How deep is Team Canada at the World Cup of Hockey?
Consider this:
- Ten different players and none named Sidney Crosby, Drew Doughty or Steven Stamkos had points in Tuesday's 4-2 win to eliminate the Americans from the tournament.
- Six of the tourney's top-10 point-getters are Canadian.
- Eight players have at least a goal, led by Patrice Bergeron and Matt Duchene with two apiece.
- All but three of Canada's 18 skaters have at least one point through two games.
Team Europe, on the other hand, has two players among the top 10 in tournament scoring (Mats Zuccarello and Leon Draisaitl) and seven of 18 players without a point entering its final group-stage game against Canada on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET at Air Canada Centre in Toronto.
Both teams boast 2-0 records and have secured spots in the elimination round, with Tuesday's winner finishing first in Group A and meeting the Group B runner-up in the semifinals on Saturday night.
Europe, led by the hulking Zdeno Chara on defence and veteran NHLers Anze Kopitar and Marian Hossa up front, started the World Cup as 33-1 longshots, but opened the tournament with a 3-0 victory over the United States ana 3-2 overtime decision against the Czech Republic on Monday.
"I remember looking at their roster when it came out and thinking: 'These guys are going to be tough," Duchene, who topped Canada with two goals Tuesday night on five shots, told the Toronto Sun this week.
If the Canadians are to prevail, they are best not to wake up the sleeping giants, namely Tomas Tatar, Kopitar and Hossa, who have yet to register a point.
"We can't take anyone lightly," said forward John Tavares, who had an assist versus the U.S. and has helped Canada outscore its opponents 10-1 in two games. "That's a good team we're going to play."
But the European squad can ill afford to give up the puck as much as it has early in the tournament with 12 turnovers in each of its first two contests.
Team Europe will need goaltender Jaroslav Halak to stand on his head as he has so far to keep the game close. His .969 save percentage is slightly ahead of Carey Price (.968) but Halak has been more prone to hot/cold spells during his NHL career than the Canadian netminder.
"Jaro is playing great," said Tavares of Halak, his teammate with the New York Islanders. "There are plenty of areas we need to improve on. You want to go into the playoff round playing your best and that's what we need to strive to do."
Canadian head coach Mike Babcock will give three players their first taste of action at the tournament: Goalie Corey Crawford, defenceman Jake Muzzin and forward Claude Giroux.
Muzzin a reliable defender
Crawford, who backed up Price the first two games, is a two-time Stanley Cup champion who has posted a save percentage of .924 or higher in three of the last four NHL campaigns. The Chicago Blackhawks netminder had 35 victories and seven shutouts last season.
Braden Holtby, a healthy scratch so far at the tourney, will back up Crawford so Price can rest for the semis.
Muzzin, 27, is entering his fifth full season with the Los Angeles Kings. The native of Woodstock, Ont., is not only a reliable defender and effective penalty killer but he had 40 points and a plus-7 rating last season.
Giroux, who has surpassed 65 points five times in his NHL career, brings creativity to Canada's attack and is one of the league's top producers on the power play.
Does Team Europe have an answer for Canada's depth?
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