GDT: World Cup of Hockey talk
- Thread starter HisIceness
- Start date
Lucky Lindy
Registered User
I don't see any teams shutting down that Matthews/McDavid/Eichel line. Too much skill, speed, and power.
AhoLottaLove
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- Jun 30, 2010
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The Faulker 27
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It does seem that way. He's got more TOI than 4 other players on Finland at 4:09 and 0:19 of that is PP time. I still think they could be using him more though, but part of me doesn't care. The last thing we need is him getting injured before the season starts.
That line is being played like the Fins third line. I think after the initial NA goal, the Finish coach decided that the experienced guys would best help control the speed of the NA team. The Fin's D looks bad...
The Faulker 27
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AhoLottaLove
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- Jun 30, 2010
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Dishface
Registered Jerk
The Faulker 27
Registered User
It's gonna be hard for any teams D to match the speed, skill, and strength of NA's first 2 lines. This is a Dream team of first round picks.
Novacane
Registered User
I thought I'd get into this but I'm just sitting here holding my breath hoping no one gets injured
HisIceness
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Breakdowns
Meh
Everyone is trashing Finland like they were terrible but I think Team NA is actually just that good. I expect similar thrashings for Russia and Sweden. I guess that is just what a team lined with #1 OA picks and franchise Superstars does.
The Faulker 27
Registered User
To be honest, I think Aho was just doing what he could to survive without getting run over. NA was playing like a team of coked up thoroughbreds. He did fine though, nothing special but again his positioning and speed stands out to me. He out paced his man on more than once occasion chasing for pucks, or moving through the neutral zone. Although, as a whole Finland couldn't move through the neutral zone well, or keep the puck in NAs zone for more than 5-10 seconds without being burned by NA's transitional wizardry.
It was so hard to tell how he did. It seemed like his line would get on the ice, and then within 10 seconds there would be a whistle and a stoppage. At that point, the Finish coach would use the opportunity to get one of the more experienced lines back on the ice. Aside from the first shift they had, it seemed like there was just no chemistry on their line. Any time any of them did anything, it seemed they were out of sync or one of them would misplay the puck and then NA was off and running. I didn't think any of the three had a good game.
RodTheBawd
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- Oct 16, 2013
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The thing that I like about him, is that even though almost nothing was clicking, he was still always exactly where he needed to be. And that's pretty damn tough to do playing against that team.
Despite being consistently outplayed, he did seem to be in the right spots. Gives me a reason for optimism when he is eventually playing opposing teams' 3rd liners instead of a constant barrage of five Superstars.
It didn't help that his line was regularly being countered with the McDavid line. McDavid was slicing and dicing through the entire Finnish roster. His ability to steal a puck then go 0-60 in transition is a sight to behold.
Navin R Slavin
Fifth line center
Which is why I'm basically boycotting this event. It's Bettman trying to pull rank on the Olympics by saying "our event is superior!" When it is, in fact, an money-grabbing absurdity.
I mean, hey, there's some fun hockey out there, sure -- but c'mon. This is a glorified exhibition tournament.
