, I think both of them would have been much more useful to team canada than St. Louis/Kunitz.

Just look at the forwards who are playing the best for canada right now... Getzlaf, perry, benn, and toews. They aren't known particularly for their speed... They are all guys that win battles and are hard to move off the puck... Just like Lucic and iginla.

[Iggy Snipe]

Kane is better than Kessel
Toews is better than Kessel.

Kane and Toews are trying to piss each other off. Its all part of the competition. They wouldn't actually think those ridiculous things.

Kessel is playing well. He is a very good player these days.


On my team, I would take Kane or Toews in a heartbeat over Kessel.

Originally Posted by 19Yzerman19

Patrick Kane on Phil Kessel: "He's probably the best guy I've ever played with".

Jonathan Toews on Patrick Kane: "He’s alright. That Kessel guy is even better, though."

[Travis Munroe]

The Latvian goalie played great but I have had it with facebook blowing up about how he was a god.
It was a case of Quantity over Quality. There were some great saves but for the most part, they were shots he could see or right at him. When we actually did move it around and set up 1 timers the puck was in the net.
This is something they need to address before the American game. Enough with throwing everything on net. The talent is there to make a pretty play that the goalie has no chance on. Its what the Americans have been doing all tournament.

[Hot_Flatus]

Originally Posted by automaton 3

Too bad that Giroux had such a rough start to the year, he's been on fire since and IMO should have made the team.

Team Canada had every opportunity to take him. He's been playing great since the first couple of weeks of the season and would certainly be more of an asset to the team then Kunitz.

[Iggy Snipe]

Originally Posted by Realtor 1

The Latvian goalie played great but I have had it with facebook blowing up about how he was a god.
It was a case of Quantity over Quality. There were some great saves but for the most part, they were shots he could see or right at him. When we actually did move it around and set up 1 timers the puck was in the net.
This is something they need to address before the American game. Enough with throwing everything on net. The talent is there to make a pretty play that the goalie has no chance on. Its what the Americans have been doing all tournament.

Gudlevskis played unreal. Canada had tons of scoring chances. A couple missed opportunities for sure, but the guy kept Latvia in the game until 7 minutes left in the third period. We missed at least 2 or 3 open nets for tap ins, Kunitz hit the cross bar, and Sid gets robbed on a breakaway. Perry could have had 2 or 3 as well.

Canada absolutely dominated. The puck barely entered the Canadian zone, and they had one hiccup on defence that resulted in the Latvia goal. They don't need to change anything. Unless you can tell your players to stop hitting cross bars, getting robbed, and missing the net. There was lots of traffic, Canada did a good job attacking. 9 games out of 10, that game was a 6-0 win for Canada.

[GreenLantern2814]

Originally Posted by stemit14

I know I'll be in the minority with this opinion but the more I've watched these Olympics the more I think canada should have opted for guys like iginla and Lucic over guys like St. Louis and Kunitz.

People try to suggest that iginla and Lucic aren't fast enough but they look plenty fast this season. More importantly, they are two of the best forwards in the league at winning battles along the boards... Their line is one of the most dominant lines in the NHL cause they can literally cycle the puck in the offensive zone for 2+ minutes at a time. Crosby doesn't need playmakers like St. Louis to get him the puck... It's more important for him to be able to give guys the puck in the cycle and know that they can keep the play going. Both iggy and Lucic can score and they both have a nose for the net. Right now, I think both of them would have been much more useful to team canada than St. Louis/Kunitz.

Just look at the forwards who are playing the best for canada right now... Getzlaf, perry, benn, and toews. They aren't known particularly for their speed... They are all guys that win battles and are hard to move off the puck... Just like Lucic and iginla.

This has merit... For all the talk of speed killing at these tournaments, some more players who are excellent on the boards would help us. These teams are not used to playing a physical game, and since there hasn't been a game where Team Canada hasn't dominated Time of Possession, there's no reason to think that would change with a couple bruisers who can go to work the way Iggy and Lucic can.

If anything, it might help them dictate the play more effectively.

Good post.

[MissTeeks]

Originally Posted by 19Yzerman19

Patrick Kane on Phil Kessel: "He's probably the best guy I've ever played with".

Jonathan Toews on Patrick Kane: "He’s alright. That Kessel guy is even better, though."

Who knew Captain Serious was that funny.

[Azure]

I actually thought they had more guys trying today than the last game.

Still don't like Kunitz on the team though. Can they just admit that there was no point in picking him and let Duchene play?

[flames_fan_down_under]

Watching the replay of the game on TSN. I honestly don't think there should be any concern about how Canada played. The Latvians were completely overwhelmed and had to use weird line changing tactics to get a breakaway on their lone goal. Canada was hitting posts, pucks that were sitting on the goal line, pucks sliding through the goalies legs and just through the crease, Latvians were covering pucks with their gloves to stop the puck from going in the net, basically every single near miss scenario possible happened.
I am not concerned at all about team Canada going against the Americans and it boggles me how little credit team Canada is getting from a select few.

[calgarywinning]

I don't know. The Latvians were punishing for the first 45:00 minutes. They were hammering away at Canada and forcing some turnovers. The whole Latvian team was buying in and there was a real push until they just got wore out.

I was also thinking that tougher players would have been a major benefit to the type of play that was exhibited today. Too much fancy skill stuff with not enough bite. They basically could very rarely get to the front of the net with an effective shot either.

I guess we will see Friday AM what's up.

[flames_fan_down_under]

Originally Posted by calgarywinning

I don't know. The Latvians were punishing for the first 45:00 minutes. They were hammering away at Canada and forcing some turnovers. The whole Latvian team was buying in and there was a real push until they just got wore out.

I was also thinking that tougher players would have been a major benefit to the type of play that was exhibited today. Too much fancy skill stuff with not enough bite. They basically could very rarely get to the front of the net with an effective shot either.

I guess we will see Friday AM what's up.

I'll give you the first 10 minutes maybe but definitely not 3/4 of the game.

I really do feel the Latvians are being given far too much credit for this game.