Team USA headed into the quarterfinals as the only undefeated team in the tournament. In typical fashion with this year’s team, they breezed through the Latvians with ease, 7-2, and still remain unbeaten.
Sign up for our NHL Prospects & Draft Substack newsletter
Twelve players found the scoresheet, including five with multiple points. But it will get much tougher from here on out…
Quick Start
As mentioned pregame by the NHL Network crew, it can sometimes be difficult for a team that is as heavily favored as the Americans were since it could play mind games. Oftentimes, teams that are multi-goal favorites can put too much pressure on themselves and mentally check out because of their clear talent advantage.
The key to defeating that is to jump out to a quick lead, which is exactly what the Americans did. Just 91 seconds into it, Drew Fortescue (NYR) sniped one past Deivs Rolovs to give them a 1-0 lead and set the precedent for the whole game.
Ten minutes later, Gabe Perreault (NYR) scored to push the lead to two. Dans Locmelis (BOS) cut the US lead in half a little later, but that adversity was short-lived.
How short-lived, you may ask? Thirteen seconds was what it took for Danny Nelson (NYI) to answer right back and make it 3-1. That was just the first of five unanswered goals for the Americans, who continued to bring it on every shift.
For their standards, Latvia played a pretty solid game. But the US was simply leaps and bounds more talented, and the scoreboard reflected it.
It’s certainly important that the US played a structured and disciplined game, which could have easily been shied away from given the inferiority of their opponent.
Boston College Line Thrives
As we saw with Canada’s quarterfinal exit, just because a group is talented doesn’t mean that they can mesh well together.
That’s why it’s so crucial that Ryan Leonard (WSH), Will Smith (SJS) and Gabe Perreault (NYR) have been kept together as a line for two years now – one at the US Development Program and one at Boston College (BC).
Related: 2024 Guide to the World Junior Championship
At BC, they’ve combined for 66 points in only 17 games. All three linemates were first-round selections at the 2023 NHL Draft, and they’ve certainly played like it.
They combined for six points in this matchup and have notched 16 total in five tournament games. Perreault scored twice, and Smith added one of his own. To top it off, they’ve all been above-average defensively.
Their chemistry has continued to wreak havoc on opposing countries. Watch out for the BC line to continue to make an impact in the semi-final and beyond.
Importance of a Goalie Duo
Another potential reason that Canada was knocked out early was because they may have worn out their goaltender, Mathis Rousseau, who played every game for them. That is what happens when a coaching staff doesn’t have confidence in their backup goaltender.
The US has had the luxury of utilizing Jacob Fowler (MTL) when their number one, Trey Augustine (DET), has needed rest.
Fowler stopped 23 of 25 (.920 save percentage – SV%) in the American victory. And he’s won all three games he has played in this tournament.
It could end up paying dividends that Augustine (who has also battled illness) was able to sit out and make sure he’s 100 percent for the upcoming semifinal. He has posted an impressive 1.50 goals-against average and .952 SV% in this tournament so far.
Going forward, there’s a good chance that Augustine will get both the semi-final and the bronze/gold medal game, depending on the US result. If the Americans were to go all the way, Fowler can confidently say he played an invaluable role in a championship team.
Looking Ahead
The Americans are slated to take on Finland in the semi-final on Thurs. Jan. 4. If they continue to play well as a unit, the sky’s the limit for them.
