3 'Star' keys to success for U.S. against Canada

The NHL Network will provide exclusive live telecasts of all games for the United States national junior team at the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship in Buffalo.
The U.S. defeated Denmark 9-0 on Tuesday and lost to Slovakia 3-2 on Thursday. It has two preliminary-round games remaining in Group A. It plays Canada outdoors at New Era Field on Friday and Finland at KeyBank Center on Sunday. The playoff round begins at KeyBank Center on Jan. 2.

Paul Severino and longtime NCAA hockey analyst Dave Starman will provide commentary for each U.S. game. Starman will provide for NHL.com his three keys to victory for the United States before each of its games at the 11-day tournament.
His third installment comes prior to playing Canada on Friday (3 p.m. ET; NHLN, TSN, RDS).

1. Short-term memory

"Park [the 3-2 loss against Slovakia] and move on. Most of this team is college kids and they are very accustomed to two games in two nights, and in many conferences those back-to-back games aren't against easy opponents. In the ECAC, they aren't even against the same opponent, often the case in Hockey East as well. While some video to reinforce things from [Thursday] might be needed, part of me feels to just show the players the pre-scout tape on Canada. Keep it quick and let these wounded souls get at it. My feeling is the U.S. wakes up ornery, and this team has a lot of guys who can hold others accountable. Chalk up the loss to Slovakia to a hot goalie and one of those nights. Move on and go play your game."

2. Play your game

"Well, Dave, what is their game? Based on the exhibition game against Sweden and the tournament opener against Denmark, I saw a team that cycles, scissors, transitions and wins hard-area battles. I also saw a team that is pretty dialed into its defensive-zone coverage and rush sort-outs. They got beat at their own game in a few ways by Slovakia, which I thought snuffed out the U.S. identity that I just mentioned. Slovakia also was in survival mode most of the game, let's be honest, but they also did a lot of good things defensively and their goalie, well, think Slovakia goalie Jaroslav Janus in 2009 or Czech Republic goalie Petr Mrazek in 2012. Canada will want to play up and down, but so will the U.S., so the odds of their game not being executed would be pretty slim."

3. Secondary scoring

"Brady Tkachuk scored against Slovakia, and Casey Middlestadt created a goal by himself because he's that good. In this tournament, the foot soldiers need to support the air attack. Who in the bottom six has a big goal or two against Canada? While great players have to be on top of their game to beat an equal opponent, sometimes depth can also play a role. U.S. depth, which I think is pretty good, needs to a factor. A U.S.-Canada game rarely disappoints. I doubt this one will either. Enjoy."