HELSINKI — This was always going to be a challenge.
In previous years, Canada typically began the world junior championship against also-rans like Belarus and Denmark. It was the equivalent to dipping your toe in a cold lake. This year, they had to jump right in and play the United States.
Canada felt the bracing chill of the cold lake in a 4-2 loss on Saturday.
“We’re not, like, invincible,” Canadian forward Julien Gauthier said. “We have to work hard every game and we need to get better. I think (the U.S.) is probably the best team here against us, so it was definitely a good challenge for us.”
Indeed, this was about what you could expect from a first game in a two-week best-on-best tournament. Canada was tentative at times and showed flashes of dominance at others. The young players tried to be too perfect yet made glaring errors. One game in, they were not the team they hope to be.
The Americans, who are led by 2016 top draft prospect Auston Matthews, were only slightly better. They benefited from a lucky bounce and some questionable goaltending. But while Canada is still figuring out how to score, the U.S. has an offence that can hurt you multiple ways.
“I think they took pucks to the net a little more than we did,” Canadian head coach Dave Lowry said. “We passed up some good opportunities, but at the end of the day we worked and just didn’t generate enough. We should learn from that. You start throwing pucks to the net, good things happen.
“The game’s about bounces and tonight the bounces didn’t go our way.”
This is a long tournament, so one loss to the Americans in the preliminary round does not matter much. If anything, this was a realization that Canada will likely not have it as easy as it did a year ago.
Last year’s team, which featured Connor McDavid and Max Domi, might have been the best team that Canada has assembled that didn’t benefit from an NHL lockout. They dominated like few others, going undefeated and never even trailing in a game.
This year is going to be more of a battle. Canada is still considered a favourite. But so is the U.S., Sweden and host Finland. Even the Russians, who have medalled in each of the last five world junior championships, are strong — and they needed a shootout to defeat the Czech Republic in their opener.
“We knew it was a good challenge,” said Canada’s Dylan Strome, who scored a goal to tie the game 2-2 in the third period. “We got Sweden the last pre-season game, so we kind of got a little bit of a tune-up. But (the U.S. is) a good team. It’s a tough tournament. It’s frustrating, but that’s the way it goes. I thought we had chances to win, I thought we had chances to pull away, but we didn’t get enough shots to the net. That’s what it comes down to.”
There were moments when the offence was clicking. After a scoreless first period, Matt Barzal gave Canada a 1-0 lead on a play where Gauthier blocked a shot in the defensive end, then made an incredible pass from his knees to keep the resulting offensive rush alive. Down 2-1 in the third, Strome took a pass from Mitch Marner and marched down into the slot to beat U.S. goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic with a wrist shot.
But too many times, Canada was guilty of trying to make the extra pass or trying to be too cute. They finished the game with just 21 shots, not nearly enough considering how much they controlled the puck.
“Sometimes we tried to make the perfect play but that’s not what you’re supposed to do,” Gauthier said. “I think if we put pucks on the net good things will happen.”
The U.S., meanwhile, was a little less picky. Almost all of the goals came from shots from the point, where the puck seemed to have a mind of its own.
On the game-winner, Canadian defenceman Joe Hickett mistakenly tipped a puck past goaltender Mason McDonald. Thirty-seven seconds later, Matthews, who had a goal and an assist, sealed the win by poking the puck into the net after a redirected shot had trickled through the legs of Canada goaltender Mason McDonald.
“It hits a stick and that comes from throwing pucks to the net,” Hicketts said. “That’s something that we need to do a better job of. If we switch it around, we can turn it into a teaching moment. We need to get more pucks to the net and maybe create some more goals like that.”
Canada plays Denmark on Monday in what may as well be considered a must-win game. The U.S. can breathe a little easier. Not only did it defeat Canada, but up next is Sweden, which might be without William Nylander, who left the 8-3 win over Switzerland after taking a check to the head.
“It helps a lot it. It takes all the pressure off,” U.S. head coach Ron Wilson said of the win. “It felt especially good because I haven’t won a game in four years. What better way than to get back on the horse. You fell off the horse a few years ago and I got right back on in the first game.
“Beating Canada meant a lot to me.”
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