1. Steady and smart
"My friend Buzzy Deschamps, America's oldest youth hockey coach, once told his college hockey team during a game they were getting blown out, 'OK guys, let's see if we can keep this under 10.' My feeling is the Latvia coaching staff might be thinking this at some point during this game Tuesday. In games like these, bad habits might creep in, but in the demolition of Slovakia on Sunday, the U.S. scored a lot of goals off smart hockey plays, not look-at-me plays. It showed they are dialed in and playing as a group."
2. Goalie goodness
"Who starts in goal? Goalies Trey Augustine (Detroit Red Wings) and Jacob Fowler (Montreal Canadiens) have been very good. It reminds me of 2010 when both Mike Lee and Jack Campbell split the net and each was very strong. Through my goalie eyes, Augustine has looked a little cleaner in his two games and something assistant/goalie coach David Lassonde said to me last week after the Canada exhibition game resonates in my mind ... 'When Canada tied that game 5-5, Augustine had the look like this was a huge moment in our process. I can't give up another one, I need to lock this down to build confidence moving forward. It's like he knew how big the moment was and what was needed.' Do you give the game to Fowler on Tuesday and give Augustine the physical and mental day off? Or do you play Augustine the rest of the way? Or have I read this totally backwards and is Fowler the guy who will run the rest of the way? We'll know more prior to the start of the game."
3. Dominate defensively
"As someone who is heavy on defender development, when I re-watch games, I mostly watch the defense. I mentioned on the Sunday broadcast how impressed I've been with defenseman Sam Rinzel (Chicago Blackhawks). His style of play and the role he plays is vital to success moving forward. As my friend Dave Shyiak (associate coach, St. Cloud State University) likes to say, 'defending is about close, kill, collect. Close gaps, kill plays early, let your forwards come back and collect pucks.' Rinzel has been tremendous here, and Eric Pohlkamp (San Jose Sharks) and Ryan Chesley (Washington Capitals) have also been strong defending and playing to their identity. The U.S. speed on the backline is a weapon. They aren't chasing many pucks or puck carriers, so they aren't in exposed positions where they have to take chasing penalties. To me, this is a huge thing to watch moving forward ... how well they continue to surf up ice, engage early, and keep rush chances wide so they can defend from inside position."
