GDT: Quarterfinal - May 17 - Russia vs Canada

[stv11]

2018 IIHF World Championship
Quarterfinal

May 17
10:15 AM ET • 4:15 PM CET

Russia vs Canada

Russia
Last game's lineup

Goaltenders:
83 Vasili Koshechkin
30 Igor Shestyorkin

Defensemen:
4 Vladislav Gavrikov - 55 Bogdan Kiselevich
89 Nikita Nesterov - 22 Nikita Zaitsev
44 Yegor Yakovlev - 51 Alexei Bereglazov
3 Dinar Khafizullin

Forwards:
7 Kirill Kaprizov - 13 Pavel Datsyuk - 97 Nikita Gusev
25 Mikhail Grigorenko - 15 Artyom Anisimov - 63 Yevgeni Dadonov
19 Pavel Buchnevich - 11 Sergei Andronov - 66 Ilya Mikheyev
94 Alexander Barabanov - 29 Ilya Kablukov - 87 Maxim Shalunov
41 Nikita Soshnikov

Scratched:
G 31 Ilya Sorokin
D 88 Nikita Tryamkin
F 78 Maxim Mamin


Canada
Last game's lineup

Goaltenders:
35 Darcy Kuemper
30 Curtis McElhinney

Defensemen:
44 Marc-Edouard Vlasic - 55 Colton Parayko
3 Joel Edmundson - 5 Aaron Ekblad
27 Ryan Murray - 6 Ryan Pulock
25 Darnell Nurse

Forwards:
93 Ryan Nugent-Hopkins - 97 Connor McDavid - 10 Brayden Schenn
18 Pierre-Luc Dubois - 90 Ryan O’Reilly - 17 Jaden Schwartz
21 Tyson Jost - 53 Bo Horvat - 7 Jordan Eberle
72 Anthony Beauvillier - 13 Mathew Barzal - 44 Jean-Gabriel Pageau
8 Kyle Turris

Scratched:
G 1 Mickael DiPietro
D 52 Thomas Chabot
F 12 Josh Bailey
​

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[joe89]

I think both teams have something to prove and it should be the best QF. This game can very well be the difference between a QF fiasco and a gold medal for either team, the mental boost from winning this one could be huge.

I'd stick with 4-2 Canada, last goal empty-net.

 

[sdf]

Why Babcock in Dania?

 

[Retroglyphs]

Team Canada sucks at this WHC.

Sbornaja 5 - Canada 2

 

[maximafinogenov7]

Imho, Russia dont know play with Canada. Although, I hope that this game proves me wrong.

Russia-Canada 5:4

 

[TheBeastCoast]

I think Russia will expose our goaltending and cost us the game. Hopefully I'm wrong.

 

[JustaFinnishGuy]

Too bad one of the better teams gets sent home.

 

[ijuka]

Canada has sucked at WHCs and doesn't look very organized. I see Russia winning this one.

 

[1Gold Standard]

I tuned out of this tournament a few games back. if Canadian players aren't emotionally invested in it, then nor should I be invested in it.

a disjointed and unmotivated team with crappy goaltending gets schooled by the Russians 5-0.

 

[JackSlater]

I predict that many goals will be scored.

 

[Zybalto]

Predicting Canada will take this one.

The combination of the team playing below their capabilities and the goaltending issues being overblown around here is masking just how much stronger the Canadian team is. I actually had to look back at every goal scored on Canada and there has been 3 goals you can pin on the keeper given up so far all tourney.

If Canada loses, it's probably not goaltending that is the cause. Even if they let a bad one in, this team should be able to outscore the other side anyways.

5-3 Canada.

 

[maclean]

Canada's goaltending will make them very vulnerable, but Russia's defence has been poor at times too. I'd say the key for Canada is if they can bring a new level of involvement not yet shown here and for Russia I would say they need to stay disciplined and stay out of the penalty box not to give Canada an opening (though Canada's powerplay has been at times pathetic this tournament too!) I'd bet on Russia but Canada could still wake up and surprise.

 

[ViD]

Russia has a weak roster while Canada has chemistry issues. Could go either way but since Canada has McDavid - a slight edge to them

 

[jj cale]

Not feeling very confident about Canada's chances at all due to what the above poster just mentioned...........chemistry issues, the lines and just about everything have not come together at all. You never know though, a big game against our arch rival might just be what the doctor ordered, I am not counting on it though as something just is not right with this team. Haven't watched a single Russian game so wouldn't dare to comment on their team too deeply, still...................they took a strong Swedish squad almost to overtime, so i suspect this weak roster talk is quite overblown.On paper it may be compared to other years but paper only means so much, it's still Russia and when I look at their roster I still see some elite talent there and even when they don't have as strong a roster as other years Russia is Russia so you can be sure they are always somewhat strong and if you couple that with good team play they will be plenty tough.

At this point I am hoping for an exciting game, no expectations other then that.

 

[Bear12Good]

Russia have very weak roster. Weakest roster for many years.

 

[jj cale]

Russia have very weak roster. Weakest roster for many years.

And yet it only barely lost to sweden yesterday 2-1.

Can't be that weak.

It's a roster good enough to win, period. This weak roster stuff is true to a point in that it is weaker then some of the previous basically powerhouse rosters it has had here in the past but weak in and of itself? no, there are some damn good players on that team.

I think the weak roster narrative being expounded here by some of their fans is to cushion the blow if they lose,a way to ward disappointment off mentally.

I understand that, I don't begrudge it, i've done it myself on many occasions.

 

[Bear12Good]

And yet it only barely lost to sweden yesterday 2-1.

Can't be that weak.

Weak on paper

 

[jj cale]

Weak on paper

On paper, compared to previous years.

But it's still good enough to win,without question, big difference

it just barely lost to a really good swedish side yesterday....................it won't be any gargantuan upset if it beats this Canadian squad, I don't even think they are an underdog going into this game against them.

Canada has not played well at all this tournament.

 

[NyQuil]

I predict that one of the two teams will look really bad.

 

[PenDuhNotPittsburgh]

Russians bye skill of players have the weakest team that I can remember at a world's this year and I started following it in 2008.
The Canadians have the quality but still play like the entire team ate something rotten the day before and now suffers from diarrhea.
Hard to predict, but it's probably gonna be the worst game between these two in a decade

 

[Peiskos]

On paper, compared to previous years.

But it's still good enough to win,without question, big difference

it just barely lost to a really good swedish side yesterday....................it won't be any gargantuan upset if it beats this Canadian squad, I don't even think they are an underdog going into this game against them.

Canada has not played well at all this tournament.

It wouldn't set a precedent for a 3rd place team in a group to go on and win the gold, its happened before, last year actually with Sweden who finished 3rd in group A, in fact Sweden finished 3rd place in Group S in 2013 and also went on to win gold. Theres no reason Canada can't do the same this year.

Lets take a look at Canada's record : 7 GP, 4 W, 1 OTW, 1 OTL, 1 L, 32 GF, 12 GA, +20, 15 Points...just 1 measly point separates Canada from the top team in the group. Its not a sparkling undefeated record, but its not a terrible one either. Nobody in Canada's group went undefeated in prelims and only one team went undefeated in prelims in group A.

I agree though it hasn't been the utter steamrolling domination through the prelims for Canada as we've all come to expect but this is still very much a Canadian team not only capable of beating Russia but going on to win the semi and final too. Personally I'm not holding my breath for that but its not like its impossible.

 

[jj cale]

It wouldn't set a precedent for a 3rd place team in a group to go on and win the gold, its happened before, last year actually with Sweden who finished 3rd in group A, in fact Sweden finished 3rd place in Group S in 2013 and also went on to win gold. Theres no reason Canada can't do the same this year.

Lets take a look at Canada's record : 7 GP, 4 W, 1 OTW, 1 OTL, 1 L, 32 GF, 12 GA, +20, 15 Points...just 1 measly point separates Canada from the top team in the group. Its not a sparkling undefeated record, but its not a terrible one either. Nobody in Canada's group went undefeated in prelims and only one team went undefeated in prelims in group A.

I agree though it hasn't been the utter steamrolling domination through the prelims for Canada as we've all come to expect but this is still very much a Canadian team not only capable of beating Russia but going on to win the semi and final too. Personally I'm not holding my breath for that but its not like its impossible.

Oh it's not impossible at all, we all know that.

It's Canada, of course they can win, and they have the talent on the roster to do so, it just hasn't come together yet in terms of good team games................it's an eye test thing rather then a record or numbers thing.

When you look at the team you see a squad having trouble getting offense outside of whatever line Mcdavid is on. Also, the defense looks disjointed, subpar transition, bad switches,not doing well enough and competing well enough in one on one battles,penalty killing being pretty weak in effort and execution of plan......................they have been shaky and very average at best. Goaltending? well, I won't say too much but I think we can all agree we are probably not very confident in it.

who knows, maybe we bring our best game tomorrow? I don't know, it could happen. If we do, we probably win the game.

 

[BlitzSnipe]

Even though I'm a fan of team Russia and would like them to win, Russia simply hasn't had any luck vs. Canada in the last few years. It seems the Canadian style of hockey is a good 'antidote' to the Russian one. However, considering Canada has been struggling in this WC 2018, Russia does have a chance.

 

[Canuckistani]

Canada just hasn't looked good this tournament. Russia 6-3

 

[XokkeyGuy]

Russia have very weak roster. Weakest roster for many years.

It's the weakest Russian roster since 2004/2005, it's back to the time when not even the best from the domestic league are playing. Semifinals is a great achievement this year, I didn´t even accept such a thought back then, but now it's fine.
Look at the first line for example: A 40 year old center and a prospect on the wing who played in the juniors-WC last year...