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USA looking to rebound at the World's. Jack Eichel looking to bust it open |
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Team Belarus is a good hockey club anchored by 38 yr. old captain Alexei Kalyuzhny, a veteran of 20 professional seasons in the KHL. They also have two former NHL'ers on the team in the Kostitsyn brothers, Andrei and Sergei, and they are coached by long-time hockey man Dave Lewis. Although they're not a powerhouse, they're no slouches either. As Team USA found out yesterday.
Lewis played 16 seasons in the NHL with four teams and won a Stanley Cup in 1980 with the team that drafted him, the NY Islanders. He was on three more Stanley Cup teams as an assistant coach with the Detroit Red Wings (1997, 1998, 2002) under coaching legend Scotty Bowman. When Bowman retired in 2002, Lewis took the reigns of the team until the end of the 2004-05 lockout when his contract was not renewed. Mike Babcock was hired in his stead.
Internationally, this is his second coaching stint and beating the U.S. yesterday most definitely is a feather in his cap either for an extension on his one-year contract or for maybe returning to the NHL where he coached a total of 246 games for Detroit and the Boston Bruins.
Belarus played a pretty tight game yesterday and relied upon the stellar goaltending of Kevin Lalande, a former 5th round pick of the Calgary Flames (2005,) until the U.S. made some costly errors. Lalande was born in Kingston, ON but has dual citizenship and has spent the last two years playing for Belarus in international competition. And his numbers have been impressive. Last year he posted a 1.25 gaa with a .938 sv% in five games leading his team to a 7th place finish. At the World's this year he has a 1.74 gaa and a .938 sv. % in four games and is a big reason that Belarus beat Team USA.
The U.S. squad came out flying yesterday and controlling the play through the first half of the game, but Lalonde came up big and kept the puck out of the net. That's where the vets and the larger ice surface, as well as Team USA turnovers altered the course of the game in a matter of minutes.
Just over 11 minutes into the second period Belarus took advantage of a U.S. turnover in the Belarus zone. Defenseman Yevgeni Liovets gathered the puck in the slot and banked a pass to a streaking Artur Garvus in the neutral zone. Garvus put it past Jack Campbell far side with a quick shot from the face off circle.
Two minutes later, Belarus struck again in a carbon copy of the first goal. Team USA turned the puck over deep in the Belarus end, Sergei Kostitsyn banked a puck to the neutral zone where a streaking Artom Volkov gathered it and went in all alone on Campbell depositing the puck far-side again.
Three minutes after that, Alexander Kitarov would come out of the penalty box and take advantage of yet another U.S. turnover in the Belarus zone. He came up the right side again, and cut to the front of the net to pounce on his won rebound for a 3-0 Belarus lead. Sergei Kostitsyn once again had the primary assist as he followed the play all the way up ice and tipped the rebound to Kitarov.
As the U.S. squad was coming to their senses staring down a 3-0 deficit, presumed 2015 2nd overall pick Jack Eichel, became the focal point.
With the team on the powerplay, Eichel worked some magic at the Belarus blueline. He sneaked a puck right past a defender at the blueline and headed across- the ice towards the net drawing the attention of the entire Belarus squad before feeding a cross-ice pass Brock Nelson who deposited the puck into a gaping net. The entire play was a saavy, confident, veteran-like move that showed just what a presence he can have on the ice.
It wasn't all unicorns, rainbows and jujus for the probable Buffalo Sabres pick, however, as Eichel showed he's still learning the game at this level.
Shortly after the Nelson goal, Eichel weaved through three defenders to get to the right of the Belarus net all alone. With the five-hole open he elected to pass to a covered teammate. It was a move that may have shown a little too much unselfishness or even a little too much respect for his elder teammates. He did the same thing the game before when the U.S. beat Russia, electing to pass instead of shoot.
So instead of a possible 3-2 deficit heading into the third period, it remained 3-1 and just :34 seconds into the frame, Eichel would go off the ice for tripping at the Belarus blueline. It was another example of a lesson to be learned about keeping the stick away from the opposition's legs. And it was a tough lesson as well. Belarus scored on the powerplay and Team USA found themselves with a three-goal deficit.
A few minutes later Eichel would work some magic again with the U.S. on the powerplay as the entire Belarus squad backed off. He would eventually feed Torey Krug for a one-timer that cut the deficit to 4-2.
Kalyuzhny would round out the scoring with his second in a row and Team USA would drop to fourth in Group-B.
It was almost a coming out party for Eichel as you could see his confidence build and the Belarus squad put on it's heels. But the mistakes of youth cut short a fairy-tale ending. The progress Eichel has made in four international games is impressive. Athough his three-zone awareness and two-way play was always on display in the tournament we finally got the opportunity to see his speed and powerful skating as well as his top-notch stick-handling and skill-level. Eichel is real close to breaking through and this afternoon's game versus an over-matched Denmark team just might be what he needs to help him break through that threshold.
As laid out when the tournament began, the U.S. squad is lacking top-flight talent up-front. The three forwards with the most skill are collegians Eichel and Dylan Larkin plus 25-yr. old Steve Moses who played overseas the last three seasons. And of the three, Eichel seems to be tops in the skill department. It's not taking away anything from a powerforward with soft hands like Larkin, or a speedy jitter-bug like Moses, but Eichel has the complete package, one that will place him a close second in the draft behind a generational talent in Connor McDavid.
That's why the headline today from the IIHf over in the Czech Republic reads, Eichel impresses with play. Team USA counting on teenager. "When he gets the puck on his stick, especially in the offensive zone, he immediately becomes dangerous,” head coach Todd Richards said. "He’s vocal at times on the bench encouraging guys. Maybe he’s getting more comfortable around the guys, around the coaches and everyone else. Maybe there is this leadership there.
"I think (the loss to Belarus) it was another positive step forward from the offensive side of his game,” Richards noted. “Overall his game is getting better."
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