Ice Hockey 2015 - 2016 Discussion Thread

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United States - Canada  1-5

 

 

 

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Champs earn decisive win

Five different goal scorers carry Canada to win

Canada's Taylor Hall #4 celebrates with Ben Hutton #10, Michael Matheson #7 and Derick Brassard #19 after scoring Team Canada's first goal of the game during preliminary round action at the 2016 IIHF Ice Hockey Championship.

 

 

North American rivals Canada and the United States faced off in the opening tilt here at the 2016 World Championships.

 

Canada came back from an early deficit in the first period to score five unanswered goals en route to a 5-1 victory at the 2016 IIHF World Championships.

 

Canada has now won its last eleven world championship contests going back to last years tournament when they ran the table and went undefeated in earning gold.

 

A first period goal by Brendan Gallagher gave Canada a lead they would not relinquish. Cam Talbot turned aside 24 shots for the win.

 

"We’ve got to fix some things in the defensive zone." USA Captain Matt Hendricks said. "Our structure broke down too many times tonight and gave them too many opportunities. A team with that type of high-end skill, they’re going to find the back of the net."

 

The Americans came out determined to make their mark. When Brody Jenner was called for a high stick at 3:40, it allowed for the first power play of the game. Team USA moved the puck well and some shots found their way to the net. At 4:54 Patrick Maroon found the back of the net with a solid effort.

 

Maroon took a pass from Kyle Connor near the side of the net then made a move in front for a high percentage shot. Talbot was able to get his pads on it but Maroon calmly found the rebound in traffic, took control of the puck and went backhand to score on his Edmonton Oilers teammate.

 

Connor and David Warsofsky assisted on the power play goal.

 

Not to be outdone, Canada bounced back quickly some thirty-one seconds later. Keith Kinkaid could not react fast enough to a Taylor Hall shot and the game was tied. Corey Perry was able to force Noah Hanifan to turn over the puck. Derick Brassard took over from there finding Hall who shot the puck under the goalie’s left pad at 5:25.

 

Hall picked up where he left off last spring when he scored seven World Championship goals and finished as the third leading goal scorer in the tournament.

 

Canada took the lead at 8:48 with Gallagher’s goal. Gallagher gained possession of the puck deep in the USA zone then shuffled a pass on to Ryan O’Reilly. O’Reilly sent it back to Gallagher who rifled a shot over Kinkaid’s left shoulder. It was his first of the tournament and scored on his birthday.

 

"It was nice." Gallagher said of scoring on the day of his birth. "It’s actually my little sister’s birthday as well. I texted her and told her I’d get her one, so that’s nice."

 

Canada outshot Team USA 16-8 in the period with Hall and Gallagher notching three apiece.

 

Matt Duchene widened the lead at 11:37 of the second period. A rocket from the faceoff circle extended Canada’s lead to two goals. Duchene accepted a pass from Cody Ceci and showed plenty of patience in taking his time to shoot.

 

Once Canada found a groove in this game, they really got things rolling. The Americans created their chances but were not able to solve Talbot beyond the first period.

 

"The guys are getting along great." Gallagher said of the effort. "We’re becoming a team as we go along. It was a good start for us. Hopefully as the tournament goes on, we’ll get better and better."

 

Boone Jenner added a third period tally for good measure. Similar to the goal scored by Hall in the first, Jenner sent a shot in at a sharp angle past Kinkaid’s left pad and skate.

 

With this battle of North America behind both teams, they now focus on European competition in their quest to advance in this tournament. The US must shake this off and come back tomorrow to play Belarus.

 

"There’s a lot of hockey ahead," Hendricks said. "Fortunately, we get to play again tomorrow. It’ll be good to go home, get some good food, get some good rest and be ready to go."

 

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Sweden - Latvia  2-1 (OT)

 

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Sweden scrapes win

Elvis stars as Latvia forces OT

Latvia's Elvis Merzlikins #30 reaches out with his glove in attempt to make the save during preliminary round action at the 2016 IIHF Ice Hockey Championship.

 

 

An impressive performance from rookie goalie Elvis Merzlikins helps Latvia test the Swedes in game one before Gustav Nyquist wins it in the 64th minute.

 

A youthful Latvian line-up, ably backstopped by rookie goalie Elvis Merzlikins, sprang a surprise in the opening game of the 2016 IIHF World Championship against Sweden.

 

Despite giving up an early goal against one of the pre-tournament favourites, the Baltic nation showed great resilience – and no little innovation on offence – to stay in the game and snatch a dramatic game-tying goal through Kristaps Sotnieks in the 53rd minute.

 

The Dinamo Riga defenceman had already seen a couple of chances go begging when he struck on the power play, collecting Mikelis Redlihs’ astute pass into the deep slot and taking advantage of a clear sight of Jacob Markstrom’s net to find the top corner and delight the maroon clad contingent in the Moscow Ice Palace.

 

It almost got better for the underdog: with five to play and the game in a four-on-four format, Gints Meija stole the puck on his own blue and surged forward, only to be denied a game-winning goal by Markstrom.

 

But victory finally went to the Tre Kronor in the last minute of overtime when Gustav Nyquist got on the end of a two-man breakaway to convert Alexander Wennberg's pass and finally ended Merlikis' resistance after the goalie made 40 saves in regulation to help his team to a valuable point. Despite the defeat, the outcome was more encouraging for Latvia, a team in transition that was expected to be battling against relegation, rather than a Swedish roster expected to contend for medals.

 

Although Merzlikins was the talk of the arena after the game, his thoughts were on a potential victory that got away in overtime.

"It hurts to lose that one," he said in the mixed zone. "We were poor in the build up to the [winning] goal. The Swedes showed that they have a good team and it wasn't easy for us, but I still think we deserved to win."

 

Initially it all seemed very different. Sweden struck early with Jimmie Ericsson opening the scoring in the third minute. Mikael Backlund broke into Latvia’s zone and trod on the puck, only to see the disc squirt on to Ericsson’s stick. A well-placed wrister claimed the first marker of the 2016 IIHF World Championship.

 

But if the Swedes anticipated a straightforward path to an opening win against one of Group A’s outsiders, they were quickly disabused of that notion. Latvia’s youthful roster played with great spirit and carved out a few clear chances to equalize in the opening stanza. Oskars Cibulskis flashed in a shot from the point that almost snuck through Markstrom’s defences before captain Kaspars Daugavins deked his way into the danger zone but lacked the guile to really test the Tre Kronor goalie.

 

Then defenceman Sotnieks saw the ice open up in front of him, only for his shot to squirt well wide under the overly-aggressive attentions of Nyquist. The final big chance of the first frame came in the last minute of the period when Miks Indrasis fired the puck into the slot where Gunars Skvorcovs attempted a delicate backhand from right in front of the net. Once again, Markstrom was up to the task.

 

“Latvia’s a good team,” the shotstopper said. “They play physical, they work hard and they’ve got some good players – a couple from the NHL, a lot from the KHL. You can’t take any team lightly in this competition.

 

“Gustav got a big goal for us [in overtime]. The first game is always tough but we stepped it up in overtime and we’re happy to get that first win. Of course you’d like to score a lot of goals but we’ll take these win and then try to clean up a lot of stuff after that.”

 

If Latvia created the openings in the first period, Sweden was determined not to allow a repeat in the middle session. For long periods the game got bogged down in centre ice. The men in yellow largely controlled the game but, even with the benefit of two power plays, failed to carve out clear opportunities for a killer second goal.

 

Gradually the Latvians, encouraged by the characteristically vocal support of their fans, began to offer more. Another Daugavins effort drew a good pad save from Markstrom. Soon after, a slaloming rush almost took Gints Meija coast to coast before, once again, the goalie put up an impregnable barrier.

 

Daugavins himself was fairly satisfied with his team's start. "Our game plan was to be patient and I think we did that well," he said. "It sucks to lose in overtime but we earned a point today and that's important for us."

 

At the start of the third Sweden upped its offence. Nyquist twice drew good saves from Merzlikins, a 22-year-old making his World Championship debut with an assured display. The HC Lugano youngster, a silver medallist in Switzerland's National League this season, remained solid throughout to earn the headlines despite his team's narrow loss.

 

Par Marts’ team could not find the decisive second goal against the HC Lugano netminder and Merzlikins was rewarded for his 40 saves in regulation as Latvia claimed a point for taking us into overtime.

 

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TEAM PRESENTATIONS

  Canada

 

    Home

 

    Away

Can Canada do it again?

Defending champs bring youthful roster to Russia

 

In 2015, Canada won gold with an Olympic-class roster. The 2016 team has promise, but also resembles the ones that lost in the quarter-finals from 2010 to 2014.

 

Repeating as champions at this tournament has become more challenging than it was in the past. Five different nations have won gold at the last six IIHF World Championships. Russia was the last country to take back-to-back titles (2008, 2009).

So a lot of factors must fall into place for the Canadians, who have three returning players from 2015, to claim top spot again. Generating team chemistry quickly with players from rival NHL clubs. Adapting to the big European ice surface. Getting big-time performances out of young players and those who are new to the international game with its tighter officiating. This will be an entertaining team to watch at Yubileiny – and possibly beyond.

Goal

The 2014 team in Belarus looked to an Edmonton Oilers netminder trying to establish himself as a NHL starter, and this year’s squad will do the same as  Cam Talbot makes his IIHF debut. The 28-year-old Talbot, an undrafted former NCAA all-star, has seen more NHL action this season (2.55 GAA, 91.7 save percentage in 56 games) than Ben Scrivens did two years ago. Tall and athletic, Talbot has struggled at times with consistency, but the Oilers have confidence in him, giving him a three-year contract extension in January.

Calvin Pickard of the Colorado Avalanche, who played 21 games in his NHL sophomore season as Semyon Varlamov’s backup, is the number two goalie. Pickard’s previous IIHF experience came at the 2010 IIHF U18 World Championship, where Canada finished seventh.

Defence

Can Chris Tanev emerge as a linchpin for this Canadian defence? Though little-known outside Vancouver, Tanev, 26, was one of the few players to prosper during John Tortorella’s disastrous 2013-14 stint as the head coach of the Canucks. Impressively, he has just 40 PIM in 295 career NHL games. He's the oldest blueliner on this team. His penchant for shot-blocking and making a good first pass will provide a needed counterpoint to the high-risk, high-reward styles of Matt Dumba (Minnesota Wild) and Morgan Rielly (Toronto Maple Leafs).

Ben Hutton, another Canuck, must think he’s living the dream. The 23-year-old former University of Maine star wasn’t even expected to crack Willie Desjardins’ roster this season, but went on to post 25 points as a regular. Now, he’s wearing his country’s jersey for the first time ever. Ryan Murray, the #2 overall pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2012, recorded the same number of points as Hutton. He finally got to showcase his two-way style over a full 82-game slate after struggling with injuries in his first two seasons.

There is potential here, but youth and international inexperience could prove to be an Achilles heel come the playoff round.

Forward

Canada may have the best group of forwards in the tournament – and also the most irritating. Let’s start with the best.

All eyes will be on Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers) in his senior IIHF debut. Named a Calder Trophy finalist with 48 points in an injury-shortened 45-game rookie season, the 19-year-old has the potential to follow in the footsteps of previous Canadian hockey superstars Wayne Gretzky and Sidney Crosby by winning the scoring title at his first Worlds. (Gretzky had 16 points in 1982 in Finland, while Crosby totalled 16 points in 2006 in Latvia.) In a year with fewer exceptional NHL newcomers, the skilled and determined Max Domi (Arizona Coyotes) would also be up for the Calder Trophy after notching 18 goals and 52 points in the desert.

When it comes to experience, captain Corey Perry (Anaheim Ducks) has it in spades as a two-time Olympic gold medalist and Stanley Cup champion. Coming off his sixth season with 30 or more goals, Perry will be antsy after failing to score in the playoffs against the Nashville Predators. He’s also noted for his ability to get under the skin of other players, a trait he shares with Brad Marchand (Boston Bruins) and Brendan Gallagher (Montreal Canadiens).

Marchand scored a career-high 37 goals this season, and is representing Canada for the first time since winning consecutive World Junior golds in 2007 and 2008. Gallagher, whose second effort is never questioned, picked up 40 points in just 53 games, and will be eager for redemption after the Habs’ nightmarish season. All these forwards, along with first-time 30-goal man Boone Jenner (Columbus Blue Jackets), can be difference-makers as long as they stick to playing between the whistles.

The three returning forwards from last year are 2015 all-star Taylor Hall (Edmonton Oilers), 2014 Olympic gold medalist Matt Duchene (Colorado Avalanche), and Ryan O’Reilly (Buffalo Sabres). They’re all coming off seasons of about 60 points, and their presence will help to ensure that Canada fills the net at a rapid rate. Nonetheless, this team will be hard-pressed to come close to last year’s Canadian-record output of 66 goals.

Coaching

Bill Peters flies under the radar as the coach of the Carolina Hurricanes, but the second-year NHL bench boss has learned his craft from the best in the business. He collaborated with Mike Babcock as an assistant coach with the Detroit Red Wings, and the 51-year-old’s association with Babcock goes all the way back to the WHL’s Spokane Chiefs at the turn of the new millennium. Expect Peters to preach the traditional uptempo Canadian style with aggressive forechecking. He’ll be assisted by two NHL coaches who were relieved of their duties this season, Dave Cameron (ex-Ottawa Senators) and Mike Yeo (ex-Minnesota Wild), plus Hockey Canada’s Misha Donskov.

Projected Results

Trying to predict where Canada will finish this year is as hard as tracking a Shea Weber slap shot. The Canadians could power their way to the final, but could also very well miss the mark and get knocked out in the quarter-finals. Despite the world-class selection of forwards, the goaltending and defence both present significant question marks. Canada should contend for first place in Group B, and then we’ll see what happens.

 

[NikolaB 432]

Easy win for Canada and just today I noticed how young US team is (6 or 7 players are form Michigan University and Boston college)I doubt US can qualify for QF. And on second game Latvia made huge surprise, I expected much more from Sweden

 

And now Russia vs Czech Republic

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Scores after 1st period

 

A

Czech Republic - Russia  1-0  (1-0, -, -)

14:48 Tomáš KUNDRÁTEK 1-0

 

B

Finland - Belarus  0-0  (0-0, -, -)

 

[Finnator123 292]

23 hours ago, hckosice said:

ROAD TO

IIHF MEN´S ICE HOCKEY WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS 2016

 

-1

Day To Go

 

Team Jersey for the 80th IIHF World Championships 2016

 

 

  Finland

 

       Home

 

       Away

 

WRONG JERSEY     We use the same jersey from last year

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1 minute ago, Finnator123 said:

WRONG JERSEY     We use the same jersey from last year

 

yes, I know there many wrong jerseys here (for SVK too btw), but I can´t find the pics for the right ones, but don´t worry when I´ll find them I´ll change them

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oh my godness! what a tic tac toe goal for Finland