UFA, Russia - A quick look at Canada's semifinal game against the United States on Thursday at the world junior men's hockey championship:
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Canada
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins — Canada's captain is the best playmaker in the tournament.
Malcolm Subban — Looked shaky early on, but the Belleville Bulls goaltender stepped up his game for the medal round.
Ryan Strome — If the U.S. contains the Nugent-Hopkins line, the second-line centre will need to score.
United States
Jacob Trouba — Winnipeg Jets prospect generates a lot of offence from the U.S. back end.
John Gibson — Canada may have a book on the U.S. goalie because he plays for coach Steve Spott, but he gave up only two goals on 37 shots in their round-robin game.
Seth Jones — Top NHL draft prospect difficult to beat with his range and long reach.
KEYS TO THE GAME
United States — Get another game out of Gibson like they did in their 2-1 loss to Canada in pool play. Use speed through the neutral zone to pressure Canada's defence.
Canada — Get game legs back immediately. Canada will have all 13 forwards for this game which should make for more even-strength scoring chances.
