World Cup Final Recap and Preview

World Cup Final Game 1 Recap; Game 2 Preview

         Before we move on to talk about tonight’s upcoming game, let us first recap how team Canada put themselves on the verge of a World Cup championship. Canada continued their winning ways by beating team Europe in game 1 of the best-of-3 World Cup finals on Tuesday night.

         Canada jumped to an early lead just 2:33 into the game right after killing off a European power play. Just seconds after Brad Marchand exited the penalty box, Patrice Bergeron, his teammate from Boston, was on a semi-breakaway and fed the puck to him at the side of the net where he roofed it. Canada extended their lead to 2-0 when Ryan Getzlaf stole the puck from big Zdeno Chara and gave a perfect pass to Steven Stamkos at 13:20, who put the puck up and over the sprawling Halak.

         The goal by the Toronto native was his first point of the tournament. For the rest of the 1^st period, Canada appeared to be putting on a clinic as they spent a lot of time in Europe’s zone while constantly peppering Halak with shots. In the 2^nd period, though, Europe showed that they were by no means out of the game. At 7:00, Tomas Tatar scored after Dennis Seidenberg’s long-range shot on Carey Price produced a rebound that went right to him.

         Tatar had scored Europe’s previous 3 goals. This goal of his was particularly important because it gave Europe the spark they needed while sucking life out of the building for the home team. Though team Europe continued their strong play for the rest of the period, they were unable to find the tying goal. They kept pushing for a goal, but Canada was able to weather the storm.

         Canada created a little more breathing room for themselves at 9:24 of the 3^rd when Sidney Crosby found Bergeron in the slot with a centering pass. Bergeron quickly put the puck in off of a one-time shot Halak had no chance of stopping. The Crosby line, which had powered Canada throughout the tournament, was rolling again. Team Canada proved too much for Europe to handle, as they would finish with a 3-1 victory.

         Though Europe lost, they had a lot of positive takeaways from the game. The score was a lot closer than many, including me, were expecting. They kept it close, which was probably a concern for team Canada, who usually dominates opponents. That wasn’t the case in game 1. Veteran Anze Kopitar even said that the game against Canada was Europe’s strongest performance of the tournament.

         For tonight’s game, I predict Canada will win the World Cup by beating Europe in another close game. However, Europe is a stronger team than many realize, and they shouldn’t be underestimated. While chances are low they will beat Canada tonight, I certainly see it as a possibility. The way I see it, all Canada needs to do to win is to score early and keep the crowd energized. The only way Europe wins is if Halak stands on his head and the offense steps up to score some timely goals.

NHL News (September 27)

NHL Reveals Centennial Events

         Earlier today, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman announced the special events that will occur in the 2016-2017 Centennial NHL season. To celebrate 100 years, the NHL will hold a number of these events throughout the season.

         The first of these will be the 2016 Heritage Classic between the Edmonton Oilers and Winnipeg Jets on October 23 at Investors Group Field in Winnipeg. On January 1, 2017, the NHL Centennial Classic between the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs will be played at BMO Field in Toronto. The next day, the 2017 NHL Winter Classic, featuring the Chicago Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues, will be played at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. Leading up to the game, the Los Angeles Kings will be showcased in a hockey-themed float during the Rose Parade in Pasadena, CA.

          Next, NHL All-Star weekend (January 27-29) will be held in Los Angeles. This will be followed by the NHL Stadium Series game between the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins on February 25 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh. On the weekend of March 15-18, the Stanley Cup’s 125^th Anniversary will be celebrated in Ottawa. November 26 will be the 100th Anniversary of the Founding of the NHL, and December 19 will be the 100th Anniversary of the first NHL game played. To top it all off, NHL legend Wayne Gretzky will serve as the NHL Centennial ambassador, making appearances at many of these events.

Canada, Europe Advance to World Cup Final (9-26)

Canada, Europe Advance to World Cup Final

         The matchup is set for the final round of the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. Team Canada, the favorite to win the tournament, got into the final by beating Russia 5-3 on Saturday. Team Europe, meanwhile, continued their improbable run to the finals by edging Sweden 3-2 in a surprise overtime win on Sunday.

         First, let’s recap Canada’s win over Russia. Sidney Crosby opened the scoring at 7:40 when he stole the puck from Russian defender Dmitri Kulikov and expertly stickhandled around the prone goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. The Canadians held a slim 1-0 lead entering the 2^nd period, but at 8:47 of the middle frame, Nikita Kucherov sniped a shot past goaltender Carey Price to tie the game.

         At 16:24, Evgeny Kuznetsov, who was stationed in front of the net, hit the puck out of midair to give Russia the lead. The Russian lead would be brief, as Crosby would give Brad Marchand a perfect feed in the slot to once again tie the game at 17:36. This game was gearing up for an exciting finish when it entered the 3^rd tied at 2. However, Canada quickly regained the lead when Marchand struck again, shooting the puck under Bobrovsky’s glove at 1:16.

         With goals from Corey Perry and John Tavares in the first half of the period, Canada was beginning to run away with the lead. Down 5-2, Russia’s chances of advancing were getting smaller with each passing minute. Soon, it was clear that Russia didn’t have enough gas left in the tank to mount a comeback. Artemi Panarin scored off a rebound with 9 seconds remaining, but the goal came too late to make any difference in the outcome.

         In Europe’s game against Sweden, Nicklas Backstrom would break the ice after a scoreless 1^st period when he put Anton Stralman’s rebound past Jaroslav Halak at 2:31 of the 2^nd. At 16:27, Marian Gaborik received a centering pass from Christian Ehrhoff that somehow found its way past Henrik Lundqvist to tie it. Slovakia’s Tomas Tatar gave Europe an early lead in the 3^rd period when he got his own rebound and punched it past Lundqvist only 12 seconds in.

         Europe attempted to carry their 1-goal lead all the way to the end of the game, but Erik Karlsson made sure that didn’t happen. His rocket of a shot deflected off of Roman Josi’s stick and into the back of the net at 15:28 to send the game to overtime. Tomas Tatar would again score a big goal when he ended it just 3:43 into overtime. The goal bounced in off his skate, but there was no kicking motion, so it counted.

         Team Europe enjoyed a jubilant celebration not just of their win, but of what they’ve been able to accomplish on this incredible world cup run. They now face the tough challenge of upsetting the powerhouse team Canada, a seemingly impossible feat. Game 1 of the final series between the two is tomorrow night at 8 PM.