Canada/USA Pre-Game Thoughts

The stage has been set, and its players named. Sunday night, as the clocked ticked down to zero, the Canadian faithful could be heard loud and proud; “We want USA!”.

Their wish has been granted.

For Canada, the semifinal match up means one thing: redemption. Almost one year after the upsetting loss to the Americans, a victory tonight couldn’t be more sweet; the loser playing for bronze, rather than the coveted gold medal.

Twelve players that hit the ice tonight have been here before, all having played for their respective clubs a year prior in the gold medal game. Eight of those coming from below the border.

Forwards Chris Kreider and Nick Palmieri have anchored the US squad to a perfect 4 and 0 record, maintaining a point per game average. The US have relied on their speed and skill to blow open the doors on their opponents.

The American’s also have returning Leafs prospect Jerry D’Amigo, who dominated the tournament last year with 12 points in 7 games played, yet has been held to only one goal so far this year. Bob McKenzie of TSN said it best when mentioning D’Amigo as a player who could and will need to take his game to the next level if the US is going to win.

The American’s biggest asset has been made pretty clear throughout this tournament and last. Returning goaltender, and Dallas Stars first round pick, Jack Campbell has been lights out. With a .957% Save Percentage, and a 1.03 GAA, it’s quite clear that the Canucks have their work cut out for them to break through this armor.

And while Canada should have had reliable goaltending coming in, neither Roy nor Visentin came out as the clear cut number one, both allowing soft goals. I felt Visentin would eventually take the mantle from Roy, which he did by starting yesterday’s quarterfinal against the Swiss.

Tonight’s battle royale could come down to the US’s speed versus Canada’s size and physical play. The American’s have the experience, and a goaltender capable of shutting Canada right down. With elimination on the line, expect Canada to come out hard from puck drop.

The Canadians have their bulletin board material. When interviewed after their come-from-behind win, Russian Forward and Washington 2010 First Round Pick, Evgeni Kuznetsov, had this to say: “I hope to see a better comeback in the final against the United States.”

With so few predicting a Canadian win, it could just be the spark needed for victory. The aforementioned D’Amigo put it this way: “It’s going to be a battle.”

For OpenIceHockey, I’m Brian Huddle.