Team USA actually took top spot in the playoff round, beating Germany 5-1 in their final match of the preliminaries.
It was complete domination from the puck drop. Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski struck first, scoring the game’s first goal at 19:51 of the first period. In the second, Auston Matthews scored one on the power play at 3:25, and Brock Faber scored his first goal of the Olympics at 17:35.
In the third, the Americans continued their dominance. Tage Thompson scored at 1:55, while Auston Matthews scored his second goal at 6:46. Germany finally woke up and Tim Stutzle scored to make it 5-1, but it was too little too late.
Team USA is the favorite to beat Team Canada
Team Canada’s dominance in the preliminaries is likely distracting people from how good Team USA has been. They scored sixteen goals and only allowed five in their three preliminary matches.
There were times when they played opponents in close proximity, such as the first period against Latvia and the first two periods against Denmark, but they thoroughly outplayed all their opponents. Their fourth line of Brock NelsonJT Miller and Jack Hughes were electric, and the first combination of Zach Werenski and Quinn Hughes was great.
The only question is whether or not that is the case Connor Hellebuyck can be the best goaltender in the tournament. He has struggled internationally and was defeated by Canadian Jordan Binnington in the 4 Nations Face-Off last year. If he can deliver on this task, Team USA should have a better chance of avoiding an upset and beating Canada.
Germany’s loss against Latvia hurts even more
Germany could have been a much higher seed in the tournament. They have a ton of NHL star talent, with Leon Draisaitl, Tim Stutzle, Moritz Seider and JJ Peterka. Had they held on to their 2-1 lead in the first period against Latvia, they could have gained six points and finished with a higher seeding result in the play-offs.
Related: 3 lessons from Latvia’s 4-3 win over Germany
Unfortunately, Germany squandered the lead, losing a heartbreaker 4-3, and they had over two minutes with an extra attacker and couldn’t score. Now they are down to just three points, and even though they finished second in Group C, they could have challenged Team USA for one of the top four spots.
Auston Matthews lives up to the hype
There were many doubts about whether Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews would perform well in the Olympics. He is slowly slipping away from the goalscoring form he showed in the 2023/24 season, with 59 goals in 118 games over the past two seasons, after scoring 69 goals in 81 games during the 2023/24 season.
So far, though, Matthews has been in charge for Team USA. He has three goals and two assists, which ranks him fifth in the Olympics. It looked like he was regaining his goal-scoring ability.
All eyes will be on Matthews in the playoffs, where he will look to put his struggles in the big games behind him.
Results
The US gets a bye in the first round as they tie Canada with nine points in the preliminaries. Meanwhile, Germany will face France in the qualifiers on February 17.
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