**** Official 2024-25 NHL Thread ****

[KC_Connection]

The story after two periods pic.twitter.com/arEsfNbIGB

— MoneyPuck.com (@MoneyPuckdotcom) February 16, 2025

Doesn’t matter if you control play if you don’t have a goalie, that’s the difference between these teams

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by KC_Connection

The story after two periods pic.twitter.com/arEsfNbIGB

— MoneyPuck.com (@MoneyPuckdotcom) February 16, 2025

Doesn’t matter if you control play if you don’t have a goalie, that’s the difference between these teams

But even on paper that was the difference.

If USA won this it was always going to be because their goalies were just better. It's the one area (and maybe D) where they could match/exceed Canada.

It's like saying "yeah well we'd beat you if you didn't have Mahomes..."

Sure, but we do.

USA just has better goaltending than Canada.

[KC_Connection]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

But even on paper that was the difference.

If USA won this it was always going to be because their goalies were just better. It's the one area (and maybe D) where they could match/exceed Canada.

It's like saying "yeah well we'd beat you if you didn't have Mahomes..."

Sure, but we do.

USA just has better goaltending than Canada.

Especially when you purposely don’t bring your best goalie

[RockChalk]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

But even on paper that was the difference.

If USA won this it was always going to be because their goalies were just better. It's the one area (and maybe D) where they could match/exceed Canada.

It's like saying "yeah well we'd beat you if you didn't have Mahomes..."

Sure, but we do.

USA just has better goaltending than Canada.

You said "maybe D", but I believe our D-line pairings are superior to anything Canada can throw out there. USA is catching up in terms of overall skill and ability.

Hope they win so we can play them again.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by RockChalk

You said "maybe D", but I believe our D-line pairings are superior to anything Canada can throw out there. USA is catching up in terms of overall skill and ability.

Hope they win so we can play them again.

Without Makar and Pietrangelo, you're probably right.

But with those two guys, the Canadian D is extremely formidable. And I do think they should've brought Bouchard with them but I guess they decided that the games are probably going to be tight enough that a defensive lapse could be enough to lose them a game so they went with more defensively oriented blue-liners.

I mean Makar, Pietro, Morrissey and Bouchard is a pretty incredible top 2 pairs.

But to your larger point -- yeah, the gap is closing. And will probably continue to close. But I do think it's pretty likely that Canada continues to be better at the very top end of their rosters going forward. Where they McDavid and MacKinnon as their top forwards, we have Matthews and Hughes. Ours top end is very good but theirs is simply better.

Thank God for the Hughes and Tkachuk families, man. I mean its easy to joke about, but take Jack, Quinn, Brady and Matthew off this team and man that's a ton of talent lost. Quinn Hughes being better than Jack (IMO) was NOT on my bingo card. But both of those guys are outstanding.

[RockChalk]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Without Makar and Pietrangelo, you're probably right.

But with those two guys, the Canadian D is extremely formidable. And I do think they should've brought Bouchard with them but I guess they decided that the games are probably going to be tight enough that a defensive lapse could be enough to lose them a game so they went with more defensively oriented blue-liners.

I mean Makar, Pietro, Morrissey and Bouchard is a pretty incredible top 2 pairs.

But to your larger point -- yeah, the gap is closing. And will probably continue to close. But I do think it's pretty likely that Canada continues to be better at the very top end of their rosters going forward. Where they McDavid and MacKinnon as their top forwards, we have Matthews and Hughes. Ours top end is very good but theirs is simply better.

Thank God for the Hughes and Tkachuk families, man. I mean its easy to joke about, but take Jack, Quinn, Brady and Matthew off this team and man that's a ton of talent lost. Quinn Hughes being better than Jack (IMO) was NOT on my bingo card. But both of those guys are outstanding.

Yeah, not having Makar makes a huge difference and I was speaking specifically to the rosters as currently constructed (injuries included). But even moving forward, the level that Faber plays at already considering his age, is incredible. And at a minimum, I think we match up pretty well, Defensively, against Canada even if they were at full-strength.

I think I'm just mainly excited that we can even talk about being on even-footing with them in some areas.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by RockChalk

Yeah, not having Makar makes a huge difference and I was speaking specifically to the rosters as currently constructed (injuries included). But even moving forward, the level that Faber plays at already considering his age, is incredible. And at a minimum, I think we match up pretty well, Defensively, against Canada even if they were at full-strength.

I think I'm just mainly excited that we can even talk about being on even-footing with them in some areas.

I think people sleep on Hughes more than they should even though he won the Norris.

He can score with Makar but seems to be a steadier defensive presence than Makar is.

He's incredible and more and more people seem to finally be noticing. Like I said, I didn't see that one coming at all. I thought he'd be a good player but I didn't have him becoming the best defenseman in the NHL and he's very much on his way there if he isn't already.