Allgemeines » better than we were tonight.Pavelski

OTTAWA -- Is there such a thing as a soft underbelly on the back-to-back defending Olympic champions?You wouldnt think so when on Monday, the first day of World Cup of Hockey training camp for Team Canada, the fourth line had Claude Giroux between Matt Duchene and Joe Thornton.Thats right, fourth line.But Im here to tell you that losing defenseman Duncan Keith (right knee rehab) was a huge blow, no matter how skilled this team is. And not only because his stand-alone talent speaks for itself, but also because his absence puts more pressure on a Canadian left side on defense that isnt as deep as the rest of this otherworldly squad.Pretty nice luxury to lose a player like Keith and be able to replace him with a player with [Jay] Bouwmeesters international experience and ability, a Western Conference coach requesting anonymity said via text message. That said, they may miss Keiths offense; his puck movement from the left side of the ice and his ability to get up ice. I think Canada is going to face some teams who are really going to approach their games with a strong defensive approach and their D will be huge in countering that. Losing him on the power play may also force the coaching staff to be a little more creative, depending on what they were planning with setups and left/right shot combinations.And, frankly, thats putting it mildly. Next to Sidney Crosby, Jonathan Toews and Carey Price, Keith was on a list of about four or five players Team Canada would have considered irreplaceable, again in large part because of that left-right concern.Thats no disrespect to Marc-Edouard Vlasic, who was outstanding at the 2014 Sochi Olympics and has continued to elevate his game ever since, but the reality is that Jake Muzzin is a newcomer to this stage and the respected Bouwmeester has some miles on him. As such, the drop-off from Keith is real. Whereas if Canada had lost Norris Trophy winner Drew Doughty or veteran stud Shea Weber on the right side, there would have been replacement options such as P.K. Subban, Kris Letang or Brent Seabrook, such is Canadas ridiculous high-end depth on the right side.Which begs the question some Canadian hockey fans have had in the aftermath of Letang, Seabrook and Subban not making this team: Why does the left-right thing matter so much?Its just a simple thing, began Team Canada coach Mike Babcock on Monday before going on to answer the question in a complicated way.To quickly sum up the Canadian head coachs detailed, Xs-and-Os answer, the left-right balance matters to him greatly in the areas of puck possession and transition.It does make a huge difference, Doughty said Monday, echoing his coach. Most teams in the league will do the lefty-righty combo. Its really important to have.Except Team Canada might not get it completely in this tournament. There was Alex Pietrangelo on Monday, skating on the left side of fellow righty Brent Burns on what appears to be the third pairing.No big deal, insisted Pietrangelo.Its a bit of an adjustment, but when you have the quality of players we have, its not really an issue, shrugged the newly named St. Louis Blues captain. Pietrangelo said he played three or four games last season for the Blues on the left side.It was different, but it worked out, he said. I look at it this way: If I can be versatile and play on both sides, its like a switch-hitter in baseball, right? If you can play both sides, it should just benefit you.Babcock spoke with Pietrangelo a few weeks ago to see if hed be willing to try it. No sweat, said Pietrangelo.What it means is that Canada could open the tournament with four righties in the top six, which is not ideal. But the coaching staff might think thats what makes the most of the talent at hand. Keiths injury has had other repercussions: Vlasic played well with Doughty in Sochi but now finds himself at the start of camp replacing Keith and thus pairing with Weber, while Muzzin logically gets paired with his Kings pal, Doughty.Still, if Keith were here, I believe Muzzin would have been the seventh defenseman. Now hes in a top-four role -- just more domino effect from Keith being out.And while Pietrangelo downplayed his switch to the left side, its clearly a big adjustment for others.For me, if I have to go play on the left side -- not that Im bad at it -- but its definitely not as comfortable, said Doughty. And defensively, its different with your stick positioning on one-on-one, or even just exiting your zone or taking a D-to-D pass; youre looking at your partner rather than up ice right away. So its hard to play on your off side, but once you get used to it, its like anything else; once you keep practicing it and playing it, it gets easier. But if you basically havent played it in years and get thrown on the left side, its going to be a challenge.Added Weber: It seems like a simple thing [switching to the left side], but everythings different. Your body is accustomed to turning predominantly one way for the most part on the one side of the ice. It can be done -- guys are good players and can adjust -- but it does take a little bit of time to get used to it.In fact, Weber played on the left side when Seth Jones entered the league with the Nashville Predators.I would catch myself just drifting over to the right all the time because it was just an automatic, subconscious thing, said Weber. Theres an adjustment, for sure.If Pietrangelo can comfortably handle it, thats going to go a long way toward Team Canada having the kind of top-six blue-line machine that propelled the squad to an unreal defensive performance in Sochi.Still, Keith is a special player, as he showed in winning the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2015.Hes one of the best, man, Team Canada goaltender Corey Crawford, Keiths Chicago Blackhawks teammate, said Monday. He can make plays all over the ice. He just makes everyone better around him. Obviously, Canada wants a guy like that to be here. But it is what it is.Veteran head coach Ken Hitchcock, missing out on his first best-on-best tournament in a long time -- he was a part of the Canadian staff from 2002 in Salt Lake City through Sochi -- had a first-row seat to observe Keiths impact at the 2010 and 2014 Olympic Games.Duncan was never afraid of the stage, Hitchcock said this weekend. Bigger the game, better he played; he could play in all situations.Yes, Team Canada was able to overcome the injury loss of Steven Stamkos before the 2014 Olympics and of John Tavares during the tournament. But again, top-shelf forward depth is rarely an issue for Team Canada.Keiths injury could be more impactful.If Canada wins again, it will be a testimony to a great coaching staff and a defense corps that adjusts swimmingly.If the host team loses? Canadian fans will want to know why Subban or Letang wasnt on the team.The great thing about being in Canada, you can second-guess all the players, and theres always someone who got left off, said Babcock. What I find is, if you win, when you win, they dont ask you any questions. If you dont win, they ask lots of questions. Wholesale Paul George Shoes . "Trying to breathe," he said with a grin. Bernier stopped 42 of 43 shots on Monday night, including all 22 in a hectic middle frame, his heroic performance propelling the Leafs toward an undue point in their final game before the Christmas break. Paul George Shoes From China . As he recorded his 23rd and 24th points of the evening, a segment of the sellout Air Canada Centre crowd expressed their appreciation for the Raptors point guard with a smattering of MVP chants. https://www.cheappaulgeorgeshoes.com/ . According to a report from the Winnipeg Free Press, the Bombers will name Acting GM Kyle Walters to the post full time. Paul George Shoes Deals . Woodson said during a radio interview Thursday that the Knicks Carmelo Anthony doesnt get the same calls as other superstars. Cheap Paul George Shoes . PAUL, Minn. WASHINGTON -- The Washington Capitals and San Jose Sharks are going in different directions heading into their matchup Tuesday night in the nations capital.Washington has won five consecutive games after a 4-2 victory over Florida on Saturday night. T.J. Oshie scored twice -- the second time hes done that in this young season -- and Alex Ovechkin added two points.Ovechkin has 11 points in his last nine games with goals in six of his last nine contests as the Washington offense continue light up the scoreboard. Goalie Braden Holtby also has won four in a row, and those are big reasons why coach Barry Trotz doesnt want to adjust too many things.Weve won five in a row here, just like any creature of habit, when things arent broken, you dont want to fix them too much, Trotz said. Were 11 games into it or something like that. When were consistent right through the lineup, and everybodys on the same page, theres not too many teams in the league that I think that will hang for 60 with us.Ovechkin said he likes the way the team is playing in the early part of this season.We play with confidence, Ovechkin said. We have to manage our speed and manage our game. In the future, its going to pay off.San Jose, meanwhile, is trying to turn things around. The defending Western Conference champions have gotten off to a bit of a slow start this season.San Jose (6-6-0) comes into Washington on a three-game losing streak -- which follows a three-game winning streak.Offense has been an issue at times as the Sharks scored only four times in those three games,, the last being a 5-0 shutout at home versus the Pittsburgh Penguins in a rematch of last years Stanley Cup final.ddddddddddddIf you) lose 5-0, its not bounces or anything, youre just not good enough, Sharks captain Joe Pavelski said to the media after Saturdays game. Its tough, its not any fun. We have to be a lot better than we were tonight.Pavelski leads the team with 12 points (four goals, eight assists). Brent Burns is second with 11 (four goals, seven assists).Theyve had issues at times on the power play, something that hurt them in the Pittsburgh loss. The Sharks had eight shots on goal during their first three power-plays in that game and gave up a short-handed goal on the next one.Power plays have to strike when it has a chance to keep games closer, and we havent done that enough, Pavelski said. We feel like were right there, at the same time it feels like theres a long way to go.The Sharks made one move Monday, calling up 20-year old Kevin Labanc from the San Jose Barracuda of the American Hockey League. He was leading the Barracuda with 10 points and four goals during the first six games -- which started his pro career.The Washington contest starts a season-high six-game road trip that will take the Sharks around the country. Theyll play Washington, Tampa, Florida, Carolina, St. Louis and Arizona, staying on the road until a Nov. 21 matchup with New Jersey, the beginning of a five-game homestand. ' ' '