Last time these two teams played, a low scoring affair saw Malcolm Subban emerge and show us all how he can dominate a game from the crease. Canada will be looking for a similar performance as John Gibson has been great for the USA.
One reason the Americans were so tough for Canada may have been because Team Canada was down 2 men the whole game. J.C. Lipon and more importantly Boone Jenner were both suspended for that game, and we saw how effective Jenner is during the game against Russia.
Having played yesterday morning, the Americans also have to battle fatigue as the game drags on. If there was ever a time to take advantage of how little Alex Galchenyuk has been used and play him a ton, this would be it. We’ll see if Housley is smart enough to take advantage.
One troubling thing for the Americans might be wear and tear. Against the Czechs, Seth Jones and John Gaudreau were both banged up, and that may come into play.
The Americans also can’t take the dumb penalties early that they took against the Czech Republic, or Canada will bury them early.
For Canada, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins continues to be one of the most impressive players for the team in recent years. His 11 points in 4 games leads the tournament, and he seems to only be getting better.
Jonathan Drouin will likely stay on the top line with Nugent-Hopkins and Mark Scheifele, allowing Jonathan Huberdeau to slide down a line with Ryan Strome and Brett Ritchie.
After finally contributing offensively against Russia, Dougie Hamilton will be counted on to continue improving after a disappointing round robin. Hamilton was hailed as the best defenseman outside the NHL coming into the tournament, and frankly he’s failed to live up to the hype, especially when compared to Jacob Trouba for the Americans, or even 17 year old Seth Jones.
Game time is 4:00AM EST on TSN.
