Milt Dunnell Cup Finals: Macon Whoopee vs. Pittsburgh AC

[Sturminator]

MACON WHOOPEE

Head Coach: Joel Quenneville
Captain: Nicklas Lidstrom
Assistant Captains: Sidney Crosby, Derian Hatcher

Dickie Moore - Nels Stewart - Phil Watson
Harry Watson - Sidney Crosby (A) - Alexander Maltsev
Craig Ramsay - Fleming Mackell - Danny Gare
Jaroslav Jirik - Harry Westwick - Bob Nystrom

Nicklas Lidstrom (C) - Larry Murphy
Derian Hatcher (A) - Frank Patrick
Al Iafrate - Jamie Macoun

Roy Worters
John Ross Roach


PP1: Nicklas Lidstrom - Larry Murphy - Dickie Moore - Sidney Crosby - Nels Stewart (net presence)
PP2: Al Iafrate - Frank Patrick - Jaroslav Jirik - Phil Watson - Alex Maltsev

PK1: Nicklas Lidstrom - Derian Hatcher - Fleming Mackell - Craig Ramsay
PK2: Larry Murphy - Jamie Macoun - Harry Westwick - Phil Watson

Extra: Neal Broten, Andre Dupont, Vsevolod Bobrov​

Vs.​

Pittsburgh Athletic Club

Coach: Anatoli Tarasov
Assistant Coach: Billy Reay

Paul Kariya-Gordie Howe
Ebbie Goodfellow-Ted Kennedy(C)
Dit Clapper(A)

Darryl Sittler (A)-Dany Heatley
Glen Harmon-Dave Taylor
Herb Gardiner

Veniamin Alexandrov-Vladimir Vikulov
Pit Lepine-Lennart Svedberg
Rod Seiling

Kelly Miller-Ryan Kesler-Ron Stewart

Johnny Bower
Roberto Luongo

Spares: Mike Green, Johnny Gagnon, Paul Shmyr

PP1: Heatley-Sittler-Howe-Kariya-Clapper
PP2: Alexandrov-Kennedy-Vikulov-Svedberg-Goodfellow

PK1: Kesler-Miller-Gardiner-Seiling
PK2: Howe-Kennedy-Goodfellow-Clapper
PK3: Lepine-Stewart​

Estimated Minutes:

Forward| ES | PP | PK | total
Gordie Howe|16|4|2|22|
Paul Kariya|16|4|0|20|
Ted Kennedy|16|3|2|21|
Darryl Sittler|14|4|0|18|
Dany Heatley|14|4|0|18|
Pit Lepine|14|0|2|16|
Vladimir Vikulov|14|3|0|17|
Veniamin Alexandrov|14|3|0|17|
Dave Taylor|14|0|0|14|
Ryan Kesler|3|0|3|6|
Ron Stewart|3|0|2|5|
Kelly Miller|0|0|3|3|
Total | 138 | 25 | 14 |177

Defense|ES|PP|PK|Total
Dit Clapper|17|4|3|24|
Ebbie Goodfellow|17|3|3|23|
Herb Gardiner|15|0|4|19|
Rod Seiling|14|0|4|18|
Lennart Svedberg|14|3|0|17|
Glen Harmon|15|0|0|15|
Totals|92|10|14|116

Click to read more...

 

[Rob Scuderi]

Looking forward to it Mark.

Off the bat:

• Macon is a top-heavy team and dealing with their top two lines will go a long way in this series.
• I like my first unit's ability to go power-on-power and I'll be using them to match the Crosby line. They're fairly soft and the physicality of my first unit should be well-served matching up. Maltsev was said to struggle with physical play and Crosby's patience will certainly be tried as he's trolled by the likes of Kennedy, Howe, Goodfellow, and Clapper.
• My top two sweepers, Clapper and Gardiner, have the size and physical game to matchup with Stewart. He won't be able to dominate them physically around the net.
• I have been talking about the advantages of my third unit compared to other third lines, and in this series it is very noticeable. I'll flesh this out later, but this comparison will help Pittsburgh tilt the ice.

 

[markrander87]

Good luck to you RS.

Who will be getting the home ice advantage in the series?

 

[Elvis P]

Good luck to you RS. Who will be getting the home ice advantage in the series?

You are.

 

[markrander87]

I can see right off the bat that 2ndunit of Pittsburg will have a tough time with either one of my top 2 lines. Dave Taylor is an extremely weak 2nd liner, i'd like to know what he brings to the table.

At all times we will be matching up the Crosby line against the 2nd unit of Pittsburg of
Darryl Sittler (A)-Dany Heatley
Glen Harmon-Dave Taylor
Herb Gardiner


They will have an extremely tough time matching the speed and skill of Crosby - Maltsev.

I'm concerned with the flexibility Tarasov has to adapt to different teams. If things go bad for Pittsburg will he change the lineup?

 

[TheDevilMadeMe]

I can see right off the bat that 2ndunit of Pittsburg will have a tough time with either one of my top 2 lines. Dave Taylor is an extremely weak 2nd liner, i'd like to know what he brings to the table.

At all times we will be matching up the Crosby line against the 2nd unit of Pittsburg of
Darryl Sittler (A)-Dany Heatley
Glen Harmon-Dave Taylor
Herb Gardiner


They will have an extremely tough time matching the speed and skill of Crosby - Maltsev.

I'm concerned with the flexibility Tarasov has to adapt to different teams. If things go bad for Pittsburg will he change the lineup?

Bolded is a prime example of throwing (baseless) crap out there and hoping it sticks. It probably took you 10 seconds to throw out this line, but it would take Rob a lot longer than that to properly refute it, since actually posting actual facts takes time.

If you think Taylor is a weak second liner, what don't YOU post some reasoning why?

 

[Rob Scuderi]

Dave Taylor is an extremely weak 2nd liner, i'd like to know what he brings to the table.

What do you think of Craig Ramsey and Harry Watson then?

Taylor has a respectable VsX7 for a second line glue guy and here is what was said of his two-way game:

"was very close to being the best all-around leftwinger in the league last year," "one of the best all-around wingers in the game...stronger checker...delivers maximum effort every game...," "superior all-around player every team would like to have...excellent defensively...his sound positional play allows linemates Dionne and Simmer to ramble...," "could be prototype for complete winger...," "one of the best all-around right wings in NHL...," "Defensively Taylor is very solid, playing his man deep into the Kings' end. He is an excellent checker in all three zones."

The above doesn't focus on the quotes about his physical game and play along the boards.

At all times we will be matching up the Crosby line against the 2nd unit of Pittsburg of
Darryl Sittler (A)-Dany Heatley
Glen Harmon-Dave Taylor
Herb Gardiner


They will have an extremely tough time matching the speed and skill of Crosby - Maltsev.

Taylor wasn't fleet of foot, but he was still a strong defensive player. Harmon was one of the fastest players in the league during his time. Gardiner was a stay-at-home guy, and Sittler can provide some agitation for Crosby with the info I dug up on his physical game.

However, when you get this matchup, it leaves either the Stewart or Mackell line to deal with my top line. I think this tradeoff would be a net positive for me.

I'm concerned with the flexibility Tarasov has to adapt to different teams. If things go bad for Pittsburg will he change the lineup?

Why are you worried about this?

 

[Sturminator]

Dave Taylor is an extremely weak 2nd liner, i'd like to know what he brings to the table.

Dave Taylor is only a small step down from the tier of guys like Steve Larmer. He is, in fact, a very strong 2nd line glue guy.

I'm concerned with the flexibility Tarasov has to adapt to different teams. If things go bad for Pittsburg will he change the lineup?

I'm not sure what this means, or what you are suggesting might happen. Tarasov's general philosophy was to stay on the offensive rather than jump through a lot of hoops to check the other team. He's not going to change his whole approach to coaching because of a loss.

 

[markrander87]

With our home ice advantage Macon will be using his third line of:

Craig Ramsay - Fleming Mackell - Danny Gare
Nicklas Lidstrom (C) - Larry Murphy

To match up against Pittsburgh top unit.

Having arguable the best defensive Left Wing of all time in Ramsay to match up against Gordie Howe will be huge for Macons success.

If I need to post the info regarding the Lidstrom - Murphy pair shutting down the Legion of Doom (during their prime) during the playoffs I will.

I'm not going to propose I will completely shut down the top unit, but by slowing them down I can surely expect my 1st and 2nd lines to out produce his 2nd and 3rd lines.

Is Ryan Kesler really considered an ATD 1st unit PK yet? This shows the lack of depth for Pittsburghs defensive minded forwards.

What purpose does that 3rd line serve? A defensive minded Centre in Lepine paired with 2 weaker offensive minded Russians?

This line will be up against my top line of Moore - Stewart - Watson. The size difference will be massive, will Pittsburghs top line be able to handle the dump and chase game?

This leaves Sittler, Heatley and Taylor to handle my second line. Does this forward line have the foot speed to handle the counter attack of Crosby - Maltsev?

The more I look at these matchups the more I see the disadvantages of the Pittsburgh set up. His 4th line is slotted in to play less then 3 minutes a game of ES ice time so they will be a non factor shutting down either line.

I'd like to hear how Pittsburghs 3rd line plans on handling my top line and how his 2nd line plans on handling my 2nd line?

 

[markrander87]

Sturm, please edit the lines having Ramsay back on the 3rd line.

Thanks

 

[markrander87]

Dave Taylors Selke voting: 7, 13, 25

....Sure he can be a 2nd line glue guy, make an impact defensively? I'm not sold.

 

[markrander87]

Craig Ramsay will be shadowing Gordie Howe all over the ice.

http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showpost.php?p=24380154&postcount=78

"The Seventies - Best Shadow - Craig Ramsay was nicknamed "Boris" by his peers because he played hockey like one of the many well-drilled Russian stars. Ramsay was a valuable part of the Buffalo Sabres into the 1980s, a master when it came to checking or positional play" - Ultimate Hockey

Ramsay also customarily ranked high on the Sabres' plus-minus list, an extraordinary accomplishment for a player who not only killed penalties, but spent his career becoming closely acquainted with names such as Dionne, LaFleur, Bossy and Gretzky-Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame

 

[Iceman]

Good Luck! Good job getting here!

The final 4 teams were all fantastic, could've gone either way in both matchups. Thought the Jim Coleman was a game 7 series imo.

Sorry I haven't voted any, been away for a while.

 

[Sturminator]

Sturm, please edit the lines having Ramsay back on the 3rd line.

Thanks

Done.

 

[Sturminator]

With our home ice advantage Macon will be using his third line of:

Craig Ramsay - Fleming Mackell - Danny Gare
Nicklas Lidstrom (C) - Larry Murphy

To match up against Pittsburgh top unit.

Having arguable the best defensive Left Wing of all time in Ramsay to match up against Gordie Howe will be huge for Macons success.

If I need to post the info regarding the Lidstrom - Murphy pair shutting down the Legion of Doom (during their prime) during the playoffs I will.

Having home ice does not automatically mean that the home team can dictate every matchup, especially when at a clear coaching disadvantage.

Are Ramsay and Lidstrom actually a good matchup to check Gordie Howe? Both were soft, and Howe eats soft players. The fact that Lidstrom did well checking Eric Lindros in a single series that went four games does not mean he will be able to handle Gordie Howe. This is quite similar to the argument used against Sid Crosby (the one about how pests always get under his skin in the postseason) which you dismissed in the last round. At any rate, Howe and Lindros are different animals, entirely. Containing Howe and the AC 1st unit as a whole is a serious challenge for Macon in this series, as the Whoopee's best defensive personnel are not really ideal for handling overwhelming physicality. You might actually be better off trying to match up Harry Watson and Derian Hatcher on Howe, though that matchup has its own issues.

What purpose does that 3rd line serve? A defensive minded Centre in Lepine paired with 2 weaker offensive minded Russians?

The Soviet forwards of whom you speak are both scoringline quality wingers, and the way the AC is set up makes sense if you understand the system. Hookcheckers like Lepine were natural midfielders (this is how they played during their actual careers). Pairing a couple of dynamic offensive wings with a guy like Lepine is actually a quite innovative way of realizing Tarasov's system with the diverse personnel available in the ATD. The composition and quality of personnel on Pittsburgh's 3rd unit is actually one of the real strengths of the team.

 

[BraveCanadian]

Having home ice does not automatically mean that the home team can dictate every matchup, especially when at a clear coaching disadvantage.

No, but it helps.

Are Ramsay and Lidstrom actually a good matchup to check Gordie Howe? Both were soft, and Howe eats soft players. The fact that Lidstrom did well checking Eric Lindros in a single series that went four games does not mean he will be able to handle Gordie Howe. This is quite similar to the argument used against Sid Crosby (the one about how pests always get under his skin in the postseason) which you dismissed in the last round. At any rate, Howe and Lindros are different animals, entirely. Containing Howe and the AC 1st unit as a whole is a serious challenge for Macon in this series, as the Whoopee's best defensive personnel are not really ideal for handling overwhelming physicality. You might actually be better off trying to match up Harry Watson and Derian Hatcher on Howe, though that matchup has its own issues.

IMO, no one can totally handle Howe so it is always about damage control.

Honestly I don't think you could do any better than having a perfect positional player in Lidstrom on a pairing and a physical defenseman like Hatcher to butt heads with him on another.. well.. outside of Hatcher's lack of speed that is..

 

[Sturminator]

From Macon's perspective, the most favorable matchup is probably the Stewart line against Pittsburgh's 3rd unit. The AC's top two libéro (Clapper and Gardiner) are good matchups against Stewart due to their skill and physicality, but Rod Seiling is really not. This line could do damage against Pittsburgh's 3rd unit on the cycle, and I would expect Q to pursue this matchup as much as possible.

I'm interested to see what Pittsburgh would do to counter this potential strategy. Simply not giving the 3rd unit defensive zone starts when on the road would be one good solution.

 

[Sturminator]

Honestly I don't think you could do any better than having a perfect positional player in Lidstrom on a pairing and a physical defenseman like Hatcher to butt heads with him on another.. well.. outside of Hatcher's lack of speed that is..

Do you think Macon should mix up its top pairings here?

 

[Dr Pepper]

No, but it helps.



IMO, no one can totally handle Howe so it is always about damage control.

Honestly I don't think you could do any better than having a perfect positional player in Lidstrom on a pairing and a physical defenseman like Hatcher to butt heads with him on another.. well.. outside of Hatcher's lack of speed that is..

Was Hatcher ever paired with Lidstrom during his brief stop in Detroit?

 

[markrander87]

Are Ramsay and Lidstrom actually a good matchup to check Gordie Howe? Both were soft, and Howe eats soft players. The fact that Lidstrom did well checking Eric Lindros in a single series that went four games does not mean he will be able to handle Gordie Howe.

Lidstrom would be in my top 3 defenseman of all time to shut down Howe. Regardless of the physical ability of the defenseman Howe would most likely out power them.

I look at Lidstrom defensively the same way everyone look at Wayne Gretzky offensively. Were we nervous of Wayne being matched up against physical overpower defenseman? No, because he was such an intelligent player he knew the best way to handle each player/situation.

The same applies with Lidstrom. He is such an intelligent hockey player he isn't going to put himself in a position to get out muscled by Gordie Howe, and if he does, he's going to find the smartest way possible to defend him.

When have we ever heard of Lidstrom being out muscled?

I'm going to quote an excellent article written on Lidstrom:

What makes Nick great is he's very good to great at everything. He doesn't have any wow factor," Holland said. "You'll see a guy like [Mike] Green in Washington jumping into the high slot, zipping the puck into the top corner. That's not really Nick's game. He doesn't dangle. The wow factor is, he does it every day, day after day after day, after game, after year. Big games, small games. The wow factor is the constant that you just know. It's the body of work."

It's all the little things that add up to one great player. For example, picture two forecheckers bearing down on Lidstrom in the defensive zone. Lidstrom has the uncanny ability, almost like he has eyes in the back of his head, to deftly put the puck in the right spot and away from danger, most often right on a teammate's stick to start a counterattack.

During a practice drill last week, Lidstrom had a player draped all over him as goalie Chris Osgood passed him the puck in the corner. Without even looking behind him, or slowing down for one moment, or stopping Osgood's pass, Lidstrom redirected the puck with a quick stick and it landed right on the winger's stick along the side boards, and the play was out of his zone. Not a sexy play, but one only a few can pull off with regularity. Lidstrom does it in his sleep.

Another example: Sometimes a winger will try to "soft chip" a puck past him. Lidstrom will use his incredible hand-eye coordination skills and bat the puck out of midair. Next thing you know, he's whipping the puck right back up ice to a teammate and the Wings are back on the attack.

"There are players that will draw your attention because they'll go end to end or run a guy over. For Nick, it's like every shift is the same," Hall of Fame blueliner Larry Murphy, a former teammate of Lidstrom's, told ESPN.com. "There's no highs or lows. His level of performance is just so consistent. It took a while, I think, for people to realize just how good he was. Just for the fact that you have to watch him every day to understand."

Mistakes? Forget about it. He may not be flashy, but he also rarely makes a mistake.

"His biggest strength is his positioning and not overexerting himself," said Murphy, who was Lidstrom's defense partner for a few years. "He's very effective from the start to the finish of the game because he never takes an unnecessary step. He's always in the right position. His timing is always impeccable. He's not going to assert himself offensively unless it's a glaring opportunity or the team is behind. He just conserves energy. Because he's so efficient out there, the game comes easy to him."

"Probably one of the smartest to ever play the position," said Niedermayer.

"He doesn't overpower you, he's just so smart, great hockey sense," said Orr. "Intelligence, anticipation -- he does it all. He really does it all."

When you're at a game and you're focused on Lidstrom, notice how he seems to know where the puck is going next. Notice how he angles himself ahead of certain plays and closes down any gap the opposing player might have had. It's like watching a master chess player, always one move ahead.

"I still think his greatest gift is that he's smarter than anyone in the game," said Babcock. "He's flat-out smarter. He knows what you're doing before you even do it."

"He thinks the game as a defenseman maybe better than anybody in the history of the game," added Holland.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/columns/story?id=5918807


I ask you again....when have we ever heard of Lidstrom being out muscled?

I am not going to shut down their top unit. We are going to slow them down and have our 1st and 2nd lines out perform his 2nd and 3rd lines.

Also Craig Ramsay as mentioned will be draped all over Howe. Howe was known to have a short temper, who will be sticking up for him? Paul Kariya or Ted Kennedy? I don't think so. Unfortunately for Gordie there is no Ted Lindsay on his line this time around. Surely we can expect Howe to have to stand up for himself which will result in him spending a lot more time in the penalty box.

 

[markrander87]

No, but it helps.



IMO, no one can totally handle Howe so it is always about damage control.

Honestly I don't think you could do any better than having a perfect positional player in Lidstrom on a pairing and a physical defenseman like Hatcher to butt heads with him on another.. well.. outside of Hatcher's lack of speed that is..

Great post!! Pretty much mirrored what I was typing when you posted this.

 

[Sturminator]

I look at Lidstrom defensively the same way everyone look at Wayne Gretzky offensively. Were we nervous of Wayne being matched up against physical overpower defenseman? No, because he was such an intelligent player he knew the best way to handle each player/situation.

Comparing Lidstrom to Wayne is silly. There are only three players whose talent was on roughly the same level as Wayne's. One of them is in this series, but it is not Lidstrom.

When have we ever heard of Lidstrom being out muscled?

I've seen him get outmuscled in high-traffic areas on plenty of occasions. Lidstrom was very good at tying up sticks and generally harassing stronger players, but will this work against Gordie Howe? Howe was specifically great at creating space for himself by physically abusing anyone who tried to crowd him. Guys like Tim Horton had some success against Gordie because they were tough enough to take the abuse he dished out, but is Lidstrom one of those guys?

Also Craig Ramsay as mentioned will be draped all over Howe. Howe was known to have a short temper, who will be sticking up for him? Paul Kariya or Ted Kennedy? I don't think so. Unfortunately for Gordie there is no Ted Lindsay on his line this time around. Surely we can expect Howe to have to stand up for himself which will result in him spending a lot more time in the penalty box.

I don't think you know very much about Gordie Howe, mark. His physicality mainly took the form of subtle but violent dirty plays which were rarely called as penalties. Howe was a great fighter, but rarely fought, and was in fact well known for his patience in seeking revenge.

At any rate, Ebbie Goodfellow is probably the designated fighter on that 1st unit (why would you mention Kariya?), and Goodfellow was apparently a very good fighter. I don't think there will actually be that much fighting in this series, though.

 

[markrander87]

Comparing Lidstrom to Wayne is silly. There are only three players whose talent was on roughly the same level as Wayne's. One of them is in this series, but it is not Lidstrom.

No it's not at all. You're talking in extremes. Was I comparing their talent levels? I was comparing why they were so successful as players.

I've seen him get outmuscled in high-traffic areas on plenty of occasions. Lidstrom was very good at tying up sticks and generally harassing stronger players, but will this work against Gordie Howe? Howe was specifically great at creating space for himself by physically abusing anyone who tried to crowd him. Guys like Tim Horton had some success against Gordie because they were tough enough to take the abuse he dished out, but is Lidstrom one of those guys?

Show us when and where. Are there any articles showing this? I'm sure if we watched Gordie Howe play we'd see him get out smarted by an opposing defesneman once and a while.

You make Howe out as if he was a super human playing against Peewee kids.

I don't think you know very much about Gordie Howe, mark. His physicality mainly took the form of subtle but violent dirty plays which were rarely called as penalties. Howe was a great fighter, but rarely fought, and was in fact well known for his patience in seeking revenge.

At any rate, Ebbie Goodfellow is probably the designated fighter on that 1st unit (why would you mention Kariya?), and Goodfellow was apparently a very good fighter. I don't think there will actually be that much fighting in this series, though.

So Gordie Howe had his best success with a player like Ted Lindsay? Yes or no? Are you saying Howe is in the best position to succeed with these given line mates?


AGAIN For whatever reason (I think you are so attached to the layout of RS team you are blinded) you are talking in absolutes.

I never said I was going to completely shut down the top unit.

I will slow it down with the intelligence of Lidstrom and the defensive shadowing of Ramsay.

I would love for some other GM's to chime in. Does it not get much better of a LW/D combination to shut down Howe? What other LW/D combinations in this years ATD would be more successful? I bet there are less then 3.

 

[jarek]

Since you asked, mark, I think our combo of Pulford/Cleghorn would have done very well against Howe. I'm a little sad we didn't get to play that one out.

In terms of defensive ability, your Lidstrom/Ramsay combo is fine against Howe. I would be concerned about the matchup physically, but otherwise I don't see much wrong with it.

----------------

On a side note, I don't see this argument with any other players, but why do series involving Howe and Gretzky *always* come down to "can Howe/Gretzky be contained?" The result of a series involving either of those guys seems to always be decided by that and it is seriously starting to get extremely annoying because there are many other players on each team. Yes, those two players are dangerous and need to be addressed, but I'd love to hear more about other players too, as I actually think they will be important factors in the outcome. On that note..

Sturm alluded to it but there isn't enough being said of Pittsburgh's 3rd unit. I am convinced that those Russian wingers are good enough offensively to be on 2nd lines, though I am unsure to what degree of "good" they'd end up at. Probably lower tier, but legit. With 3 dangerous scoring lines, is Macon really set up to deal with that?

 

[markrander87]

Since you asked, mark, I think our combo of Pulford/Cleghorn would have done very well against Howe. I'm a little sad we didn't get to play that one out.

In terms of defensive ability, your Lidstrom/Ramsay combo is fine against Howe. I would be concerned about the matchup physically, but otherwise I don't see much wrong with it.

Can't argue with that Jarek.

On a side note, I don't see this argument with any other players, but why do series involving Howe and Gretzky *always* come down to "can Howe/Gretzky be contained?" The result of a series involving either of those guys seems to always be decided by that and it is seriously starting to get extremely annoying because there are many other players on each team. Yes, those two players are dangerous and need to be addressed, but I'd love to hear more about other players too, as I actually think they will be important factors in the outcome. On that note.

You're reading my mind. As I alluded to previously, it's as if Howe was a super human compared to the others players in the series.

Sturm alluded to it but there isn't enough being said of Pittsburgh's 3rd unit. I am convinced that those Russian wingers are good enough offensively to be on 2nd lines, though I am unsure to what degree of "good" they'd end up at. Probably lower tier, but legit. With 3 dangerous scoring lines, is Macon really set up to deal with that?

So are these the type of players you'd want on a 3rd line while competing against my team?

Let's break this down. I'm keeping things very basic.

Matchup 1

Team A - Paul Kariya - Ted Kennedy - Gordie Howe - Dit Clapper - Ebbie Goodfellow

Vs

Team B - Craig Ramsay - Fleming Mackell - Danny Gare - Nicklas Lidstrom - Larry Murphy


Matchup 2

Team A - Dany Heatley - Darryl Sittler - Dave Taylor - Glen Harmon - Herb Gardiner

vs

Team B - Harry Watson - Sidney Crosby - Alexander Maltsev - Derian Hatcher - Frank Patrick


Matchup 3

Team A - Veniamin Alexandrov - Pit Lepine - Vladimir Vikulov - Lennart Svedberg - Rod Seiling

vs

Team B - Dickie Moore - Nels Stewart - Phil Watson - Al Iafrate - Jamie Macoun

Which team has the best chance to win?