Olympics: Game thread: Slovakia vs Latvia

[Antiillafire]

A few changes in Slovak lineup

Click to read more...

 

[Czechboy]

Pretty pumped for this one. Guessing a 4-3 final... No idea who though.

Also... Don't have to set an alarm to watch this one. The schedule is killing me this week and next.

 

[Antiillafire]

Marincin goal. Nice point shot

 

[Elias40]

This is the first Latvian match I see and I'm surprised. They play in a deep block, not very active and most of the time they wait for what the Slovaks will do. At the same time, it is impossible to write that they have a worse team, I do not think so at all. If it's part of the coach's plan, then okay, I'm curious about the second period. But a power play is very bad, if something can help Latvia, it is the power play and Abols' shot. SHL has a great season, he can decide this match.

 

[Antiillafire]

Ice time management continues to be bad from Ramsay. Don’t need to role every line in consecutive… erghhh

 

[Antiillafire]

SLAFFFF GOALLLLLLLLL

 

[flemo]

Slafkovksy!

 

[BigBadBoar]

Slafkovsky is a great prospect indeed. A future NHL star for sure, if nothing bad happens.

 

[JTD]

Slafkovsky is an absolute beast. Feels like every time he has the puck in the offensive zone it’s gonna be a goal. Pretty cool to see Slovakia producing talents like this again

 

[The National]

We got a ball game!

 

[Antiillafire]

We got a ball game!

2 Slovak league players connect to make it a 2 goal game now. Most underrated league in the world thanks to Eye of Ra

 

[The National]

2 Slovak league players connect to make it a 2 goal game now. Most underrated league in the world thanks to Eye of Ra

We no longer have a ball game.

 

[tobu]

Anyone knows where I can find the game highlights? It's 2022, few hours post game and they are neither on IIHF nor on any of the hockey media I follow.

Update: Ok they popped up on sport.sk now

 

[tobu]

Missed the game. In any case, despite the bad results in the first two games, we have outshot all opponents and finally started scoring beyond just Slafkovsky. Also feeling good with Rybar in net. Germany or Czechia in the knockout round, anybody's game tbh.

 

[flemo]

Missed the game. In any case, despite the bad results in the first two games, we have outshot all opponents and finally started scoring beyond just Slafkovsky. Also feeling good with Rybar in net. Germany or Czechia in the knockout round, anybody's game tbh.

I prefer Germany while they are without Draisaitl

 

[SoundAndFury]

Yeah. I too as many others just saw glimpses before falling back to sleep but Slovaks were much better from what I've seen. I have to say Latvia is just... pretty bad. When your top scorer plays in Austria I guess you have a problem.

 

[kudla]

Yeah. I too as many others just saw glimpses before falling back to sleep but Slovaks were much better from what I've seen. I have to say Latvia is just... pretty bad. When your top scorer plays in Austria I guess you have a problem.

That's probably the magic beans we were talking about. There is not a big difference on paper between those teams, but we just looked like the much better team

 

[Czechboy]

Congrats Slovakia! Slaf may start as a winger in the NHL next season.

Anyone know the Slovakia vs Latvia record at world seniors and Olympics?

 

[SoundAndFury]

That's probably the magic beans we were talking about. There is not a big difference on paper between those teams, but we just looked like the much better team

Indeed. But then again, it forces to look at Latvia's middling KHL players in a bit different light as well. Expecting every player to be the best that they can be despite so many guys really having a terrible season or simply getting old.

It was a good wake-up call. To me, at least. Without NHL guys, Latvia is definitely at risk of getting relegated to 1A one of these years. Karsums is basically done, Darzins not to the same extent but he is also 37. Indrasis and Daugavins are in steep decline and I don't really expect a major bounce back. Kalnins is 50/50 in that sense. And from the younger generation, Abols is really the only one capable of reaching their level. In a year or two (if not yet) he is going to be the only A-grade player (as in someone capable of playing in top-4/top-6 in major European leagues) Latvians have in Europe.

 

[Urbanskog]

Anyone know the Slovakia vs Latvia record at world seniors and Olympics?

I took the artistic liberty to include Olympic qualifiers as those are also meaningful games in which both teams will try their very best to win. After today's game, there have been 9 games of which Slovakia has won 5, Latvia has won 3 and the remaining game has been a tie.

 

[Czechboy]

I took the artistic liberty to include Olympic qualifiers as those are also meaningful games in which both teams will try their very best to win. After today's game, there have been 9 games of which Slovakia has won 5, Latvia has won 3 and the remaining game has been a tie.

What about without the artistic liberty? Just senior worlds and Olympics?

 

[Urbanskog]

What about without the artistic liberty? Just senior worlds and Olympics?

In that case there have been 7 games of which Slovakia has won 4 and Latvia 3.

 

[Czechboy]

In that case there have been 7 games of which Slovakia has won 4 and Latvia 3.

Thank you.

 

[Dofs]

Looking at the game, it just seemed that Slovakia really wanted to win this, much more than Latvia did.

 

[Eye of Ra]

Yeah. I too as many others just saw glimpses before falling back to sleep but Slovaks were much better from what I've seen. I have to say Latvia is just... pretty bad. When your top scorer plays in Austria I guess you have a problem.

the magic beans where real.