Match Preview: Thursday,16 May 2013, One of the important
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online free, Russia vs USA live stream video The U.S. Men’s National
Team had solid run through the group stage at
the IIHF Men’s World Championship in Helsinki, Finland. A 5-0-0-2
record assured the Americans a spot in the quarterfinals, however
a disappointing loss in the final game to Slovakia dropped Team USA to
third place in the group and forced a date with defending gold medalist
Russia in the quarterfinal.
The U.S. and Russia met earlier in the tournament, with the defending champs claiming a 5-3 victory. Team USA hung with the Russians all game, but it was Ilya Kovalchuk and Alexander Radulov leading a third-period surge that put Team Russia over the top.
It’s going to be a tough game and not a lot of folks are going to pick Team USA to come out with a win. The quarterfinals has been an annual stalling point for U.S. teams at this tournament, so it’s going to be an awfully tall order when the two teams square off at 6 a.m. ET Thursday on NBC Sports Network.
Since the two teams last met, the U.S. has added Alex Galchenyuk and T.J. Oshie, who now have each had a few days to adjust to the time difference and the bigger ice. Russia meanwhile made a big addition of its own Tuesday as Alex Ovechkin informed the media he would join his national team. Ovechkin’s hockey bag, however, did not arrive with him in Finland and could put his availability in jeopardy for Thursday.
The U.S. will be preparing as if Ovechkin can play, but they already had their hands full with a highly-skilled Russian team that can turn their offense up at will it seems. Russia also added Washington Capitals top prospect Evgeni Kuznetsov to the roster.
Led by Ilya Kovalchuk (13 points) and Alex Radulov (10 points), Russia has strength at the top of its forward lineup, so adding Ovechkin only makes it stronger. Among other players familiar to North American hockey fans, Artem Anisimov, Andrei Loktionov and Fedor Tyutin all play sizable roles as well. Kuznetsov could end up being a high-impact addition as he only has gotten two games under his belt so far.
In goal, it has been an NHL tandem, with Ilya Bryzgalov posting the better numbers. Semyon Varlamov is more likely to back up. Bryzgalov has a .934 save percentage and 1.33 goals-against average, so he’s been mostly solid for his homeland.
The Russian team does have some holes defensively and their offensive depth probably is below average compared to previous teams, but the U.S. will have to track plenty of offensive threats on the other side of the ice.
In the last meeting between the two clubs, the U.S. allowed a lot of chances against and were still gaining some familiarity with each other. With four games since the prelim match-up with Russia, the U.S. has built some confidence and consistency.
Additionally, John Gibson is going to start in net for Team USA, according to Joe Sacco, so that will be another key difference from the last meeting, when Ben Bishop was between the pipes. Bishop has had some clunker starts since, while Gibson has made two spectacular starts. Russia will easily be his toughest to date, though.
The 19-year-old Anaheim Ducks prospect isn’t normally one to be swallowed by the occasion, playing some of his best hockey in the highest-pressure games. He’s won gold at the U18s and WJC over the last two seasons because of that even-keel he brings. Having a .984 save percentage and 0.50 goals-against average should give him and his team some confidence, even against Russia.
Team USA will likely need its top two lines to contribute in a big way offensively if its going to have any chance against Russia.
The top line of Paul Stastny centering David Moss and Craig Smith has been outstanding throughout the tournament and was Team USA’s biggest threat throughout the game against Russia. Stastny leads Team USA with nine points in seven games, while Smith has seven and Moss has five.
The U.S. and Russia met earlier in the tournament, with the defending champs claiming a 5-3 victory. Team USA hung with the Russians all game, but it was Ilya Kovalchuk and Alexander Radulov leading a third-period surge that put Team Russia over the top.
It’s going to be a tough game and not a lot of folks are going to pick Team USA to come out with a win. The quarterfinals has been an annual stalling point for U.S. teams at this tournament, so it’s going to be an awfully tall order when the two teams square off at 6 a.m. ET Thursday on NBC Sports Network.
Since the two teams last met, the U.S. has added Alex Galchenyuk and T.J. Oshie, who now have each had a few days to adjust to the time difference and the bigger ice. Russia meanwhile made a big addition of its own Tuesday as Alex Ovechkin informed the media he would join his national team. Ovechkin’s hockey bag, however, did not arrive with him in Finland and could put his availability in jeopardy for Thursday.
The U.S. will be preparing as if Ovechkin can play, but they already had their hands full with a highly-skilled Russian team that can turn their offense up at will it seems. Russia also added Washington Capitals top prospect Evgeni Kuznetsov to the roster.
Led by Ilya Kovalchuk (13 points) and Alex Radulov (10 points), Russia has strength at the top of its forward lineup, so adding Ovechkin only makes it stronger. Among other players familiar to North American hockey fans, Artem Anisimov, Andrei Loktionov and Fedor Tyutin all play sizable roles as well. Kuznetsov could end up being a high-impact addition as he only has gotten two games under his belt so far.
In goal, it has been an NHL tandem, with Ilya Bryzgalov posting the better numbers. Semyon Varlamov is more likely to back up. Bryzgalov has a .934 save percentage and 1.33 goals-against average, so he’s been mostly solid for his homeland.
The Russian team does have some holes defensively and their offensive depth probably is below average compared to previous teams, but the U.S. will have to track plenty of offensive threats on the other side of the ice.
In the last meeting between the two clubs, the U.S. allowed a lot of chances against and were still gaining some familiarity with each other. With four games since the prelim match-up with Russia, the U.S. has built some confidence and consistency.
Additionally, John Gibson is going to start in net for Team USA, according to Joe Sacco, so that will be another key difference from the last meeting, when Ben Bishop was between the pipes. Bishop has had some clunker starts since, while Gibson has made two spectacular starts. Russia will easily be his toughest to date, though.
The 19-year-old Anaheim Ducks prospect isn’t normally one to be swallowed by the occasion, playing some of his best hockey in the highest-pressure games. He’s won gold at the U18s and WJC over the last two seasons because of that even-keel he brings. Having a .984 save percentage and 0.50 goals-against average should give him and his team some confidence, even against Russia.
Team USA will likely need its top two lines to contribute in a big way offensively if its going to have any chance against Russia.
The top line of Paul Stastny centering David Moss and Craig Smith has been outstanding throughout the tournament and was Team USA’s biggest threat throughout the game against Russia. Stastny leads Team USA with nine points in seven games, while Smith has seven and Moss has five.
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