After watching the first two games the Canada has played in the Olympic IIHF tournament, it's clear what the glaring deficiency that will prevent them from winning gold is: too much star power. The problem so far with their play through 2 games is that they are being too cute with the puck and not doing the little things right: get the puck deep into the zone, pressure the defense, establish a good cycle, set-up plays in the slot, and get traffic in front of the net; in other words, playing the Canadian game.
The flashes of brilliance seen so far (the 2nd period of the Norway game and the 2 goals created by the San Jose line against Switzerland) came as a direct result of playing the same style of play that I mentioned above. The rest of the time, those high-quality scoring chances have just not been there and these two Tier B teams have made a star-studded cast of Canadian players look average.
A lot of fingers are being pointed at the fact that in a short tournament such as this one, the NHL stars are still adjusting to their new line-mates and systems. I think the problem is that we have too many high-skilled players playing with one another and there is confusion among the players how a play should be finished, ergo, all of the over-passing that we've seen so far that's resulted in a defensive break-up down low. How else do you explain a player like Sydney Crosby, a 41-goal scorer in the NHL, suddenly become a pass-first player and driving to the net only once (in retaliation to receiving a high stick to the face.)?
I know that Babcock is still trying to find chemistry, but we can't be successful if he continues to roll 4 1/3 forward lines and give everyone a proportionately equal amount of ice time. If Canada is to be successful moving forward, some players will have to take less ice time to allow the more pure goal scorers more time on the ice. I think that the coaches should really try giving 2 lines the majority of the ice time, while limiting the remaining seven players to roles that we would expect 3rd and 4th line NHLers to fulfill: bring a solid defensive game when on the ice and provide a few high-energy minutes.
What could be done? First (although this is a moot point), some defensive-minded forwards should have been named to team, a la Ryan Smyth and Shane Doan. Since that didn't happen Babcock should give most of the ice time to the San Jose line, by far the best offensive players through 2 games, as well as the Crosby, Nash, and Toews/Burgeron/Iginla (whoever Babcock deems the most compatible). I think that Perry and Getzlaf bring a physical presence to their game that could be suited for this 3rd-line roll. Players like Richards, Morrow , Staal, and Bergeron can kill penalties, play well defensively, and can bring a high tempo game that allows Canada to open up the forecheck and work the puck in the corners
In my heart, I'd like to think that the route Canada will take to the gold medal is similar to the path taken in Salt Lake City that saw the Canadians start slow, but get better as the tournament progressed. That being said, unless the coaching staff sets a more rigid shift-rotation and the players will start playing their game, it could be another early exit for the boys in white and red.
The flashes of brilliance seen so far (the 2nd period of the Norway game and the 2 goals created by the San Jose line against Switzerland) came as a direct result of playing the same style of play that I mentioned above. The rest of the time, those high-quality scoring chances have just not been there and these two Tier B teams have made a star-studded cast of Canadian players look average.
A lot of fingers are being pointed at the fact that in a short tournament such as this one, the NHL stars are still adjusting to their new line-mates and systems. I think the problem is that we have too many high-skilled players playing with one another and there is confusion among the players how a play should be finished, ergo, all of the over-passing that we've seen so far that's resulted in a defensive break-up down low. How else do you explain a player like Sydney Crosby, a 41-goal scorer in the NHL, suddenly become a pass-first player and driving to the net only once (in retaliation to receiving a high stick to the face.)?
I know that Babcock is still trying to find chemistry, but we can't be successful if he continues to roll 4 1/3 forward lines and give everyone a proportionately equal amount of ice time. If Canada is to be successful moving forward, some players will have to take less ice time to allow the more pure goal scorers more time on the ice. I think that the coaches should really try giving 2 lines the majority of the ice time, while limiting the remaining seven players to roles that we would expect 3rd and 4th line NHLers to fulfill: bring a solid defensive game when on the ice and provide a few high-energy minutes.
What could be done? First (although this is a moot point), some defensive-minded forwards should have been named to team, a la Ryan Smyth and Shane Doan. Since that didn't happen Babcock should give most of the ice time to the San Jose line, by far the best offensive players through 2 games, as well as the Crosby, Nash, and Toews/Burgeron/Iginla (whoever Babcock deems the most compatible). I think that Perry and Getzlaf bring a physical presence to their game that could be suited for this 3rd-line roll. Players like Richards, Morrow , Staal, and Bergeron can kill penalties, play well defensively, and can bring a high tempo game that allows Canada to open up the forecheck and work the puck in the corners
In my heart, I'd like to think that the route Canada will take to the gold medal is similar to the path taken in Salt Lake City that saw the Canadians start slow, but get better as the tournament progressed. That being said, unless the coaching staff sets a more rigid shift-rotation and the players will start playing their game, it could be another early exit for the boys in white and red.
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