Jagr Turns Back The Clock: Tricks USA in Czech win

Special players rise to the occasion. Performing on the big stage has never been a problem for Jaromir Jagr. The former NHL great turned back the clock with a vintage game in today's quarterfinal between Team USA and the Czech Republic at the World's. No.68 dialed it up, notching a hat trick to lead the Czechs past an overmatched young American squad 4-0 in Bratislava- advancing the defending champs to the semifinals before a raucous atmosphere that featured overwhelming support.

As Zach Parise said during intermission on Versus, "What can you say about this guy?" Like many, he's seen it before with Jagr victimizing the Devils a few Springs ago in the last Battle Of Hudson. The speed isn't the same but the instincts along with incredible hockey sense are for the now 39 year-old who the Pens are rumored to have interest in. Could a Pittsburgh reunion be in the works for GM Ray Shero? Jagr's contract with Avangard Omsk ran out but he may stay put. Of course, the wider hockey surface benefits his style- allowing him more room and space to create along the wall.

Personally, I'd love to see Jagr return to the NHL for one more go round. In 1,273 career games, No.68's tallied 646 goals along with 953 assists totaling 1,599. If he came back, a few milestones are attainable with JJ needing one point for 1,600, 47 helpers for 1,000 and 54 goals to join the 700 Goal Club. If he played 27 games, the former Blueshirt would hit 1,300. While the point would be easy, the other two might be more difficult. It's hard to gauge how an older and slower Jagr would do back on the smaller North American ice. With more of an emphasis on speed, could his body hold up over an 82 game schedule? Of course, if he played with say Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby, that would certainly benefit him. Imagine what Pens games would be like. Super Mario II ring a bell? A Pens ticket would become a hot commodity, which would benefit a league where attendance isn't always positive despite what spin the NHL puts out.

Of course, all this is wild speculation. Fun to envision. One thing about Jagr. He's still quite potent on the power play where two of his three markers came, including a familiar 5-on-3 one-timer that deflected off Mike Komisarek's stick past Ty Conklin for the Czechs' second of the day. Jagr started the scoring when he took full advantage of a Kevin Shattenkirk turnover, beating Conklin through the wickets on a mini-break late in a first period controlled by Scott Gordon's younger club.
Our country lost their discipline in a poor middle stanza. James van Riemsdyk's silly elbow handed the Czechs a two-man advantage. After some strong penalty killing along with a couple of big stops by Conklin on Marek Zidlicky, the Czech Republic used a timeout to rest their top unit. It paid dividends when Roman Cervenka dished across for a quick Jagr rocket that Conklin had no chance on. He actually was in good position before the puck changed direction due to Komisarek.

Due in large part to special teams, Team USA never got any quality chances on Thrasher netminder Ondrej Pavelec (29 saves), who denied Nashville prospect Craig Smith in the first. Gordon's club did blow their own abbreviated 5-on-3 prior to Jagr connecting, staking the Czechs to a two-goal lead after 40 minutes. The U.S. effort was better in the third but they never were able to match their more experienced opponents' firepower. Czech Republic had a loaded roster that included Devil Patrik Elias, Tomas Plekanec (Mtl), Michal Frolik (Chi), Jakub Voracek (CBJ), Milan Michalek (Ott), Zbynek Michalek (Pit) along with former NHLers Petr Prucha, Jiri Novotny, Karel Rachunek, Lukas Krajicek and Martin Skoula. Cervenka, former Ranger draft pick Jan Marek and Czech captain Tomas Rolinek are no strangers to international play.

Conversely, Team USA's roster was comprised mostly of kids who didn't represent us in Vancouver when our country was runner-up to Canada in one of the most memorable games ever. It still hurts. Ranger Derek Stepan was held off the scoresheet for the first time along with linemates Blake Wheeler (Atl) and Van Riemsdyk (Phi). In seven games, Stepan paced us with seven points. Others who played well included Smith, Devil Nick Palmieri, Ryan Shannon (Ott), Jack Skille (Fla), Jack Johnson (LA), captain Mark Stuart (Atl), Ryan McDonagh (NYR), Cam Fowler (Ana) and future Blueshirt Chris Kreider. Komisarek (Tor), Shattenkirk (Stl), ex-Blue Yan Stastny , Tim Stapleton (Atl), Paul Gaustad (Buf), Mike Brown (Tor), Chris Porter (Stl) and Clay Wilson (Fla) also rounded out the roster along with Islander Al Montoya.

The difference in skill level was evident on the Czechs' final two tallies. A Stepan mistake in the neutral zone led to a quick set up for Plekanec, who wired one top shelf for 3-zip. A frustrated Stuart slash late allowed Jagr to turn the trick when No.68 worked a textbook give-and-go with Plekanec, who found him for an easy finish to plenty of salutes from a pro-Czech crowd that included painted faces and funky outfits in their flag colors. European fans are classic. One day, I have to go see a game overseas. Just for the atmosphere itself along with a unique culture, it'll be worth it.

While Czech Republic awaits the Germany-Sweden winner, tomorrow features a heavyweight quarter match between Russia and Canada. Versus is airing it live at 2 ET. If you get a chance to tune in, don't miss it! With Detroit and San Jose off after another amazing performance from Pavel Datsyuk, who along with Niklas Kronwall have helped the Red Wings rally from an 0-3 hole to even the series, you can catch an encore of the Jagr Show at 8 tonight.

I was going to do a separate entry on this series, which has become the second this postseason that needs a Game 7 after one team led 3-0. We saw it in Round One when the Blackhawks rallied to not only force a deciding game but got a Jonathan Toews shorthanded goal with two minutes left, taking the Canucks to sudden death before Alex Burrows rescued the city of Vancouver. Now, it's another experienced former champion standing up to make it the kinda series I envisioned. I took the Sharks in seven. So, it's not surprising that tomorrow will see an epic conclusion to a classic Conference Semifinal where basically every game's been decided by a goal sans a late Darren Helm empty netter that sent The Joe into a frenzy.

It's been a hard fought battle all the way with San Jose prevailing by one the first three, including a pair of OT winners from Joe Pavelski and Devin Setoguchi. To Detroit's credit, they fought back with two one-goal triumphs, including a miraculous third period comeback with Jonathan Ericsson, Kronwall and Tomas Holmstrom scoring in succession to stun HP Pavilion in Game 5. Game 6 was incredible with unbelievable netminding from Antti Niemi (42 saves) giving his team a chance to steal it. When Logan Couture nudged Dany Heatley's rebound across the line, the Sharks led with 16:06 left. But Jimmy Howard (24 saves) also made a few clutch stops including a ridiculous glove save off a tricky Heatley deflection. The Wings wouldn't be denied when Valterri Filppula found a pinching Kronwall for a shot Henrik Zetterberg redirected.

They took advantage of a terrible San Jose change with Filppula steering home a ridiculous backhand saucer feed from who else but Datsyuk. Datsyukian as I refer to him on Twitter is amazing. He's playing with a bad wrist and took only one key defensive draw late last night and won it. Whatever pain he's in, you wouldn't know it. I've said it before. Not to sound like an echo, but there's no more complete player than Pavel Datsyuk. The man is a magician with the puck who never takes a shift off. His backchecking is second to none even though I think Ryan Kesler wins his first Selke. I love Kes, who reminds me of Mark Messier. He's having a great playoffs. But if you were to ask me who my favorite player is to watch, it's Datsyuk. The man is all heart. He only got one point last night but it's his constant play with and without the puck that is breathtaking. Take his wizardry that made Jeremy Roenick target Patrick Marleau dizzy before feeding Nick Lidstrom for Holmstrom's decider the other day. It's just remarkable.

The Red Wings will attempt to become the fourth team to make it all the way back from 3-0 behind. Can they join the '42 Maple Leafs, '75 Islanders and last year's Flyers, who went to Game 6 before falling to Chicago in sudden death? It shouldn't be easy at one of the best home ice advantages in the league. It's not like the Sharks have played poorly. Yesterday was their first bad game. Without Niemi, it's not a contest. None of that matters. Something Todd McLellan pointed out in his press conference. Game 7 is about stars. It's where heroes are born. San Jose should have Ryane Clowe back to reunite with Couture and Heatley, who've been their best line. Joe Thornton has played better hockey than any other playoffs. Pavelski is as clutch as it gets and Setoguchi has been everywhere. Is this the game Marleau shows? It's all on the line.

Monday Fun Day: Early 90's Throwback

Hockey's been dead here for a while. To be perfectly blunt, it already feels like months since the Rangers and Sabres lost their first round series. If that's how this blogger feels, I can't imagine how Hasan does or any Islander fan. We live and die with our teams and the fact that once again, no one's playing deep into the nice May weather can totally suck.

For me, I continue to follow the playoffs where you have no clue on what will happen next. Can Nashville force a seventh game tonight? Are the Sharks in trouble after blowing their second chance to put away Detroit? In what looked to be your typical second round following a long, exciting first round with Tampa and Boston sweeping, the Preds and Wings don't want it to be over yet. They continue to fight, forcing the Bolts and Bruins to wait patiently before the Conference Finals can begin. Is it fair? Probably not. But it might help concussed B Patrice Pergeron, who's a vital cog for Claude Julien. You hope he'll be alright following Claude Giroux's clean hit. If not, Tyler Seguin will make his playoff debut under intense scrutiny. It's the Bruins' first appearance in the Final Four since '92 when the Original 6 black and gold featured Ray Bourque, Adam Oates, Cam Neely, Glen Wesley, Joe Juneau and Andy Moog.

To think that back then I was a young, innocent teenager who enjoyed the throwback style we got. Gretzky was King and Super Mario reigned supreme along with a long haired Czech teen phenom named Jagr as his sidekick, going back-to-back in the Steel City. The hockey version of Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid, who were supposed to win a lot more before Lemieux's back problems and Hodgkin's. When you look at the point totals of classic scoring races, Mario and the Great One dominated while Oates and Pat Lafontaine along with Stevie Y all did their thing. The excitement dominant finishers like Brett Hull, Alexander Mogilny,The Finnish Flash and The Russian Rocket generated along with a gifted Russian named Fedorov, injected life to a sport that wasn't always about dirty hits and controversial remarks. In the glory days, our heroes were men built like Messier, whose dominance in a series win over Jeremy Roenick and the Blackhawks led Edmonton to another Cup.

Maybe it's me but back then, stars were more celebrated. It wasn't just limited to Sid vs Ovi. American stars like JR, Lafontaine, Brian Leetch, Chris Chelios and Mike Modano transformed the sport- making it more popular in The States. Today, we get emerging young stars Patrick Kane, Bobby Ryan, Zach Parise, Phil Kessel, Paul Stastny, James van Riemsdyk along with black and blue types Ryan Kesler, Joe Pavelski, Ryan Callahan and Dustin Brown, who we identify with. The names on the blueline have changed to Johnson and Johnson, plus Cam Fowler and Kevin Shattenkirk, giving us hopes for the future. Might that include Derek Stepan, Ryan McDonagh and Chris Kreider along with Nick Palmieri and Mark Fayne and Kyle Okposo? Ask the new kids on the block and they'll tell ya who inspired them. The stars of yesteryear's impact can't be forgotten. So, the next time you watch, images of Leetch, Chelios, Modano, Roenick, '96 World Cup hero Tony Amonte, John Leclair, Keith Tkachuk, Bill Guerin, Gary Suter and Mike Richter should all be fresh. With recent Vancouver hero Ryan Miller, Conn Smythe candidate Tim Thomas and rejuvenated Al Montoya, there's much to like. Indeed, The Kids Are Alright.

Speaking of Team USA, they dropped their final preliminary at the World's to the Swiss 5-3 in Slovakia. Ty Conklin allowed all four goals and Andres Ambuhl scored a goal and assist for the pesky country nobody likes facing. Nothing for D-Step or Kreids, who've both been good this tournament along with Palmieri and Blake Wheeler. They failed on two power plays trailing 4-2 before a brilliant feed from Fowler set up a cutting JVR with reliever Montoya pulled for an extra attacker. However, the Swiss held us off by working the puck out and getting an empty netter to clinch the win. Now, it's onto the elimination round with a potential quarterfinal against familiar face Jagr and the Czech Republic. No picnic. The next game features Sweden and Canada with the winner drawing Russia. Yikes. Norway qualified with a 5-2 win over France. Slovakia didn't but won today 4-1 over Denmark. Marian Gaborik had an assist and Marian Hossa tallied while old reliables Miro Satan (1-1-2) and Jozef Stumpel (assist) had strong games.

Kudos to Versus for televising most of our games live. The quarters will be played in Bratislava at Orange Arena. With a secondary helper late, Stepan hiked his team-leading scoring total to seven points (2-5-7). Wisconsin's Craig Smith notched his team best third goal. A breakout tourney for the future Predator who ranks second with half a dozen points (3-3-6). Palmieri has two goals and a helper. We'll see how they fare in crunch time.

Stepan, Kreider and McDonagh lead USA to win

In case you weren't paying attention, there's other hockey going on over in the Czech Republic where the World Championships are taking place. Today, Team USA got off on the right foot by posting a 5-1 win over Austria. A better beginning for ex-Isles coach Scott Gordon who also was behind the bench last year when they were upset by Germany in their first game.

Wisconsin was well represented with the Ranger duo of Derek Stepan and Ryan McDonagh donning the cool home white USA threads along with 21 year-old Craig Smith, who's a Nashville prospect. All had good days with Stepan setting up a pair of goals, including one for future Blueshirt Chris Kreider, who looked poised throughout. The Boston College standout is expected to return for his junior season, which probably is the right decision. No sense rushing the former No.1 pick when our team probably is a couple of years away from contending. It's encouraging to see Kreids looking like he belongs while getting the chance to reunite with WJC hero Stepan and McD.

Other highlights included Thrasher Blake Wheeler finishing off a nice dish from a tough angle and Blue defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk rifling one far side past Austrian netminder Jurgen Penker (27 saves).

Another familiar face represented the red, white and blue in net with Islander Al Montoya turning aside 12 of 13 shots. Seeing Al in net was cool, giving me flashbacks of his heroic effort in '03 that led USA to upsetting Canada when Marc-Andre Fleury's gaffe allowed our country to finally win the World Junior Championships. Of course, Ranger fans still fret over Glen Sather selecting Montoya sixth overall in the '04 Draft. What people forget is that Henrik Lundqvist was unknown and Dan Blackburn was finished due to that freak injury in the weight room. I will always feel Al never got a fair shake here due to Lundqvist's emergence. He was an AHL All-Star his second pro season in '06-07 but was blocked by Steve Valiquette. There were a couple of instances he was an emergency recall but for whatever reason, Ranger brass refused to start him when it could've boosted his value.

Eventually, Al was dealt to Rangers West in the Desert with Marcel Hossa for Freddy Sjostrom, David LeNeveu and Josh Gratton. Ironically, he was similarly blocked by Ilya Bryzgalov and former Ranger Jason LaBarbera. The former Wolverine got his break when the Islanders gave him a shot with the Chicago native producing nice results (9 Wins, 2.39 GAA, .921 Save Pct, SHO). Al was re-signed for next year and will likely split duty with Rick DiPietro.

Kudos to Versus for extending their hockey coverage this morning at 10 ET with familiar face Bill Pidto running things along with special guest analyst Zach Parise, which had to bring a tear to Devil fans. He looked a bit weird in studio but did alright. The next game is Monday at 10. So, if you can't catch it live, set the DVR. Somewhere in California, Brian's smiling. :P

Bos/NYR Preview: A Storm Is Bruin

Tonight, a hot Bruins team visits MSG where our Rangers can't win. It would help if they could put the puck in the net. Right, Chris Higgins? Have you ever seen a guy work as hard and have worse luck than the guy we got just to rid Scott Gomez' contract? Even when Slats does something right, it's like he drank with the Devil, which btw is a good Jack Higgins novel. Oh wait. He does already. Dolan.

You know it's sad when our sad sack team is 5-1-2 in its last eight and still somehow sitting in eighth with 43 points with half a dozen right behind, not playing well enough. Why can't our team tank? Getting a high pick would be the best thing for this roster. At least Gabby and Henrik would get help. Well, Derek Stepan is going to be a good one and Chris Kreider isn't Hugh Specimen. So, there's that. If I sound so unexcited about this game on Versus, it's cause I won't be watching much. Well, I'll see the first and a little of the other two. See. There's actually a reason to watch wrestling with Bret "Hitman" Hart returning to WWE and Hulk Hogan on TNA going head to head. As my brother notes, wrestling sucks. But still, we got rid of our tix to see this. That's when you know your team sucks. I'm sure it will be a "sellout."

Just how pumped am I? A tweet which amused some of the masses who live and die with this team:

@BattleOfNewYork hey #NYR fans remember what it was like to look forward to our games...

Well, there's always next year. Sixteen years and counting.

USA-Sweden WJC Semis 9 PM

At the top of the hour, we'll be keeping an eye on the 2010 WJC second semifinal between Team USA and Sweden with the winner playing five-time defending champion Canada for all the marbles. Not surprisingly, the Canadians were too much for a cinderella Swiss team that stunned Russia yesterday, pulling off a 3-2 upset in overtime thanks to Nino Niederreiter's game-tying and sudden death winner. Benjamin Conz- who we praised earlier this tournament for his work between the pipes- was brilliant making 50 saves in the huge upset. Despite giving up six on 44 shots to Canada earlier today, he'll likely be named the tourney's top goaltender. Switzerland can finish no worse than fourth and will draw the loser for the bronze medal.

For Canada, Jordan Eberle scored and hotshot Taylor Hall lit the lamp twice. We'll try to update the condition of Islander prospect D Travis Hamonic, who left with a shoulder injury due to a hit from behind. The second Islander blueliner to be hurt on Canada. Calvin de Haan returned after missing two games but played sparingly. He'll likely see an increased role if Hamonic isn't back. Colten Teubert anchors the back end while Ryan Ellis and Alex Pietrangelo run the point on a power play that's only converted once in their last 11. That could be bad news for tonight's winner.

Team USA enters on the heels of a 6-2 quarterfinal triumph over Finland. Jordan Schroeder tallied three assists, shattering Jeremy Roenick's American WJC record 25 points. The Vancouver Canucks '09 first round pick (22nd overall) has totaled 26 points (6-20-26). Great stuff. We'll see if he can hike the total and help lead the Americans to an upset over a talented Sweden team that features Devil duo Mattias Tedenby and Jacob Josefson along with Magnus Paajarvi Svensson, Andre Petterson, Oliver Ekman Larsson, Tim Erixon and Jacob Markstrom.


Our side has gotten inspired performances from many including team captain Derek Stepan (3-8-11) and Chris Kreider (5-1-6). Two Ranger properties along with Ryan Bourque (2 A). Keep an eye on Danny Kristo and Jerry D Amigo as each has had a strong showing. It all starts now. We'll also look in on Hasan's Jets to see if they get it done. At last check, Gang Green was leading the Bengals 7-0 at the end of one. Good luck bud. :)

Canada beats US in classic

For at least one more night, Oh Canada was played as fans cheered their hockey heroes one more time for rallying back from two down to beat Team USA 5-4 in the skill competition. In front of over a record 15,000 jam packed at Saskatoon for what's looking to be a traditional WJC New Year's marquee attraction, the five-time defending champs overcame a 4-2 third period deficit to pull out the victory- winning Group A for an automatic bye into the semis.

Earlier in the day, Sweden earned the other free spot by routing US quarterfinal foe Finland 7-1, with Devil properties Jacob Josefson scoring twice and Mattias Tedenby tallying a goal and assist. Russia also defeated the Czech Republic 5-2 to setup the other quarter versus Swiss. Islander property Kiril Petrov scored a goal and assist while Blue Jacket product Nikita Filatov added two helpers. Vladimir Tarashenko had two goals and a helper.

As for the latest American-Canadian showdown, it lived up to its billing with both teams skating ferociously finishing every check in a barn burner. If last year's Canada 7-4 comeback from an early 0-3 hole was great, then this was even better featuring more twists and turns than a roller coaster. Both came out ready for this crucial test after laughers. Early on, the USA established their forecheck. But it was the hosts who got on the board first when Stefan Della-Rovere slammed home a Jordan Caron shot that got redirected by Luke Adam, caroming off Jack Campbell to Rovere for the gimme just 2:03 in.

However, the lead lasted only 1:37 with the Americans getting it right back on a power play goal from Philip McRae. With Brayden Schenn in the box, McCrae started the play down low coming out for a stuff try which Jake Allen got a piece of. But it rebounded to Jerry D Amigo, who also was denied. The puck caromed back to McRae for an easy finish. Tied up, both clubs took turns attacking. But in a seesaw period that saw Canada hold a slight 10-9 shots edge, the USA did a good job shutting down their dangerous power play by killing off two penalties, including one taken by Ranger prospect Chris Kreider that negated a man-advantage. Our great attention to detail saw them not only disrupt Ryan Ellis but blanket Taylor Hall, who was closely shadowed by junior 'mate Cam Fowler.

Sound backchecking, blocked shots and breaking up plays at last split seconds allowed the Americans to catch the Canadian points deep, generating plenty of shorthanded opportunities, including a near miss from Ryan Bourque off a nice Derek Stepan set up. A common theme throughout. Still deadlocked at one, Team USA finally made it work when Jordan Schroeder got behind for a breakaway and went five-hole on Allen for a 2-1 lead. The play was made possible by standout teammate Tyler Johnson, who after breaking up a chance, turned around in one motion and threaded the needle to the Vancouver No.22 overall '09 pick. A great heads up play for the lead.

This game had everything, including nasty hits like the one Colten Teubert delivered on an American. Both teams didn't give an inch. Trailing for the first time all tournament (they hadn't been scored on till tonight), Canada struck back thanks to Jordan Eberle's fancy backhand tuck job. Taking a Schenn pass, Eberle dashed around a D and then went to the backhand, deking Campbell for the equalizer 4:07 later. Amazingly, less than a minute later, a huge play took place when Teubert took down a cutting Kreider for a penalty shot. He had completed a hat trick versus Latvia with an off the grain forehand. He made the same move but Allen gave him nothing to Canadian fans' delight.

Team USA then ran into penalty trouble handing Canada consecutive power plays. What probably was frustrating was that while A.J. Jenks got nabbed for interference, Nazem Kadri threw him down moments earlier with no call. It didn't matter. They had to kill it. As time wound down in the second, our guys continued to attack exploiting Canada's overpinching. They again connected shorthanded when this time Johnson was the beneficiary of an inspired D Amigo rush. He flew down the left wing forcing Allen to make a stop but the puck went up in the air right off Johnson's stick and in for the shorty, coming with under 11 seconds left. Most amazing was D Amigo's presence of mind to look up at the clock as the play developed, putting them back ahead. Great stuff.

It set up one heck of a third. With Canada still on the PP, Hall nearly tied it twice on the opening shift just missing wide after slipping behind and then also coming close on a wrap around. However, as the penalty expired, Stepan made a nice defensive play and then found Danny Kristo for a big goal 61 seconds in. One of the most dangerous finishers on our side, Kristo beat the D with a great one-on-one move inside and then went five-hole pumping his fists and cheering as he passed the bench.

The problem was there was still plenty of time left. Too much for Canada to give up. Stepan came close to making it 5-2 but Allen shut the door. That gave his teammates a chance to comeback. For a while, nothing was going on except sound defensive play from Team USA. But that all changed when with under 10 minutes left, Eberle got a stick on a Schenn shot for his second of the night, cutting to 4-3. Brandon McMillan started it with a good cycle, getting a key secondary helper. With the crowd suddenly alive, the US took a timeout. Unfortunately, they couldn't stem momentum. Not even after denying Canada on another PP and getting their own with over five minutes to go.

Instead, they were way too tenative. Just as I was noting it to my Dad, here came Alex Pietrangelo taking full advantage of a sloppy turnover and then roofing a perfect laser to know it at four apiece with 4:05 remaining. The roof nearly came off the place. Amazingly, they almost won it in regulation but a goal was wiped out due to a player in the crease with like two minutes left. It would go to four-on-four overtime.

Unfortunately, nothing was decided, forcing a winner take all shootout for tops in the Group. Nothing separated the North American combatants thru two rounds with Eberle, Kristo, Kadri and Jeremy Morin all scoring. Brandon Kozun put Canada back ahead when he shot thru Campbell's wickets, leaving it all up to Schroeder. He had a fantastic game but went to the same move that worked prior. This time, Allen closed it up, allowing his team to celebrate a great victory to improve to 4-0 and an automatic bid into the Final Four.

As the Canadian anthem played, the dejection on our kids' faces said it all. They knew they had it but let Canada off the hook. Stepan still composed himself to do an interview on NHL Network. Didn't catch it. They have nothing to be ashamed of but were oh so close. Now, they must go out and beat the Finns for another possible crack at their archrival. At least it was a classic.

WJC Update

If you haven't watched the WJC, it's not too late. The games are about to get better. USA plays Canada on New Year's Eve at 8. So, both killed the comp again yesterday with the Americans handing poor Latvia a 12-1 beat down while the host Canadians hammered Slovakia 8-2 in Taylor Hall's coming out party (hat trick).

Can anyone stop Canada? Their roster is like all All-Stars from Ryan Ellis to Jordan Eberle to Alex Pietrangelo to Nazem Kadri to Brayden Schenn to Patrice Cormier to Gabriel Bourque to Brandon McMillan to Colten Teubert to Jared Cowen to Brandon Kozun to Jake Allen. Did we mention Hall now is up to seven points? Yikes. And sadly, they didn't select other potential top pick Taylor Sequin. Scary.

In USA's predictable 11-goal rout, Ranger prospects Derek Stepan and Chris Kreider continued to turn heads with the American captain scoring twice and setting up two others while the Blueshirts' 2009 No.1 pick netted a hat trick, finishing it off in style on a penalty shot (wrister shortside). Just how good are they? Let's see how each does against the best tomorrow night in Saskatoon. Btw...Canada donned green jerseys in tribute to Sask and Robyn Regehr's wife presented the Star Of The Game. Damn. She's hot! Let's just say the Calgary defenseman is a lucky man.

Who else starred yesterday? Jersey product Kyle Palmieri (Ana) had four assists. Danny Kristo (Mtl) had a pair of goals as did Jason Zucker. Jeremy Morin had a goal and assist while Jordan Schroeder (Van) tallied two helpers along with Jake Gardiner, Philip McRae, Brian Lashoff and John Ramage. Okay. You get the point.

In the one competitive game, a more experienced Sweden handled Russia 4-1. Magnus Paajarvi Svensson (Tor) netted a goal and two assists while Andre Petersson notched two markers including a rocket thru a screen that restored a two-goal lead after Islander property Kiril Petrov converted a breakaway (forehand, far side). Daniel Brodin took full advantage of a sloppy turnover, beating Igor Bobkov with 14 and a half left for the final margin. Despite Russia holding a slight edge in shots (37-32), the Swedes were the much better team, playing better defense while also attacking more effectively. Though they each were kept off the board, Devil products Mattias Tedenby and Jacob Josefson were superb cycling the puck well and generating chances. Especially the small but speedy Tedenby, who ironically donned No.9 reminding of another current Devil. So, plenty to like there.

Also standing out was defenseman Oliver-Ekman Larsson, whose superb outlets led to half the Swede output. The prettiest of which was Petersson's second off a sweet one-touch drop pass from Svensson that was started by Larsson. The Russians had ample opportunities to tie after captain Nikita Filatov (CBJ) setup Petrov with the best coming off the stick of 17 year-old Yevgeni Kuznetsov, which Jacob Markstrom (Fla) calmly tucked away for one of his 36 saves. The Swede D played Filatov physical trying to take him out of the game. But he did get involved with the assist and also a couple of other chances, finishing with an assist, four SOG and plus-one.

Also impressing us were Vyacheslav Kulemin and Vladimir Tarashenko up front along with blueliners Maxim Chudinov and Dmitri Orlov. A shame that Evgeny Grachev isn't getting to experience this great tournament, instead learning on the ropes at Hartford.

In the early game, the Czechs rolled over Austria 7-1 to get their first win. Vladimir Roth had four points (1-3-4) while Tomas Kubalik and Andrej Nestrasil each had a goal and two assists. Robert Kouzal added a goal and helper. Later today, Finland takes on Austria and the Swiss battle Latvia for a chance to pickup a victory. We're keeping an eye on New Year's with not only the USA/Canada clash but Swe/Fin and Cze/Rus with Switzerland taking on Slovakia and star Tomas Tatar (Det).

The competition should get better. So, if you want to catch some of the future, check it all out on NHL Network in The States.

USA blanks Swiss 3-zip

It ended a little while ago in Saskatoon. Despite largely controlling play with a huge SOG edge (49-22), Team USA still had to grind out a 3-0 win over the feisty Swiss in their second preliminary, improving to 2-0. The guys in classic American road dark blue jerseys with the red, white and blue USA logo did alright in a back-to-back, earning a much needed rest before the third game Tuesday against a Latvian team that got roasted 16-zip by Canada on the tourney's first night.

Before we get to our side, let's heap plenty of praise Benjamin Conz's way. The Swiss netminder was outstanding, stoning American players in a busy second to keep his team afloat, trailing by just one into the third. He finished with 46 saves, deservedly tabbed as the Player Of The Game to cheers from a biased Canadian crowd that booed our guys at every turn. I've always disliked their fans for how they treat our players. Openly rooting against us is one thing. But booing when we score and win is pathetic. It lacks class. I can just see our fans treating their players such a way when it comes back to The States in Western New York next year. Kudos go out to Conz for a virtuoso performance that opened eyes. Can he repeat it against heavy favorite Canada? One can only hope. I'd love nothing better to see them lose and watch their self-centered fans have egg on their faces.

As for the game itself, credit the Swiss for making things interesting. They played well in a seesaw first where they outshot the Americans 14-11. Conz made some good stops but Jack Campbell was superb facing some dangerous chances that included two mini-breaks off great seam passes. In his first start, he did fight the puck early, just getting a piece of a Swiss shot that trickled through before being swept away by a teammate. He also got help from an inspired penalty killing unit that thwarted an extended 5-on-3 thanks to some stellar work from defenseman David Warsofsky, who kept Swiss players away from the front of the net. The effort from the forwards was excellent too with nice work from team captain Derek Stepan, Ryan Bourque, Jordan Schroeder and Tyler Johnson, allowing Campbell to see the shots in escaping early penalty trouble.

Following an even stanza, Team USA began to dictate with their superior skill and puck pursuit style. Stepan had a great chance but a lightning quick Conz right glove robbed him point blank. Earlier, teammate Kreider also was denied off some good work behind the net. However, the 2009 Ranger No.1 pick got on board for the game's first goal while on the power play. Stepan helped set it up, dishing across to defenseman Cam Fowler, whose one-timer was redirected past a fooled Conz.

Up one, they kept coming in bunches but couldn't beat Conz, who wouldn't allow his team to fall down more despite being outshot 23-5. He was strong against Stepan, Danny Kristo and in particular Schroeder, who he flat out stoned twice in succession. That calibre of goaltending also forced shots high and wide like a mini-break Ryan Bourque got, eerily reminding us of Slovakia's Jaroslav Janus last year. That's how good Conz was in this one, giving hopes to the anti-American sentiment. :P

What we observed with the Swiss is that they are a good skating club who can find the seam. However, they're just not as developed offensively. It was pretty evident on their bland power plays which made it easy for USA. Even with returning captain Lucas Sbisa running the point, it didn't matter. I can only recall one instance where a player made a great individual effort, coming with a full head of steam and skating around the net before firing a good tester which Campbell calmly gloved. One name which did standout was Nino Niederreiter, who went to the box. When I heard the Atlanta announcer say it, it sounded like Niedermayer. Cool name.

Due to Conz, Switzerland hung around until offensive defenseman Matt Donovan buried a Bourque backhand feed for his second of the tournament for a little breathing room with 7:25 left. The play was made possible by Smithtown's Kyle Palmieri, whose breakaway was stopped. But Bourque followed up, finding an open Donovan, who slammed one home from the right circle. If the first 40 were about the studs, the third featured the supporting cast with Jerry D'Amigo, Philip McRae, Jason Zucker, Jeremy Morin and A.J. Jenks putting together effective shifts. One of which resulted in the third tally when Jenks easily putback a Morin rebound on a play started by Warsofsky with just over three minutes remaining.

In a period which saw USA limit the Swiss to three shots, Campbell earned the shutout with 22 saves as teammates congratulated him. Defenseman John Carlson also got chances offensively but it was Kreider who received Offensive Player Honors, rewarding him for some strong play which had to impress panicked Ranger fans, who already were unfairly labeling him the next Jessiman. He opened some eyes with his quick wheels and willingness to get dirty. Something the current roster doesn't have enough of. Hopefully, it's a good sign of things to come.

BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Cam Fowler, USA (assist, 3 SOG, +1)
2nd Star-Chris Kreider, USA (GW-1st of tournament, team best 5 SOG, +1)
1st Star-Benjamin Conz, SUI (46 saves incl.22/23 in 2nd)

WJC USA vs Swiss

In case anyone's interested, Team USA is playing their second game in the WJC already. Last night, they beat Slovakia 7-3 paced by Ranger prospect Derek Stepan's goal and two helpers. The Wisconsin Badger is the captain, donning the familiar No.21. He's a solid overall center who uses size well, makes heady passes and smart in own end, as evidenced during extended PK shift in first where he gave his stick to a D to help kill off 5-on-3. The kid's style is similar to Travis Zajac. A lot to like. The Rangers are also well represented with 2009 top pick Chris Kreider (#20), Ryan Bourque (#17) and unsigned Luke Walker (#14) all participating.

Smithtown product Kyle Palmieri (Ana '09 No.1) is also participating, playing with Jordan Schroeder (Van '09 No.1) and Bourque. There is no score so far with superb coverage on NHL Network for anyone interested in checking out the future. Swiss are a pretty good team with solid skating and good passing as evidenced by a few seam passes for breaks. Lucas Sbisa is the team captain and looks like he should still be up with the Ducks. Their goalie has played well too.

We'll give more of a review later. Second is on. Also, the Isles are about to drop the puck versus the Flyers looking to end the Philly domination at The Coliseum.