"The U.S. power play won them the game against Finland in the second and third period when they had the Finns on their heels a lot," Starman said. "I thought they adjusted their neutral-zone reloads, used wide ice more and upped the pace to the point where Finland just couldn't match it shift for shift. The penalty kill was huge, going 2-for-2, and the power play scored twice.
"An historical note, and it might have played into this game: U.S. coach David Carle, when coaching Denver University, was playing Mike Hastings' Minnesota State Mavericks for the national title in 2022. Minnesota State had Denver, a high-flying, puck possession, pace-and-skill team on the ropes, and down 1-0 entering the third period Denver looked lost. However, they adjusted, found its game in the third and won 6-1. I have to think some lessons learned from that game played into how Carle handled this team after the first period."
Here are Starman's 3 keys to victory for the United States against Sweden:
1. Stopping at the start
"Goalie Trey Augustine (Detroit Red Wings) has to be better earlier. In an odd way of looking at it, the semifinal game as a favorite is a harder game to win than the big one at times, and I think Augustine, who settled in after allowing the second goal that gave Finland a 2-0 lead, will be great from the word go. Sweden is a highly gifted offensive team, but Augustine looked like a brick wall for 50 minutes against Finland. He's a difference-maker No. 1 in the game."
2. Remain focused
"There is some hatred and rivalry between the 2004 age group here, and the U.S. players have mentioned that. Discipline is a huge factor, and the U.S. has been really good here, not having to kill a lot of penalties the last couple of games. While energy and adrenaline should be overflowing, killing penalties can drain your team physically. So, staying out of the box in a one-and-done is crucial. At 5-on-5, they showed they can tighten up, which was a big step."
3. Bench management
"Carle is a future NHL head coach, like his predecessor at Denver, Jim Mongomery, now with the Boston Bruins. His staff includes coaches who have won World Juniors gold, won NCAA national titles, coached in NCAA and conference championship games and who understand big-game bench management. The key for the United States is using its offensive depth to leave the next line with opportunities offensively. Can one line possess pucks, grind, skate, get chances and hand the puck over to the next line up coming in fresh and take advantage of a tired opposition quintet on the ice? It worked for stretches against Finland and, to me, is part of the equation versus the Swedes. Both teams are deep. Whoever controls possession and pace and can wear the other down will matter. The U.S. staff is as deep as its player roster. I think that's a huge advantage."
