World Cup Hockey Predictions: Europe/Czech Republic, Russia/North America
By Ryan Ritchie
World Cup Hockey: Day Two Predictions (Team Europe vs. Team Czech Republic and Team Russia vs. Team North America)
World Cup Hockey got underway on Saturday with a shocker out of the gates. As the old saying goes, “expect the unexpected”, and that’s precisely what happened when Team Europe shutout the Americans.
It was more of the same on Sunday too when Team North America stunned Team Finland in a decisive win. Needless to say, we’re in for a wild ride over the next four days of round-robin competition.
Our opening day predictions didn’t go so well, but that’s the beauty of sports. Underdogs rise, favorites fall, it’s an unpredictable art. The second day fared much better overall, but the same cannot be said for our actual results predictions (1/4 so far).
Make sure to follow us here at Puck Prose all the way through Thursday (Sept.22) for daily tournament predictions during the preliminary round. We’ll follow it up with a semifinals prediction for action next Saturday/Sunday (Sept.24-25), and then closed out with our best of three final predictions.
Day Three Action:
Europe vs. Czech Republic (3:00PM EST) – ESPN in USA, Sportsnet in Canada
Russia vs. North America (8:00PM EST) – ESPN2 in USA, Sportsnet in Canada
World Cup Hockey: Day Three Predictions
Things Get Interesting in Group A
It would only be fitting for the Czech’s to knock off Team Europe, giving the Americans a chance to square things up against the juggernaut Canadian squad on Tuesday night. These are the types of scripts that tend to write themselves in these types of tournaments.
Whether Team Czech Republic turns to Michal Neuvirth or Petr Mrazek between the pipes, both will give them a solid chance to walk out victorious. On a side note, the newly formed European team may struggle to defend the strong Czech defensive system that has been used for years at the international level.
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Pastrnak Ready to Break Out?
Boston Bruins F David Pastrnak was one of the few Czech forwards that played a strong opener even though his team lost. He had a strong showing at last year’s World Juniors and followed it up with a solid second half in the NHL.
There’s a chance he has a major breakout campaign in 2016-17 and what better place to start than on hockey’s biggest stage? It could be a good day for David Pastrnak in what should be their easiest opponent.
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Murray a Brick Wall… Again
If Penguins GM Jim Rutherford wasn’t already feeling pressure to trade Marc-Andre Fleury, there may be a little extra by the time the World Cup of Hockey concludes.
It’s unbelievable to see Matt Murray‘s poise and maturity between the pipes with so little experience. There’s no way Pittsburgh can force this young man into a tandem for too long – he needs to play 60-plus games/season.
Just watch how cool and collected the 22-year-old is; you’d think he was a seasoned veteran.
He could be busy on Monday night since Russia has a fairly potent offense with some dangerous weapons. They could find the back of the net a few times if they’re lucky, but they’ll have to work for every goal if they hope to knock off Team North America.
Too Much Speed, Creativity for Russians to Handle
This 23-and-under All-Star team is turning some heads early in the tournament. Opponents are having difficulty figuring out how to slow this team down and if adjustments aren’t made soon, there’s a chance this squad could challenge the Canadians in the Final.
The key factor so far is a mix of speed and creativity. This team moves at high-speed (both north/south and east/west) and gets on top of opponents quickly giving them less time to think. They make crisp, smart passes and do a good job creating space for either themselves or teammates by drawing the other team out of position, thus creating quality scoring chances.
Here the NHL is having problems figuring out how to increase goal scoring. Maybe there are a few lessons to be learned from this young North American squad?
Next: World Cup Day Two Predictions
Results Prediction:
Team Czech Republic (4)
Team Europe (3)
G – Faksa, Kempny, Frolik, Pastrnak
G – Gaborik, Hansen, Bellemare
Team North America (3)
Team Russia (2)
G – McDavid, Drouin, Saad
G – Kuznetsov, Kucherov