King on WJHC: Colliding with the Czechs
Posted December 28, 2011 8:26 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
EDMONTON, Alta. — It’s a battle of two undefeated teams when Canada collides with the Czech Republic on Wednesday.
Both teams won their openers by a seven-goal margin, with Canada defeating Finland 8-1 on Monday while the Czechs shutout the Danes 7-0 on Tuesday. Canada’s big win over Finland set the tone for a team with potential to go the distance in this tournament and it was noted by their next opponent.
“We watched the game against Finland,” Czech assistant coach Jiri Fischer said, “and they dominated so we have to be prepared.”
Team Canada will be without forward Devante Smith-Pelly, who was loaned for the tournament from the National Hockey League’s Anaheim Ducks. Smith-Pelly broke his left foot after blocking a shot against Finland on Monday.
Will Canada still be a dominant force without Smith-Pelly?
As big a hole Smith-Pelly’s injury opens on the Canadian roster, the team wasn’t built without versatility in mind. Boone Jenner was one of Canada’s most physical players in the tournament opener while Brett Connolly can also bring some sandpaper. Now that the team knows they’ll be without him, it’s up to the remaining players to fill the void.
“I think that whenever you lose a player, it’s a hole in your lineup,” Canadian head coach Don Hay said. “Hopefully we have the depth to recover from it and it gives other players opportunities.”
Connolly’s role immediately increases with Smith-Pelly’s absence.
“You really count on Brett to step up and play with a lot more determination, a lot more speed in his game and a lot more physical play in his game,” Hay said.
Can Petr Mrazek be the backbone for the Czechs?
There will be a lot of familiarity between the Czech goaltender and some of the Canadian shooters. Mrazerk suits up for the Ottawa 67’s of the Ontario Hockey League and has more than one season experience against some of these players.
“It’s a little different here than in Ottawa because playing here it’s the best team from Canada and I’m playing just a couple of the best players from OHL,” he said. “It can help me a little bit and I will try and save everything.”
Mrazek stopped all 12 shots he faced in his team’s 7-0 win over Denmark. He knows he’ll face a lot more rubber against Canada.
“You have to know they can shoot from everywhere,” he said. “They can shoot from corner, from red line — from everywhere. I have to be ready.”
Tanner Pearson scored the overtime winner for his Barrie Colts on Mrazek on Nov. 18. It was his sixth point of the game in a 6-5 win over Ottawa.
“We didn’t have trouble with him (then),” Pearson’s Barrie teammate, Mark Scheifele, said. “He’s a good goalie. You definitely have to get a lot of shots on him. I’ll definitely be telling the boys a few things that I noticed.”
How vital will special teams be for both teams? Fischer indicated his team will need to play more disciplined than they had against Denmark. He felt his team was taking too many “stick penalties” and fears the consequences if such actions are repeated against the Canadians.
“Putting Canada on the power play is definitely not going to be a smart idea,” he said. “We have to be a little bit better prepared than we were (against Denmark).”
More at Buzzing the Net: WJC2012: Mrazek gets shutout in long-awaited debut, eager for Canada | Read it here
Team Canada scored on both man advantages against the Finns while also killing off all four penalties. However, the Finns generated a lot of chances through the middle and were it not for a few near-misses, their penalty killing percentage wouldn’t be so high. Their adjustments will be critical against another skilled team.
“You have to outwork them and you have to play the body on them because they’re very good with the puck,” Scheifele said.
Can the Czechs step up their physical play?
Canada will bring a physical game, even without Smith-Pelly. The Czechs got run over a few times on some big hits from the Danes, but played with some grit in their game. It’s an area defenceman David Musil hopes his team can implement against Canada.
“We have to be physical, but also they like to hit a lot, so we have to be careful and keep our head up just in case,” he said.
Musil is no stranger to throwing his weight around. He won’t let up if he sees Brendan Gallagher, a Vancouver Giant teammate, in his sightlines.
“I’ll try to plaster him on the boards,” he said, grinning from ear to ear. “I’m really excited to play against him.”
