The United States of Hockey

The U.S. Men’s National Team overcame a lackluster start to earn a 5-2 win over Switzerland and clinch second place in the Helsinki Group, setting up a quarterfinal rematch with Finland.

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The U.S., which finished with a 4-2-0-1 (W-OTW-OTL-L) record, will take on the defending champ and tournament co-host Thursday at 11:30 a.m. EDT. The game will air live on the NBC Sports Network.

Against the Swiss, Team USA got better as the game went on and made sure the third period was its best period. As a result, the U.S. dominated down the stretch and finished the preliminary round on an extremely high note.

The U.S. has struggled a bit against teams that hadn’t been having a great tournament. The loss to Slovakia, going to overtime against Kazakhstan and the close game against Belarus all started flashing before Team USA’s eyes as it fell behind early in the second period.

After regrouping, the U.S. scored three unanswered goals to put the game out of reach and show just how good they can be.

Coming up after the jump, more notes on Team USA’s 5-2 win over Switzerland, the U.S. player of the game and a quick look at the quarterfinal match-ups for the World Championship.

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Though the U.S. has secured its spot in the quarterfinals at the Men’s World Championship, the game against Switzerland still carries some significance in terms of seeding. Team USA sits in third place, just two points behind Finland, three points behind first-place Canada and one point ahead of Slovakia.

There are a variety of scenarios that can play out Tuesday (which I’ll get to after the jump), which means the game against Switzerland is not to be treated as a warm-up. With that added motivation and coming off a rousing 5-0 victory over Finland, the U.S. should bring nothing less than its best.

Switzerland, meanwhile, has little to play for besides final placement. They aren’t relegated, but they aren’t moving on to the quarterfinals either. With that in mind, Team USA can only focus on itself and take care of some pretty important business.

Closing out the preliminary round on a high note is important, in terms of showing that the U.S. can actually string together a consistent effort from game-to-game. More importantly, shooting for that second- (or highly unlikely, but possible first-) place finish is the goal.

Coming up after the jump, a look at the different seeding scenarios, more notes on Team USA heading into Tuesday’s match-up and links.

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The U.S. Men’s National Team did their mommas proud on Mother’s Day. A 5-0 win over defending champion Finland showed what Team USA looks like at its very best. The win vaulted Team USA into second place in the Helsinki Group and, more importantly, clinched a spot in the quarterfinals.

I’ve been following the tournament closely for the last five years and, hands down, Sunday’s win was the gutsiest performance out of a men’s national team that I’ve seen.

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Team USA played with speed and grit against the often pesky Finland. The forecheck was as intense as we’ve seen out of the U.S. squad and the result was a goal parade.

Meanwhile, Team USA’s defense was as strong as it’s been all tournament. The U.S. was able to beat Finland at its own game in the defensive zone, by collapsing to the net and completely taking away the slot. Finland wasn’t able to do a thing offensively in this game, only managing 18 shots.

It was the most complete performance the U.S. has put together and it couldn’t have come at a better time. Going against Finland, who had a 4-0-0-1 record coming into the game, this was a game the U.S. came in as the underdog. The Americans beat the defending champion in its own building. Talk about a confidence builder.

Coming up after the jump, some more notes on Team USA’s 5-0 win over Finland, the U.S. Player of the Game and some post-game links.

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When is a win not a win? Team USA’s 3-2 overtime win against Kazakhstan is probably a good place to start. The U.S. started out OK, but faded as the game went on and lost leads  twice in the game. Until Justin Faulk scored the overtime game-winner, nothing looked assured for the United States. At this stage of the tournament, it’s an unacceptable result.

The U.S. improved to 2-2-0-1 in tournament play, and now has 10 points in the standings, which keeps them in the playoff round. However, with a close game against Belarus and now barely surviving Kazakhstan’s upset bid, doubt has to be creeping in.

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Somehow, the U.S. has four wins, but has not looked at all like the team that started the tournament with wins against France and Canada. You normally expect teams to get better as the tournament goes on, as players familiarize with each other and jet lag wears off. That has not been the case for Team USA. They may not have regressed entirely, but clearly have lost whatever it was they had in a 5-4 win over Canada early in the tournament.

What makes it scarier for the U.S. now, is that it will play a pair of games that could have significant implications for the medal round. Finland and Switzerland will both provide incredibly difficult challenges for the U.S.

Coming into today, Finland is the tournament’s top team, while Switzerland is still clawing for a spot in the medal round. If the U.S. plays as it did the last two days, beating either of those two clubs might be too tall an order to expect Team USA to handle.

Coming up after the jump, a look at Team USA’s 3-2 win over Kazakhstan, Team USA’s player of the game, links and more.

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Coming into this game, there isn’t a whole lot to analyze or break down. The U.S. Men’s National Team, with a roster made up almost exclusively of NHL talent and with three wins under its belt, is going up against a team devoid of NHL talent and winless in four games.

Team USA will meet Kazakhstan at 9:15 a.m. EDT Friday. The game will air live on NBC Sports Network, with coverage beginning at 9 a.m.

When it comes down to it, the U.S. simply has to get back to basics and simplify its game a bit more. Trying to to do too much has forced mistakes that have hurt the team. That said, Team USA has a chance to right the ship, so to speak, and focus on playing a 60-minute game.

Team USA undoubtedly is the more talented of the two teams in every facet of the game. Kazakhstan still is a team full of pro hockey players, that will mostly take advantage of the chances it gets, but it will be tough for the Kazakhs to keep up with the U.S.

Coming up after the jump, a few more notes on Friday’s match-up, including key players for each team and links.

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There was good news and bad news coming out the U.S. Men’s National Team’s game against Belarus Thursday. The good news was that the U.S. won, 5-3. The bad news was, Team USA is still struggling to play a complete game. Regardless, the U.S. earned a crucial three points in the standings and for now sits third in the Helsinki group with a 2-1-0-1 record.

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One has to wonder if the result would have been any different if Andrei Mezin didn’t start in net for Belarus. Team USA chased the three-time Olympic netminder after two somewhat weak goals, leading to Vitali Koval taking over before the halfway point of the first period. The head start certainly helped the U.S.

Belarus ended up erasing the two-goal deficit with a pair of goals that were direct results of defensive breakdowns in front of Jimmy Howard. The U.S. recovered however, taking a 3-2 lead heading into the third period thanks to a late goal by Nate Thompson.

Team USA’s top line finally got it going in the third period with a pair of goals and the U.S. was able to get out with a 5-3 victory.

Coming up after the jump, a closer look at Team USA’s 5-3 win over Belarus and find out the USofH pick for player of the game.

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Bouncing back will be on the minds of the U.S. Men’s National Team ahead of its Thursday match-up against Belarus. It’s not that bouncing back would be good for Team USA’s self esteem, it’s starting to become a necessity. Over the last two off days, the U.S. has dropped to fifth place in the Helsinki group. The U.S. still has four games to play in the group stage, but at its current spot in the standings, each game’s level of importance increases.

Team USA has to avoid a letdown against a Belarusian team that includes just one NHLer (Mikhail Grabovski). With back-to-back tilts against Belarus and Kazakhstan before a pair against defending champ Finland and Switzerland, which currently sits fourth in the group, the margin of error is thinning.

Coming out of the disappointing loss against Slovakia, the U.S. has had plenty of time to regroup and should be well prepared for Belarus. Meanwhile, Belarus is still within striking distance of a spot in the playoff round.

Belarus is no slouch, either. Each game they’ve played has been decided by one goal, including a 1-0 loss to Finland, 3-2 loss to Switzerland and a 3-2 win over Kazakhstan. This is a team that has played tough in every game.

Coming up after the jump, more notes on this match-up as well as key players for both sides, links and a U.S. roster update.

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Coming into Monday’s match-up, the U.S. Men’s National Team and Slovakia are on opposite ends of the standings. At 1-1-0-0 (W-OTW-OTL-L), Team USA is in third place in the group, just one point behind leaders Finland and Switzerland. Slovakia, meanwhile is winless through its first two games and sits sixth in the Helsinki group.

The U.S. will meet Slovakia at 1:15 p.m. EDT live on NBC Sports Network.

Due to Slovakia’s rough start, which included a 3-2 loss to Canada and 1-0 shutout at the hands of Finland, they might actually be a dangerous team. Though Slovakia will have a chance to make up some ground against teams like France and Kazakhstan potentially, a loss to the Americans makes it an awfully steep climb to make the medal round. Only the top four teams in each group make it out. A team with that much to lose can cause concern.

The U.S. meanwhile is coming off an emotional 5-4 overtime win over Canada and thoroughly handled France 7-2. Team USA’s 12 goals for is a tournament high, while its plus-6 goal differential is also tops at the tournament. It’s always tough to gauge momentum at this event and whether it really matters. Team USA is still coming together and learning how to play with each other, but through two games have put together some pretty solid performances. Can they keep it up?

Coming up after the jump, some more notes on Monday’s match-up, as well as a look at key players for each team and some links.

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