I am going to be gone away from my computer all weekend so I’ve decided to leave you all an assignment that hopefully one or more of you will follow up on.  Here is a small list of questions I would love to come home and have an answer to after this weekend:

1. How did the Flying Circus look in their first performance this year?
2. How did Mattias Ritola’s play?  Was Pittsburgh a one-off or was he still showing important offensive flashes?
3. How was Mike Modano’s reception at JLA?  Did he look excited?  Do you think his goal of 50pts. is possibly realistic?
4. Based on the inevitably small sample size, do you think we’ll see Brendan Smith in the Winged Wheel in the next 2 years?
5. Is Tiberius still playing like Tiberius?
6. If they do the Sunday game, are Ken and Mick still as unabashedly hilarious, biased and awesome as ever?
7. Who are the role players to watch out for on the Blackhawks now that they have such a new cast of characters?

Answers to these questions and any other general comments on the game will be appreciated.  Perhaps it will help me from having to search through the wonderfully exciting, but certainly verbose, A2Y and WIM live blogs.

You can find the stream for tonight’s game on the official Detroit Red Wings site.  Tomorrow’s game is on NHL network, so check around other blogs or justin.tv for streams.  Sunday night against the Rangers will be on FS-D.

Thanks Everyone!  LGRW.

I was in attendance last night at the Penguins-Red Wings pre-season matchup.  If you’d like to take a look at my more drawn out thoughts, please head on over to the A2Y post and scroll down to the time-stamped comment at 10:19am where I wrote a “recap” of sorts.

Sorry I left you all for so long.  I’ve come back, as healthy and ready for Wings action as ever.  LGRW.

EDIT: Also, you can follow me on twitter now as well at @BTCBen

As I sit here planning out my predictions and rolling over the countless hours of hockey I have watched in the last 6+ months, I can’t help but have that nervous energy. It’s that feeling you get before moving away to college. It’s the feeling you get when you have to buy a new pair of sneakers. It’s like the feeling you get when you have to stand up and share about something you care passionately about in front of a large crowd. Mostly it’s that feeling you get sitting in a roller-coaster train right before the ride starts.

The stakes are high. The results are uncertain. This could be painful. This could be disastrous. This could be exhilarating. This could be perfect.

Round 1 Matchups and Predictions:

Eastern Conference

(1) Washington Capitals vs. (8) Montreal Canadiens

The Capitals won the President’s trophy for the best regular season in the league this year. They did this behind the explosive offense of well-known Alexander Ovechkin. However, his supporting cast has been phenomenal. Nicklas Backstrom, Alexander Semin, Brooks Laich, Mike Green et. al. have been a tour-de-force of offense the likes of which the league has not seen in some years.

The Canadiens squeaked into the playoffs riding the play of goaltenders Jaroslav Halak and Carey Price. Their offense has been OK throughout the regular season. They have specialized in having a great power-play. Their defense has been good enough, but not spectacular.

This series will hinge almost entirely on the play of Montreal’s core forwards. The play of Scott Gomez, Brian Gionta, Tomas Plekanec and their top line forwards will have to be exceptional. It is a given that the Capitals will produce offensively, no matter how good the goaltenders for Montreal play. Therefore, the only hope the Canadiens have is to somehow hold Washington to an average of 3 goals/game and pray they can score 4 occasionally and send this series the distance. Anything can happen in a game 7, and I think that is the only scenario Montreal could even hope to win. Unfortunately for the Canadiens I just don’t see this happening. PREDICTION: WASHINGTON CAPITALS IN 4.

(2) New Jersey Devils vs. (7) Philadelphia Flyers

New Jersey comes into this series having played an entire season of stringent defensive hockey in front of a top-notch goaltender in Martin Brodeur. The difference this year is that New Jersey has seen the flourishing of offensive threat Zach Parise and added one of the best Left-Wingers in the game in Ilya Kovalchuk at the trade deadline. A sound defensive system, an elite albeit older goaltender, and a newly above-average offense. That is a formula for playoff success. The question for New Jersey will be if they can put all the chemistry together to have the 3 part equation work out correctly.

Philadelphia has Chris Pronger and a cast of Thugs. They are a rag-tag group of juvenile delinquents that somehow managed to pull themselves into the 7 seed in the Eastern Conference on the last day of the season by winning a shootout over the New York Rangers. The Flyers have depth issues all-over, but they are the roughest team in the league and therefore could always make noise in the playoffs. They also have Ville Leino, Dan Carcillo and an assortment of circus-like characters that entertain fans but are not part of a championship winning formula. The Flyers deserve everything they get, and I can only hope that is an early playoff exit.

This series has the makings of a true battle. I think that New Jersey’s depth and ability to produce offensively against the unsteady goaltending of Philadelphia will eventually be the difference. Hopefully American hero Zach Parise can knockout Chris Pronger this time around since it didn’t work out in the Olympics. PREDICTION: NEW JERSEY IN 5

(3) Buffalo Sabres vs. (6) Boston Bruins

The Buffalo Sabres’ playoff chances can be summed up as follows: Ryan Miller.

Honestly though, the Sabres are reminiscent of the American Olympic team from this past February. A tough group of forwards who struggle to produce goals frequently, a defense that can get the job done but is certainly unheralded, and a hero, Ryan Miller in net.

The Boston Bruins made it to the conference semi-finals last year and this year have struggled all season to score goals. Their offense is abysmal and the loss of Marc Savard to a concussion has depleted their core down the middle. Their #1 playmaking center is out, that is tough to overcome in the playoffs. Boston will rely on improved defensive play of Zdeno Chara, Dennis Wideman and pray that rookie goaltender Tukka Rask can stay hot and pull out some spectacular saves to save a game or two.

This series is the best chance for an upset in the Eastern Conference, however I just can’t see the bottom 3 seeds making noise against the top 3. Ryan Miller is stellar in net for Buffalo and they are a deeper team. They should eventually take the series. PREDICTION: BUFFALO IN 6

(4) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (5) Ottawa Senators

The Pittsburgh Penguins are the defending Stanley Cup Champions, and yet, they abound with questions entering this years tournament. It is impossible to argue that they couldn’t get on a run and make it all the way back to the finals, but they have needs to address first. What sticks out about the Penguins this year is the seeming lack of passion and commitment to defensive scheme. It is not fun having to backcheck and play a defensive game, but that is what it takes to win in the playoffs. It is possible the loss of Scuderi affects the Penguins this playoffs more than they had believed or hoped when they let him go to LA. It seems as though they lack a shut-down defensive pairing with their 3-4 group of d-men. They still have the forward depth and the goaltending depth, so anything can happen, but it is not a foregone conclusion.

The Senators have ridden the hot goaltending of Brian Elliot and the balanced play of a tough and talented forward core led by Jason Spezza, Daniel Alfredsson and Mike Fischer. Unfortunately for the Senators, Alexi Kovalev, a key offensive weapon, recently went down with injury. Losing Kovalev will be tough to overcome, but the group in Ottawa is full of character and are a tight-knit group. Their team play and potential for frustrating play will give them a great shot in this series.

The Penguins have plenty of questions, but the Senators will be tough-pressed to overcome the loss of Kovalev. PREDICTION: PENGUINS IN 6

Western Conference

(1) San Jose Sharks vs. (8) Colorado Avalanche

Oh San Jose, you are such an enigma. The Sharks have managed to earn another top seed in the Western Conference this year, and yet virtually none of the “experts” have picked them to win the cup. They are playoff failures year-in and year-out. Until they make it to the Stanley Cup Final and maybe even win a Cup, they will not get the monkey off their back. They have a balanced core on offense with great top-line forwards. Olympics watchers will be familiar with the Thornton-Marleau-Heatley line combination that was so good for Team Canada back in February. The defense is OK for the Sharks and they are anchored for better or worse by Evgeni Nabokov. Generally Nabokov is a relatively above-average to elite goaltender in the NHL, but he has struggled since the Olympic break and inconsistency has to have Sharks fans worried.

The Colorado Avalanche were a team on the rebound this season. Craig Anderson was a revelation in net and played very well the majority of the time. Matt Duchene has impressed as a rookie forward and with the tough-but-talented play of guys like Cody McLeod, the Avalanche found a way to make it back into the playoffs this year despite a slump through the month of March.

As much as San Jose has the playoff curse, I just don’t think a slumping Colorado team will be much of a test for the Sharks pending some absolutely stellar goaltending by Anderson or injuries for the Sharks. PREDICTION: SHARKS IN 5

(2) Chicago Blackhawks vs. (7) Nashville Predators

The Chicago Blackhawks are the media darlings of the Western Conference. The entire season was a continued love fest for their “battle-tested youth” and how “hungry” they are. All the talk is about ending the 49-year drought in Chicago this Spring. The fact is, if not now, when? The Hawks will have interesting Salary Cap issues in the coming offseason so this is their chance to shine. They have a great group of forwards and defenseman. However, as has been beaten to a pulp this season, their goaltending is untested and questionable at best. Are Toews, Kane, Hossa etc. going to produce enough offense to win a game when Anti Niemi falters or Cristobal Huet is not getting the job done? It remains to be seen, but it should be one of the more interesting storylines of the playoffs.

The Nashville Predators are one of the best system teams in the NHL. They are not overly talented, do not have multiple, if any, superstars, and yet every year they continue to find ways to compete in the regular season and frustrate the “top” teams. Nashville is boring to watch because they play stifling defense and frustrate movement through the neutral zone better than almost any other team. Shea Weber on the blueline is a force to be reckoned with and Pekka Rinne has re-established himself as a highly competent and potentially show-stopping goaltender. The Predators are a tough matchup for any team.

Many people will likely pick the Blackhawks because they are the hot commodity of 2010. I would like to caution those picking the Blackhawks to consider how frustrating the Predators can be and how much the Blackhawks will have to battle in this first round. The talent of the forward and defense core of Chicago is too good to lose this series, but that doesn’t mean they won’t come out battered and bruised after a long battle. PREDICTION: BLACKHAWKS IN 7

(3) Vancouver Canucks vs. (6) Los Angeles Kings

The Vancouver Canucks are perhaps the toughest team to predict in this entire 16-team playoff. They have a more exciting forward group than they have had in many years including the Sedin twins, Ryan Kessler, and the former Red Wing Mikael Samuelsson. Roberto Luongo, of Gold Medal fame with Team Canada, is in net for the Canucks. He has been up and down the last month or so of the regular season, so questions continue to abound about his ability to be consistent enough for the Canucks to string together multiple series wins. The defense of Vancouver is thin and there are injuries to the squad already. It is going to be tough for Vancouver to go far without playing almost flawlessly on D and avoiding further injury.

The Los Angeles Kings are a dangerous team at the 6 seed. They are a well-constructed team based around shut-down defensemen like former Penguin Rob Scuderi and stellar young D-man Drew Doughty. Doughty is the most impressive young defenseman that has been in the league in a number of years. He might be in consideration for the Norris trophy this season, and he is only 20 years old. That is a scary amount of talent. Up front the Kings are not overpowering on offense but they have key weapons in place. With decent goaltending from Jonathan Quick this team is easily capable of continuing onwards in these playoffs.

This series is going to be very fun to watch. Outside of the Red Wings series, I think this might be the series I’ll be interested in paying attention to the most. There is a lot of love for Vancouver this year, but I’m just not buying it. They are inconsistent and the Kings have found a way all year to get wins when nobody was really giving them a chance. They have flown under the radar all year and I think they will continue to do so on their way to an upset. PREDICTION: KINGS IN 6

(4) Detroit Red Wings vs. (5) Phoenix Coyotes

The Red Wings are the most experienced team entering the playoffs. They were oft-injured during the regular season, and for the first time in 18 years they find themselves not being a top-4 seed entering the playoffs. Lacking home-ice advantage, it will be important for the Red Wings to stay in that mid-March form which saw them go 15-1-2 over their last 18 games of the season. That is unreal. With a healthy lineup and Jimmy “Tiberius” Howard in net, the Red Wings are very capable of playing well above typical “5th” seed level.

The Phoenix Coyotes are the feel-good story of the year. They were maligned in the off-season because of ownership issues and constant rumors and threats of relocation have swirled around the team. In the midst of the turmoil the Coyotes rallied to become a formidable team that appears to have an abundance of chemistry. These players are a tight-knit group. They lack any superstar names, but they are consistent across the board. Their forwards are not incredibly productive, but will surprise with a special play every now and then. The defense is unheralded, but playing within their system they can shut teams down. Ilya Bryzgalov in net has been consistent and spectacular all season. He in all likelihood will need to continue to be lights-out.

This series will be a goaltending battle-royale with stifling defense. It will be exciting and I wouldn’t be surprised to see at least 2 or 3 games head into OT.

Side note, Phoenix is currently in the ownership of the NHL while the league attempts to negotiate with potential buyers. This means that the entity paying the salaries of the Coyotes players is also the same entity paying the salaries of the officials for this series. I’m not starting a conspiracy theory, I’m just stating facts. I put the amount of times I wonder openly about collusion because of horrendous refereeing at 3.

PREDICTION: WINGS IN 6

That’s it. Drop the Puck.

Jemele Hill recently posted this very, shall we say, provoking piece on ESPN.

In this piece she claims that Tom Izzo is the greatest sports coach in Michigan history.  Without dredging up too many stats and other general figures, I thought I would offer a brief response to Jemele.

Michigan is a hockey state.  In my opinion four coaches that have to be considered some of the best to ever teach and lead teams in this state are the Wings own Scotty Bowman, Michigan’s Red Berenson, MSU’s Ron Mason and Tech’s John MacInnes.

Allegiances aside, therefore taking out Berenson who I love and Mason who I dislike but have the utmost respect for, I think it can be argued that John MacInnes is the greatest Michigan coach there ever was.

As Wings fans it is certainly fair to argue for Scotty.  No Scotty means No Hockeytown.  No Hockeytown means no established culture of winning.  This means no cups, no 19 straight playoff runs etc.  I understand all this, but I want to counter Jemele on her level.  We’ll exclude Bowman because he was already “Great” before he got to Detroit.

John MacInnes played in goal for U of M during his college career and then in the 1950′s took the one and only coaching job he would ever have, Head hockey coach at Michigan Tech.

For those of you unaware, Michigan Tech is located in Houghton, MI.  That’s in the Keewenaw area of the Upper Peninsula, approximately 10 hours from the metro Detroit region.  It’s isolated, and there is not much of a recruiting base up there.  Yet, despite the remoteness and lack of resources on both an institutional and local level, MacInnes coached MTU to 3 NCAA titles from 1956-1982.  He took the team to countless other WCHA championships and NCAA tournament appearances. Given the location of the school and the academic quality expected from the players (top-notch engineering students) it can be argued that no coach in Michigan history did more with less.  Sure Tony Esposito came through the school, but honestly, almost no other NHL talent came through during MacInnes’ run.  He took more or less no-name recruits and turned a school with a student body of roughly 5,000-6,000 students into a national powerhouse year-in and year-out.

To put in perspective what a great coach John MacInnes was, USA hockey offered him the coaching job for the 1980 olympic team.  He turned them down because of his health.  It was only after MacInnes’ withdrew his name from consideration that the committee went with Herb Brooks. (And we all know the outcome of that decision…)

In summary, I can respect Tom Izzo for the great coach that he is.  He’s easily top 5 in the state, maybe even top 3 once all is said and done.  However, Michigan is a hockey state.  In regards to a “Michigan man” who lived in Michigan, played for Michigan, did more with less and preached a true all-in team style, there is no greater coach in the history of our fine state than John MacInnes.

Feel free to comment/dispute/offer your ideas.  Also, I know this post has been a relatively big aside from all things Wings, but where do you think Scotty and/or even Uncle Mike should rank when considering “Michigan” coaches?

That is the most fun I’ve had at a game in a while.

Wings win 3-1.  Jimmah is our fearless leader!  LGRW!

March 22nd, 7:00pm, Joe Louis Arena

So I’m returning to the blogosphere to hopefully be able to comment more fully of the goings-on in the world of the Red Wings with more frequency.  I’ll be beginning tonight by posting a little pre-game, and noting my excitement because I’ll be attending tonight’s game against the Pens with my friend Joe who is a born and raised Pens fan.

This game should also put us way way over the goal for H2H, which is bar-none the coolest story associated with Red Wings hockey this year.  Hockey fans are the best.

Game Notes:

1. Eaves and Cleary are still out tonight as they were against Vancouver on Sunday.  On the one hand this sucks, but on the other I hope that Cleary will become more effective when he gets back to full-health.  He was slumping in a big way since the Olympic break, and I think he may have been trying to play through an injury.  We want to welcome you back fully healthy Buckets.
2. Evgeni Malkin is out tonight.  This is hopefully a plus for the Wings as the injury bug makes a trade. What do you guys think?  Is it pretty much even for us to be down Eaves/Cleary with the Pens losing Malkin?
3. Speaking of Eaves again…dang I want him back on that PK unit stat.  He needs to be resigned after this year for a 2-4 year deal.  He and Darren Helm make up perhaps the best forward combination on a PK unit in the league.  Pure dedication from Eaves and the deadly speed of Helm…that is a winning combo.
4. The game is at 7pm on Versus. My guess is that the over/under on Ovechkin references is 15, and on Ovechkin’s recent suspension or “overly-physical” play is 5.  I know you will all be missing Ken and Mick, I’m glad I get to see this one in person.
5. We need these two points to continue to keep alive the hope of moving up to the 7 or even 6-seed in the West because everyone and their mother keeps winning games.  At this point if the Coyotes keep winning maybe we could get lucky? and play them in the first round.  I’m not sure how I would feel about that versus the opportunity to take out Chicago or San Jose in the first round.  Oh well, let’s just make it in first.  We need the points to do it.
6. WIN
7. Prediction: Wings Win 5-3.

Also, Rob and his cohort Cody over at Wings Win Eh? have been coming out with some interesting posts recently that put a new spin on our Red Wing/NHL lives besides the typical game preview/recap stuff.  You should especially check out the Referee Slant and the updates about the Happy Hudler Saga.  Keep up the good work over there Rob and Cody.

Finally, my plan is to hopefully begin semi-regular posting from next Monday’s game against the Penguins on.  No promises, but I wanna get back fully engaged and school-work has been a bit lessened recently.

Keep your chin up kids, we’re sitting in a playoff spot right now!  LGRW!

1. $1.30 for every Datsyuk point
2. $4.30 for every Helm goal
3. $5 for every Ozzie start
4. $10 for a shutout by either goalie
5. $3 per win ($5 for a win over the Pens on the 22nd)

Here is hoping that I have to dish out a decent amount of cash for the kids.  LGRW!

I was able to catch parts of two more Olympic games last night.  The first was Canada’s second warm-up game for the United States.  After beating Norway 8-0 in their first match, everyone figured Canada would look to put a beating on Switzerland.  They had had more practice time before last night’s game, and they had the lingering memory of getting beat by the Swiss 2-0 in Torino, with the impenetrable Martin Gerber in net.  Things played out a bit differently however:

CANADA NEEDS SHOOTOUT TO DEFEAT SWITZERLAND

Bet you didn’t see that one coming, eh?  With all the all-stars team Canada has, they really have no business failing to trounce the Swiss by at least 4 goals.  Yet, the Swiss do deserve recognition for playing, in my opinion, far and away the best system hockey of the tournament.  Think about this:

The Swiss are the hardest hitting team through the first two games.

Yes, you read that right.  With Brian “Im’a punch you in the mouf” Burke as general manager of team USA, and for all of Canada’s proclaimed “physicality”, it is the neutral Swiss who are making everyone else in the tournament look a little bit too finesse, a little too cute.

The Swiss were able to ride the perfect underdog script all the way up until losing in the shootout last night.  They played a tight-checking game, constantly trapping and clogging up the middle and defensive zones.  Contrast this with a quick break-out goal, and a little luck to have another goal go in off Patrick Marleau’s skate, and you’ve got yourself a 2-2 tie after regulation.  The Swiss out-hit, out-defended, out-goaltended and frankly out-hearted team Canada.  The skill of Canada was eventually too much to overcome, and luckily for the Great White North, Sid the Savior came riding in on his white steed and scored the winning SO goal. (After missing his first attempt FWIW)

Overall, this was the best game of the tournament so far.  You could sense the desperation in the building as Canada gave up its 2-0 lead and then proceeded to miss the first 3 shoot-out opportunities.  The panic was manifesting throughout the entire arena.  ”Not again.”  ”Not like 2006.”  Fret not Canada,  this may just end up being the wake up call your team needed.

Team USA is in the driver’s seat in their Group now (Group A).  If Team USA beats Canada on Sunday they will clinch the top seed in the group and an automatic bye to the quarterfinals.  If they lose, it is likely that they will have to play a qualification game.  Sunday, 7:30pmET, CNBC…The showdown awaits.

Other News

The Russians lost to the Slovakians late last night in a shootout that lasted 7 rounds.  Somehow Slovakia held the Russians to 1 goal.  Alexander Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin, Pavel Datsyuk, Alexander Semin, Ilya Kovalchuk et. al. and they managed 1 goal.  That is great team defense and solid goaltending.  Stealing a win in the shoot-out when Pavol Demitra sent a beautifully patient flip-shot off the left post and ricocheting into the net was something special.  The first upset.  It felt good to see Mother Russia taken down early.  They are beatable, and it is possible to defend them.  Thank you to the Slovakian team for giving everyone else confidence that they can beat the Russians throughout the rest of the tournament.

The Olympics are shaping up well.  Enjoy the games while you can my friends.

]]> http://belowthecrossbar.wordpress.com/2010/02/19/canada-vs-switzerland-olympic-recap/feed/ 0 belowthecrossbar Canada wins in Shootout vs. Switzerland Slovakians stun Russians http://belowthecrossbar.wordpress.com/2010/02/18/olympic-hockey-round-up/ http://belowthecrossbar.wordpress.com/2010/02/18/olympic-hockey-round-up/#comments Fri, 19 Feb 2010 00:41:01 +0000 Ben Gilbert http://belowthecrossbar.wordpress.com/?p=237 ]]>

Hey Everyone, I don’t have a ton of time, but what little I have has been devoted to watching the Olympic Hockey tournament that started this past Tuesday.  I figured I have enough time to write up a bit of my observations over the past few games and hopefully I’ll be able to continue to add some thoughts regarding the upcoming matchups.

General Thoughts:

1. Thanks to NBC for relegating the first two games involving team USA to the USA network (funny, eh?), while Canada, Russia, Sweden, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Belarus, Norway, Finalnd et. al have all been on CNBC.  The coverage design is terrible.  It’s as if NBC is actively wanting us to stop being patriotic and hoping that team USA gets eliminated early.
2. Every time I watch a game with Mike Emrick announcing, it somehow seems like the cup finals all over again.  This is exciting, because it makes even these preliminary games seem MASSIVELY important.
3. Ice Conditions have got to improve.  It’s terrible watching the best players in the world playing the most important tournament for the next 4 years on choppy and soft ice.

Team USA Observations:

1. Watching David Backes and Ryan Callahan on the “4th” line has been wonderful.  Backes’ goal against Switzerland on tuesday, going east-coast/west-coast, was simply stunning.  He (Backes) has also been a hit machine, consistently dolling out punishment against whatever line he is matched up against.  That type of physical play is going to be huge on Sunday against Canada as well as future big games against medal contenders.  Callahan is in the same boat.  A consistent presence when on the ice.
2. Bobby Ryan has impressed me with his ability to get open for shots when there seems to be traffic all over the ice.  He had a beautiful goal against the Swiss and I hope he can keep up the pace he has set.
3. The Defense has been the main issue so far.  In my opinion, Rafalski has looked slow in his own zone multiple times.  He did have two goals today against Norway, but his play HAS to pick up if the US hopes to have a chance against Canada/Russia/Sweden etc.  Jack Johnson and Ryan Suter have been good in the offensive zone, and if they can correctly manage their game, and pinch when appropriate, then they will be a boost to the team overall.  Brooks Orpik has been OK, but he seems possibly a step slower than some of the other players out there.  Erik Johnson and Ryan Whitney have been scary at times in their ability to make the Swiss or Norwegian forwards look like Dany Heatley and/or Ilya Kovalchuk.  Their defensive zone play needs to increase, and outlet passes need to be better or turnovers will cause the losses to pile up to the better teams.  Tim Gleason was average, no real complaints for him.  This group has the potential to pull of a big upset or two, but they have to play consistent system hockey and not be the cause of too many turnovers.  It remains to be seen if they can actually commit to sound defensive system hockey.
4. The Kane/Stastny/Parise line needs to become significant.  Honestly, for being the “top” line, this group needs to produce much more.  They have put a few points on the board, but for being as skilled as they are, and the competition faced so far, they should be playing much stronger.  This group seems weak on the puck at times and I wonder if it wouldn’t be worth moving Kane or Parise down a line to give another player a shot at some chemistry there.  Maybe even giving Bobby Ryan a shot on the top line?
5. Malone/Pavelski/Kessel.  Leave as is.  This is working wonderfully.  I hope to see much more out of this line moving forward.
6. Ryan Miller.  He is your starter for a reason.  With a few great saves already this tournament, he is showing that he was called on for a reason and that he is more than capable of backstopping this team to a medal.  He has turned in two solid performances, and he’ll need to be that good or better moving forward for team USA to hang in against the big dogs.

Other Team Observations:

1. Russia: My goodness.  The first 10 minutes of their game against Belarus was stunning.  Ovechkin/Datsyuk/Semin is scary.  This team means serious business and they HAVE to be the favorite to meet Canada in the gold medal game.  They showed their offensive skill certainly.  The only question marks remain on defense.  Can some of the Russian KHL defensemen hold up against competition like Canada/Sweden or even team USA.  It remains to be seen.
2. Sweden: From what little I saw they looked OK.  Definitely getting their legs under them still.  This team just seems a tad bit slow/old.  It will be very tough for them to keep up with the pure offensive skill of Russia, the Speed of team USA or the general physical and well-rounded play of Canada.  I’m going out on a limb and claiming it is likely that Team Sweden does not win a medal this year.  They just don’t seem to have the right balance of defense and good offensive speed to make it happen.
3. Switzerland/Norway: Eh, good teams.  Switzerland is certainly the better of the two, and even strong enough to be capable of an upset.  It remains to be seen if the Swiss can make an impact like they did in 2006 beating Canada in Torino.  Norway, it’s been fun, thanks for playing, but there is just not enough talent on your team to compete at a high level.
4. Canada: I’ll let you know after catching some of the game this evening against Switzerland.
5. Czech Republic/Slovakia/Finland: I need to see more games before saying much about these teams.

It’s been a great start to the tournament and I really look forward to the games on Sunday.  Great day for hockey with Sweden/Finland, Czech/Russia and USA/Canada.  Look at your TV listings and find a way to watch some of this amazing hockey.