Despite the result I was not delighted by Russia's play. The shots on goal were about even, but Canada was getting the better scoring chances and looking more dynamic most of the time.
Russia went many stretches without creating anything offensively. They weren't crashing the net nearly enough for my liking. Outside of the Kravtsov line, offensive creativity was minimal. Kravtsov's feed to Denisenko for the first goal is the only impressive cross-ice pass I remember from the game. DiPietro was seeing most of the pucks.
On the bright side, this is one steady team. Very solid positionally, with strong mobile blueliners who play their man well and distribute the puck effectively. The forwards play hard and win puck battles. There were also very few ill-advised passes.
It's a Bragin team through and through, with all the good and the bad that comes with it. I am not betting my house on them winning the gold, but they might just grind their way to one. Maybe they are due.
