Post by Declan on Aug 12, 2009 22:06:43 GMT -5
U.S. wins, 6-1
The Russians played well for about half the game, then the U.S. took over in the third period. The U.S. led 3-1 after two periods, but goals by Kyle Palmieri and Cam Fowler 1:05 apart ended the competitive portion of the game.
Palmieri had another strong game, scoring a goal, creating chances and drawing a penalty. It's his first competitive hockey since February, but he certainly hasn't looked rusty. He had a goal and an assist Tuesday night. I'll have more on Palmieri in a future story, but U.S. coach Dean Blais certainly was impressed.
"Right away we saw he was in pretty good shape, ready to go," Blais told NHL.com. "It was the timing-type things, and the physical part of it we were worried about, nothing else."
Fowler had a pair of goals, Ryan Bourque had a goal and 2 assists, and Jerry D'Amigo and Jordan Schroeder each had 2 assists. Jack Campbell went the whole way in goal for the win.
The U.S. penalty killing again was strong, as they killed off three two-man advantages, including one two-minute stretch in the second period.
"That's demoralizing when you get those chances," said Blais. "A lot of times you pull your goaltender and go up 6-on-3 and I thought they might do that. We had a lot of blocked shots and good goaltending. Your goaltending is your best penalty killer and I think he was that tonight."
Blais also praised the efforts of Bourque and Schroeder on the penalty kill.
"They're quick enough, they anticipate well," he said. "You need players that can think the game out there and play without the puck and they can do that."
The teams will practice Thursday morning and get ready for games Friday and Saturday night. Stick with NHL.com for all the happenings.
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