Promising start for Team USA in world junior championships
Team USA opened the world junior championships with a 6-1 win against Latvia on Monday at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto.
Dealing with penalties throughout the game, the Americans scored five unanswered goals in the second and third period to take charge.
"We might have had some nerves, but in the third period we fought through it," said U.S. coach Bob Motzko. "We were 18-2 on draws in the third period. Got pucks deep. We leave the game feeling good about ourselves.
Here’s what was important about the win for the Americans:
Top guns firing: NHL first-round picks Clayton Keller (Arizona Coyotes) and Colin White (Ottawa Senators) are supposed to spearhead the team’s offensive charge in this tournament. They both produced in the opening game. Keller netted a pair of goals, and White had a goal and an assist. Keller made a nifty play on his second goal, swiping the puck from a defenseman and scoring on a 30-foot drive. Jordan Greenway (Minnesota Wild) and Jeremy Bracco (Toronto Maple Leafs) also scored for Team USA. First-rounder Tage Thompson (St. Louis Blues) had two assists.
"I think everyone played hard and everyone did the little things to open up the big things," Keller told Paste BN Sports. "Getting pucks on net, and chipping them down led to a lot of success. We were rewarded on the score sheet."
Transition game shows promise: American defensemen, particularly Charlie McAvoy (Boston Bruins), were actively engaged in joining the offensive attack. This will be important as the tournament progresses.
"We are an offensive team," Keller said. "Everyone has skill. But I think we have to take care of things in our D-zone first. When we do that I think everything opens up for us and we will be able to score a lot of goals."
Penalty killing sharp: The Americans were 5-for-5 in short-handed situations, including thwarting a 5-on-3 for 1:24.
Avoided Game 1 messiness: When national teams come together, the opening game can be bumpy because players are trying to make peace with new roles and linemates. The Americans found a way to get their work done.
Goaltending solid: Tyler Parsons (Calgary Flames) wasn’t severely tested, but looked confident to take charge of the net. He has played sharply (11-1-3 with .916 save percentage) for the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League this season. He made one memorable stop on a Latvian breakaway on Monday.