Strome was easily our best player today, played a terrific 200 foot game. A lot of guys had strong 1st or second period but not many stood out positively in the third. I thought Marner was awful offensively for the first 40 but looked more comfortable in the third period, setting up the Strome goal and using his hands to create more chances. That being said, he still looks a step behind and hopefully gains some confidence against Denmark. Gauthier was a surprising force, he created a lot of chances and quickly moved the lineup, as Barzal did too. I liked the line with Stephens, Konecny, and Crouse, but I didn't see that trio much in the third. Did Lowry blow that up for whatever reason?
Point is obviously still injured because Lowry was clearly protecting him today. If he isn't 100% he shouldn't be playing but TC must have a play. Virtanen started out strong but was a letdown today. As a guy with NHL experience he's expected to be a leader on this team and with efforts like today that won't be the case. That's not to say he was bad but if we're going to go deep into this tournament both of those guys need to be driving forces for this team. He's a shoot first guy, one of the few not overpassing early today, so perhaps experimenting Marner with him could yield positive results? Strome seemed to fit in more on his line or I'd move him instead.
On the back end I thought Hicketts, Hickey, and Dermott stood out positively, although Hicketts left a bad taste in my mouth with that third goal. All three were strong on the puck and made simple plays on the breakout. Chabot I'm going to abstain from commenting on because I didn't seem to notice him enough on the ice, although that typically is a good thing. Sanheim and Fleury both handled the puck like a grenade, and while I admittedly don't see them play often in junior, I was left wanting more today.
McDonald was fine in goal IMO, with no chance on the 1st goal and having the 3rd and 4th goals tipped in by his teammates (seriously, get your damn sticks out of the shooting lanes). I'm sure Blackwood will take the crease after game 3 but I still haven't seen anything to suggest McDonald will be the downfall of this team; if anything, his team let him down a bit today.
McKeown is lol as far as I'm concerned. Seems like a roster spot wasted when an 18 year old could come along for the experience and return to the 2017 tournament.