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

[BigNumbers]

Originally Posted by Magnum PEI

Be prepared, USA will likely win by a healthy margin. Canada is basically the same team as 2010 with a worse defence. Their up-and-comers (Tavares, Stamkos, Giroux) have been wiped out. The defence has replaced Niedermayer and Pronger with Pietrangelo and Bouwmeester.

Meanwhile the US has improved with Kane Kessel and Suter elite NHLers now.
I'm thinking 4-1 or 3-0 USA.

[flames_fan_down_under]

Originally Posted by Magnum PEI

Be prepared, USA will likely win by a healthy margin. Canada is basically the same team as 2010 with a worse defence. Their up-and-comers (Tavares, Stamkos, Giroux) have been wiped out. The defence has replaced Niedermayer and Pronger with Pietrangelo and Bouwmeester.

Meanwhile the US has improved with Kane Kessel and Suter elite NHLers now.
I'm thinking 4-1 or 3-0 USA.

The USA lost Brian Rafalski? How does that not factor into your analysis?

Drew Doughty, Shea Weber, Duncan Keith, Alex Pietrangelo can't do what Niedermeyer and Pronger could do?

LOL. Ok man I'll prepare myself.

[puffnstuff]

Or... Doughty and Weber replace Nieds and Pronger whilst Bouw and Pietrangelo replace Boyle and Seabrook.
See what I did there, I used the word whilst (and correctly too, I believe)

[Azure]

The defense has been playing great, and are perhaps the only reason Canada has come this far.

[Machiavelli]

Any word on tomorrow's lineup?

[hurtin_albertan]

Originally Posted by Machiavelli

Any word on tomorrow's lineup?

Duchene in for Tavares and Price starting is all I know to be confirmed. I would assume that the D stays the same, PK watching.

[Magnum PEI]

2014
Doughty-Vlasic
Weber-Keith
Pietrangelo-Bouwmeester
Hamhuis

2010
Pronger-Niedermayer
Doughty-Keith
Weber-Boyle
Seabrook

Second group is absolutley stacked. The first one, not so much.
We'll see what happens against an elite team which has a bit more to offer than Ollie Jokinen and Markus Granlund as their top forwards.

[orr444]

Originally Posted by Magnum PEI

Be prepared, USA will likely win by a healthy margin. Canada is basically the same team as 2010 with a worse defence. Their up-and-comers (Tavares, Stamkos, Giroux) have been wiped out. The defence has replaced Niedermayer and Pronger with Pietrangelo and Bouwmeester.

Meanwhile the US has improved with Kane Kessel and Suter elite NHLers now.
I'm thinking 4-1 or 3-0 USA.

Haha sounds like you know exactly what will happen. My oh my I'll remember this post tomorrow

[DOOM]

Originally Posted by Magnum PEI

2014
Doughty-Vlasic
Weber-Keith
Pietrangelo-Bouwmeester
Hamhuis

2010
Pronger-Niedermayer
Doughty-Keith
Weber-Boyle
Seabrook

Second group is absolutley stacked. The first one, not so much.
We'll see what happens against an elite team which has a bit more to offer than Ollie Jokinen and Markus Granlund as their top forwards.

Mikael Granlund.......


Canada has a better d-core, forwards and their goalies have played better then the USA in this tournament.

Huge lol that you don't think the best d-core in the tournament is stacked..

[19Yzerman19]

Doughty was 18 in 2010. Crosby was 22. Toews was 21. Weber was 24, as were Bergeron, Perry and Getzlaf. Pietrangelo was in junior. The core of the Canadian team is now in, or closer to, its prime. The 2014 versions of these players are better than their 2010 versions.

Granted, the same is true of much of the USA roster. So, I guess we'll just see... won't we?

[SuperMatt18]

Canada needs to come out like they did against the Russians in 2010.

Similar questions against Canada that year too. Couldn't Score enough, disappointed in a tough game against an opponent in their group (U.S/Finland), eeked out a nail biter against a minnow (Swiss/Latvia), and couldn't find any chemistry among the forwards.

Was the same thing last time going into their first real test against a team who was playing much better then them. Need to play with that same chip on their shoulder this time.

[Tyler]

People are getting too worked up over tomorrow's game. It's going to be a bloodbath. We are going to absolutely destroy the American's before we walk right over the Gold medal game.

[GirlySports]

Bouwmeester will crush someone, that will set the tone

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Magnum PEI

2014
Doughty-Vlasic
Weber-Keith
Pietrangelo-Bouwmeester
Hamhuis

2010
Pronger-Niedermayer
Doughty-Keith
Weber-Boyle
Seabrook

Second group is absolutley stacked. The first one, not so much.
We'll see what happens against an elite team which has a bit more to offer than Ollie Jokinen and Markus Granlund as their top forwards.

This post is just oblivious.

Niedermayer was well beyond his prime. Doughty was about 18. Weber was awesome, but not as complete a player as he is now.

This year's D is better than 2010. Period.

Edit: what 19Yzerman19 said

[getbak]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

Bouwmeester will crush someone, that will set the tone

I hope they don't wait for that to happen.

[Tyler]

All Bouwmeester will do is shoot wide. Because he sucks. What a goofy decision to bring that plug to Sochi.

[Azure]

He hasn't made any mistakes defensively, but yeah, his offensive game sure as hell is nowhere to be found as usual.

[Fire]

Any previous games means jack squat going into this semi-final game. I wouldn't be surprised with any result but I give Canada the slight advantage.

[blender]

It's a one-game knockout. There is no way to predict who will win. It is all guessing at this point. Both teams have enough talent; whichever one executes better will win. Or whoever gets a lucky bounce at the right time. Or whoever benefits from bad officiating.

Comparing rosters and arguing about who is in their prime or who was past their prime in 2010 is a ridiculous exercise.

Either way, it will be a cracker of a game, and because I'm Canadian I believe Canada will find a way to get it done.

Should be fun.

[V]

So much confidence in this thread, when the teams are so close and it's a one game series.

The only result that will surprise me is a blowout on either side. I think it'll be 3-2 again.